The Netherlands (Group C)
Squad | Scouting Report | Road to Euro 2008 | Euro History
| Squad | ||
| Player | Position | Club |
| Edwin van der Sar | Goalkeeper | Manchester United (England) |
| Maarten Stekelenburg | Goalkeeper | Ajax Amsterdam |
| Henk Timmer | Goalkeeper | Feyenoord |
| Wilfred Bouma | Defender | Aston Villa (England) |
| Khalid Boulahrouz | Defender | Sevilla (Spain) |
| Tim de Cler | Defender | Feyenoord |
| John Heitinga | Defender | Ajax Amsterdam |
| Joris Mathijsen | Defender | Hamburg SV (Germany) |
| Mario Melchiot | Defender | Wigan (England) |
| Andre Ooijer | Defender | Blackburn (England) |
| Ibrahim Afellay | Midfielder | PSV Eindhoven |
| Giovanni van Bronckhorst | Midfielder | Feyenoord |
| Engelaar | Midfielder | Twente Enschede |
| Nigel de Jong | Midfielder | Hamburg SV (Germany) |
| Wesley Sneijder | Midfielder | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Rafael van der Vaart | Midfielder | Hamburg SV (Germany) |
| Demy de Zeeuw | Midfielder | AZ Alkmaar |
| Klaas Jan Huntelaar | Forward | Ajax Amsterdam |
| Dirk Kuyt | Forward | Liverpool (England) |
| Ruud van Nistelrooy | Forward | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Robin van Persie | Forward | Arsenal (England) |
| Arjen Robben | Forward | Real Madrid (Spain) |
| Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink | Forward | Celtic (Scotland) |
| Head Coach: | Marco van Basten | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: Coach Marco van Basten has abandoned the attacking 4-3-3 formation originally made famous by the Dutch team of the 1970s, and has replaced it with a more traditional 4-4-2 setup. Instead of playing the free-flowing, stylish football that the Netherlands was famous for during van Basten's playing days, the Dutch take a far more conservative approach now. The Netherlands play with a flat-back four, and the defenders rarely venture forward, allowing the creative midfielders to orchestrate the attack on their own. The midfield trio of Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie serve as the engine room, using their vast array of creative skills to drive the Dutch attack. They are supported by a pair of holding midfielders (Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Demy de Zeeuw) who takes care of the dirty work in the centre of the park. Up front, striker Ruud van Nistelrooy offers his team a menacing presence around the penalty area. The Dutchman is a classic goal poacher and relies on service from the midfield, ideally low balls played to him with his back to goal inside the penalty area so he can use his strength to turn defenders.
Probable starting formation (4-2-3-1): (GK) Van der Sar - (D) De Cler, Mathijsen, Heitinga, Melchiot, Andre Ooijer - (M) Van Bronckhorst, De Zeeuw - (M) Van Persie, Van der Vaart, Sneijder - (F) Van Nistelrooy
Strengths
Midfield creativity - The Dutch team is loaded with creative and attacking midfielders who can make a difference. Wesley Sneijder (Real Madrid) and Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg SV) are coming off strong seasons for their respective clubs. Arsenal's Robin van Persie, injured from most of the season, is quick and dangerous with the ball at his feet. Arjen Robben, if healthy, is another impact player.
Tactically strong - It used to be that the Netherlands was consumed with playing beautiful soccer (Total Football, as the Dutch called it) even at the expense of winning games. But in the past two years, coach Marco van Basten has instilled his players with a "win by any means" mentality. As a result, the Dutch are no longer slaves to playing beautiful soccer, and are focused on playing winning soccer.
Goalkeeping – Edwin van der Sar is one of the most experienced goalkeepers in international soccer (he has over 120 caps for the Netherlands) and is coming off a strong season in which he helped Manchester United win the Premiership and Champions League. Aside from being a solid shot stopper, he also uses his excellent distribution skills to launch attacks.
Weaknesses
Defence – Don't be fooled by the fact that the Dutch only conceded five goals and posted eight shutouts in 12 qualifying games – most of those clean sheets came against Albania, Luxembourg, Slovenia and Belarus. Centre fullbacks Joris Mathijsen and John Heitinga are far from convincing, lack concentration and are too error-prone – and they're the team's best defenders!
Dissension in the ranks - The Dutch team is in turmoil. Players have publicly questioned coach Marco van Basten tactics. The former AC Milan star doesn't have the respect of his players, a fact underlined by the decisions of veterans Clarence Seedorf and Marco van Bommel to rule themselves out for Euro duty.
