Buitenlandse pers over het Nederlandse elftal

quote:

Op maandag 14 juni 2010 17:00 schreef Michielos het volgende:
Ik word altijd uitgelachen door heel MSN , AOL en Yahoo.

quote:

Op maandag 14 juni 2010 17:00 schreef Michielos het volgende:
Ik word nu al uitgelachen door heel MSN , AOL en Yahoo

Nederland

Oh, toch wel.

quote:

Op maandag 14 juni 2010 17:00 schreef Michielos het volgende:
Ik word nu al uitgelachen door heel MSN , AOL en Yahoo

Nederland

quote:

Op maandag 14 juni 2010 17:02 schreef tralalala het volgende:

[..]

Inderdaad, geen 3 punten.

_{Oh, toch wel.}

quote:

Op maandag 14 juni 2010 17:03 schreef Michielos het volgende:

[..]

echt wat een geluk 30 euro naar de klote. Nja goed, heb ook op Japan gewed. Die zullen dit Nederland met "de grote vier" wel een lesje leren

quote:

Netherlands 2, Denmark 0: Dutch gather steam after Poulsen's error

Story Highlights
Dutch struggled until Denmark's Simon Poulsen scored an own goal
Introduction of Eljero Elia in second half turned the game around
Both Robin van Persie and Niklas Bendtner looked less than fully fit

JOHANNESBURG (AP) --The Netherlands managed to grind out a 2-0 win over Denmark on Monday despite struggling to live up to its billing as one of the most dangerous attacking teams at the World Cup.

The Dutch took the lead through a fluke own goal in the 46th when Denmark defender Simon Poulsen headed a ball off the back of teammate Daniel Agger and into the net, when trying to clear a cross from Robin van Persie.

Dirk Kuyt doubled the lead in the 85th when he tapped in a rebound off the post from close range.

Denmark had frustrated the Dutch until the own goal with a compact midfield, and the Netherlands never came close to the free-flowing, high-scoring type of play their fans have become accustomed to -- despite several other chances.

Instead, they had to rely on a bit of luck, as Van Persie beat an onrushing Thomas Sorensen to a long through ball down the left flank before squaring up to send a cross into the area. Poulsen had plenty of time and space to clear the ball, but his off-balance header bounced off Agger's back before trickling into the net.

"That was like a bucket of cold water over our heads,'' Denmark coach Morten Olsen said. "Simon Poulsen was one of our better players but he was unlucky. It's one of those things that happens in football.''

After wasting a number of chances to double the lead, substitute Eljero Elia broke clear into the area and rolled his shot past Sorensen and against the post. Kuyt beat his marker to tap the rebound into an empty net.

Both coaches sprung a surprise in their lineups with Bert van Marwijk putting Arjen Robben on the bench after previously ruling him out of the game because of a hamstring problem, while Morten Olsen started Arsenal forward Nicklas Bendtner after saying he would almost certainly miss the game with a groin problem.

But with the 1-0 lead to protect, Van Marwijk never looked likely to risk Robben's fitness by putting him on, as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury.

Bendtner was taken off in the 62nd. Olsen said Bendtner "wasn't supposed to play,'' but that a late injury to Jon Dahl Tomasson forced him to change his mind.

"We had to take some chances,'' Olsen said. "But we couldn't let Bendtner play more than one hour. We still have two important games.''

Bendtner played as a lone striker up front as Denmark employed a five-man midfield to stop the Netherlands' trademark quick passing game.

Those tactics worked well in the first half, as the Dutch struggled to thread the ball through the midfield. Instead it was Denmark that created the best scoring chances on counter attacks. Dennis Rommedahl's cross from the right wing found Bendtner unmarked in the area in the 27th, but the Arsenal forward headed wide from six meters (yards).

Bendtner then sent Thomas Kahlenberg clear into the left side of the area in the 37th, but his shot was pushed out to a corner by Maarten Stekelenburg.

The Dutch continued to press forward after the own goal but struggled to create clear chances.

Van Persie had a chance to double the lead in the 52nd after being sent clear into the area by Kuyt but Sorensen rushed out and got a hand on the ball.

The Arsenal striker then set up Rafael van der Vaart with a cross into the area in the 59th, but his nifty volley produced a two-handed save from Sorensen.

Van Persie then met Wesley Sneijder's corner in the 74th, but his header bounced wide.

quote:

3 thoughts from the Netherlands' 2-0 win over Denmark in Group E:

1. Rafael van der Vaart has blown his chance. The Netherlands played some intricate passes around the Denmark area but initially only broke through the back line when Simon Kjaer's wayward clearance went straight to an opponent that is, until Eljero Elia came on with just over 20 minutes to play. His first move was to spin his marker and break into the area, giving the Netherlands' approach play a vigor it lacked when Rafael van der Vaart was on. Elia was a constant threat thereafter, his pace troubling the Danes, and his well-timed run and shot rebounded off a post to set up Dirk Kuyt for the second goal (after the first had come from a wide position). Before Elia's cameo, the absence of Arjen Robben, out with a hamstring strain, hung heavy over the team. Now though, Holland coach Bert van Marwijk will find it difficult to keep Van der Vaart, a playmaker too similar to Wesley Sneijder, in the team: instead, it will surely be Robben or if he's unavailable, Elia.

