Holland
Ifs and buts
When Marco Van Basten was appointed national coach in July 2004 he started building a new side with the aim of winning the European Championship four years later. The World Cup in between was considered no more than a chance for the side to gain the required experience.
Now, with Euro 2008 approaching – after which Van Basten hands over the reins to Bert Van Marwijk – the whole campaign looks more like wishful thinking than delivering a serious candidate for silverware.
Firstly, Holland must get through a group that also includes world champions Italy and runners-up France. Secondly, Van Basten’s team, far from impressive in the qualifiers, have been inconsistent in the warm-up friendlies. They started with a confident 3-0 win in Croatia. Although the Balkan side were still on cloud nine because of the win at Wembley in
their final qualifier, the result in Rijeka still proved that Van Basten’s new 4-2-3-1 system could be effective.
However, seven weeks later and with almost the same team, Holland were 3-1 down at half-time against Austria, who would not have qualified for Euro 2008 had they not been a co-host. Holland went on to win 4-3 but every player knows that such a turnaround will not happen against Italy or France.
The good news is that Van Basten listened to his senior players (goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar, midfielder Clarence Seedorf and forward Ruud Van Nistelrooy) when they called for a change from Holland’s traditional 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1, a formation more often used by other international teams.
The bad news is that the new system does not solve the coach’s problems. His defence still looks shaky, especially centre-backs John Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen, who have a habit of making vital mistakes. Meanwhile, the attacking midfielders – Rafael Van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie – often get under each other’s feet by all converging in the centre of the field. There are also doubts about whether holding midfielders Giovanni Van Bronckhorst and Demy De Zeeuw can balance the attack-minded team. Neither has the commanding presence of a Gennaro Gattuso or a Patrick Vieira.
Van Basten also has to deal with personnel problems. Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben are currently injured, and although they will probably be fit in time for the finals, they are likely to be out of the swing of things. At the same time, Seedorf, a dominant personality, is not happy with his role as a reserve. It is possible that the bubble will burst even
before the finals.
Minds focused
But for all that Van Basten may not be over-concerned. His experiences at Milan during his playing days have taught him to think the Italian way. That means waiting until the club season is over so that the players have their minds focused on Euro 2008, then starting to build a solid, winning team during the training camp.
For the coach, the few weeks before the finals are the time to gel his attack-minded midfield trio with Van Nistelrooy (or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, one of the few bright lights in the two friendlies of the year). That is also the time for Van der Sar to take command of the defence, and for Van Basten to find the right mixture between attack and defence.
If Italy make their traditional slow start to a finals, Holland could benefit, and if the Dutch then manage to draw against France, who knows what could happen next, against Romania in the final group game and beyond?
Interview with Holland coach Marco van Basten
Interview with Holland's Clarence Seedorf
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