No defensive midfielder - For all of their creativity and offensive genius in midfield, the Dutch are missing a quality defensive enforcer in the centre of the park. Van Bommel and fellow veteran Edgard Davids didn't make the team, which means the holding position in midfield falls to Giovanni van Bronckhorst, a decent player, but he'll be out of his depth in this role.
Players to watch
Edwin van der Sar - This will be van der Sar's swan song - he plans on retiring from the national team after Euro 2008 - so expect the goalkeeper and Dutch captain to be at his best in Austria and Switzerland. The Manchester United star organizes his defence effectively, is quick to come off his goal-line and has excellent positional sense. He also distributes the ball with pinpoint accuracy in launching counterattacks.
Rafael van der Vaart - The 25-year-old midfield playmaker is renowned for is versatility, as he can play as a striker or a central midfielder, but is at his best when he lines up on the left side of midfield. Technically gifted and very athletic, he also possesses a booming left-footed shot that has proven to be deadly accurate in free kick situations.
Ruud van Nistelrooy - Considered to be among the best strikers in the world, van Nistelrooy is coming off a solid season for Real Madrid in which he scored 16 goals. A classic goal-poacher, he has the uncanny ability to always be in a scoring position. He combines deadly finishing skills, power and strength into an awesome goal-scoring package.
Key injuries/sqaud omissions: Netherlands coach Marco van Basten originally omitted defender Khalid Boulahrouz from his squad, but then called him up to the team when winger Ryan Babel who suffered an ankle injury in a recent training session. Veteran midfielder Clarence Seedorf opted not to play for the Dutch, due to an ongoing dispute with van Basten.
Road to Euro 2008
1st round matches:
June 9 vs. Italy (Berne)
June 13 vs. France (Berne)
June 17 vs. Romania (Berne)
Euro 2008 qualification route
Finished second in qualifying Group 7 (26 points) behind first-place Romania (29 points).
Record in qualifying: 8 wins, 2 draws, 2 losses
Goals for: 15
Goals against: 5
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Robin van Persie (4)
Qualifying results:
09.02.2006: Netherlands 1 - Luxembourg 0
09.06.2006: Netherlands 3 - Belarus 0
10.07.2006: Netherlands 1 - Bulgaria 1
10.11.2006: Netherlands 2 - Albania 1
03.24.2007: Netherlands 0 - Romania 0
03.28.2007: Netherlands 1 - Slovenia 0
09.08.2007: Netherlands 2 – Bulgaria 0
09.12.2007: Netherlands 1 – Albania 0
10.13.2007: Netherlands 0 – Romania 1
10.17.2007: Netherlands 2 – Slovenia 0
11.17.2007: Netherlands 1 – Luxembourg 0
11.21.2007: Netherlands 1 – Belarus 2
Euro History
Number of Previous Euro Appearances: 7
All-time record: 28 GP - 13 W, 9 T, 6 L
Goals for: 45
Goals against: 23
Most goals: Patrick Kluivert (6)
Most appearances: Dennis Bergkamp and Edwin van der Sar (13)
Biggest win: 6-1 vs. Yugoslavia in 2000
Biggest loss: 1-4 vs. England in 1996
Euro Results:
1960 - Did not enter
1964-1972 - Did not qualify
1976 - Semifinals
1980 - First round
1984 - Did not qualify
1988 - CHAMPIONS
1992 - Semifinals
1996 – Quarter-finals
2000 - Semifinals
2004 - Semifinals
Legends from the past
Johan Cruyff: Regarded as one of the game's greatest players, Cruyff was a sublimely talented star who was at the heart of the mighty Ajax Amsterdam team that won three straight European Cups from 1971-73. He joined Barcelona in 1973-74 and helped the Spanish club win its first league title in 14 years. A three-time European player of the year (1971, 1973, 1974), Cruyff led the Netherlands to the final of the 1974 World Cup against West Germany.
Marco van Basten: The current Dutch coach was also one of its greatest players ever, helping the Netherlands win the 1988 European championship. He began his career at Ajax Amsterdam but made a name for himself with Italian giants AC Milan. Van Basten was regarded as the best striker of his era and was named European player of the year three times (1988, 1989 and 1992) and FIFA world player of the year in 1992. A rash of injuries cut short his brilliant career when he played his last game for Milan — at age 28 — in 1993.