Olympic Team takes shape!

Some weeks back, the Dutch Olympics played a friendly tournament in Sweden. De Haan’s squad won the last game against Portugal with 2-0, after losing against France and a draw against the hosts.
A good win against the strong Portuguese team, who we won’t see at the Olympics by the way.

Jeremain Lens, played for NEC last season on loan from AZ Alkmaar, was the man of the match. He scored the first, on a Makaay pass.

“We made good use of the space they allowed us. Portugal played good football, but our organization was tremendous. Lens’ speed is a real weapon for us,” said Foppe de Haan.

Goalie Ken Vermeer (ex-Ajax) had to save the Dutch in the first minutes and Pele hit the bar.

In the second half, the Olympics attacked more. Ten minutes before the end, new PSV signing scored the second goal.

“We start to get in shape,” De Haan continued. “We finished better than we started and we still have players like Drenthe, Aissati and Emanuelson to come in. More options.”

The players will take a holiday now and return for the warm up tournament in Hong Kong end of July.

The Olympics against Portugal:

Vermeer
Zuiverloon Marcellis Jong-A-Pin Pieters
Luijckx Beerens (Amrabat) Sno (De Guzman)
Lens (Emnes) Makaay Sibon

Coach Foppe de Haan selected 30 players for the first training after the holidays. These sessions will focus on the physical.

The squad:

Piet Velthuizen (Vitesse), Kenneth Vermeer (Willem II), Ryan Donk (AZ), Henrico Drost (sc Heerenveen), Tom Hiariej (FC Groningen), Kew Jaliens (AZ), Calvin Jong-A-Pin (sc Heerenveen), Christian Kum (ADO Den Haag), Erik Pieters (FC Utrecht), Frank van der Struijk (Willem II), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord), Gianni Zuiverloon (sc Heerenveen), Wout Brama (FC Twente), Lorenzo Davids (NEC), Urby Emanuelson (Ajax), Siem de Jong (Ajax), Kees Luijckx (AZ), Evander Sno (Celtic), Istvan Bakx (KV Kortrijk), Roy Beerens (sc Heerenveen), Marvin Emnes (Sparta Rotterdam), Jeremain Lens (NEC).
Dirk Marcellis (PSV), Ismaïl Aissati (PSV), Otman Bakkal (PSV), Luigi Bruins (Feyenoord), Jonathan de Guzman (Feyenoord), Hedwiges Maduro (Valencia), Nordin Amrabat (PSV), Roy Makaay (Feyenoord).

It seems Barry Opdam, the veteran AZ defender and former Oranje international has thanked for the Olympic team. He has moved to Co Adriaanse’s Red Bull Salzburg and won’t be available to go to the Games. Kew Jaliens (AZ) is his replacement.

Foppe de Haan is counting on Ryan Babel to be fit for the Olympics. The Liverpool striker got injured in the preparation for the EC2008 for Oranje.