2. This tournament is costing Ajax. Three of the most exciting young players coming into the tournament are on the books of Dutch club Ajax, who presumably dreamt that the trio would star, resulting in bidding auctions and inflated prices to fund their academy for years to come. It has not quite worked out like that: for Uruguay, Luis Suarez suggested he might come from the Mateja Kezman/Afonso Alves school of prolific Dutch scoring rather than the Ruud van Nistelrooy/Klaas-Jan Huntelaar school, while Nicolas Lodeiro lasted 16 minutes before he was the first player sent off in the competition. Denmark gave its highly-rated midfielder, 18-year-old Cristian Eriksen, 20 minutes in which the tournament's youngest player did very little, leaving Ajax at least grateful for Gregory van der Wiel and Marten Stekelenburg, who both had solid games.

3. No one will score from 40 yards. We have seen a few goalkeeping hashes and, in this game, some poor ball control early on. But as the hype continues over the Jabulani ball, at what point will the players realize that shooting from 40 meters out or further is a waste of time? Wesley Sneijder, Mark van Bommel, Daniel Agger, and Simon Kjaer all took pot-shots from ridiculous distances and unsurprisingly, none came close to scoring. Enough already.

quote:

Holland 2-0 Denmark: Dutch struggle to break down a disciplined Danish defence
_{June 14, 2010}
A quiet game won by two scrappy goals – not really the performance we were hoping for from Holland. Some credit should go to Morten Olsen – his tactics stifled Holland’s creative players and Denmark did have chances to score.

Holland lined up as expected considering the injury to Arjen Robben – Rafael Van der Vaart played on the left, Dirk Kuyt was on the right, and Welsey Sneijder played behind Robin van Persie.

Denmark’s shape was broadly a defensive 4-1-4-1 which matched Holland in the centre of midfield – Christian Poulsen picked up Wesley Sneijder, whilst the two players ahead of him looked to track any forward runs from Mark van Bommel or Nigel de Jong.

Denmark defensive-minded

Denmark essentially set out looking for a draw, attempting to negate Holland’s strengths rather than maximise their own. They managed to do this rather well – Holland created few chances throughout the first half and there was no player on the pitch that really had any time on the ball – everyone was immediately confronted with an opponent and this resulted in a tight, cagey game of few goalscoring opportunities.

Denmark’s defending started from the front. They were keen to make sure Maarten Stekelenburg was unable to play out from goal-kicks to his two centre-backs, with Nicklas Bendtner and one of the wingers closing down and forcing the Dutch goalkeeper to hit his goal-kicks long. This seemed to trouble Holland who wanted to keep possession and dictate the tempo of the game.

Aside from goal-kicks, however, the Danish midfield sat inside their own half and didn’t look to pressure the Dutch player in possession until they got within 40-50 metres of the goal. Their defence, too, sat very deep and meant Holland were unable to play balls in behind Daniel Agger and Simon Kjaer.

Upfront Nicklas Bendtner was doing a decent job in holding up the ball and waiting for the midfield runners. He dropped relatively deep when the Dutch brought the ball into the Danish half, meaning that if the ball was won and played up to Bendtner, he generally had 5-10 yards of pace and could hold onto the ball much more easily than if he had pushed high up against the Dutch centre-backs.

Dutch congestion


A more detailed representation of the Dutch movement
Whilst Denmark were defending well, Holland were not helping themselves when in possession. There was surprisingly little width from the Dutch, with Rafael van der Vaart drifting in too much from the left, and Dirk Kuyt running into Simon Poulsen, who was the best player on the pitch until his mistake in the second half. Holland also found it difficult to get their full-backs into the game because they were tracked well by the Danish wingers. The only players who found space to operate in were Nigel de Jong and the two centre-backs – whenever they played the ball forward or wide, they generally received the ball back straight away as the flair players were closed down, and had no other options on.

A main part of the problem was that van der Vaart and Sneijder were operating in the same space. Sneijder likes to move to the left to find space, whilst van der Vaart looks to move inside. They needed to stretch the play to create spaces in the Danish defence, but the back four sat deep and narrow and dealt with crosses and through-balls well.

On the other hand, the Dutch narrowness and the Danes’ strict instructions to track individual players meant that Denmark ended up playing rather narrow too – it was not unusual to see three of the band of four midfield runners ending up within ten yards of each other when defending, and therefore it was difficult for them to find an out-ball, aside from the long pass up to Bendtner. The Danish four were happy to switch around both in and out of possession, and their best move came when the excellent Martin Jorgensen moved to the left and hit a huge diagonal ball to Dennis Rommedahl on the right, although he wasted the opportunity.

In all, it was a quiet first half – Holland and Denmark both touched the ball in the opposition box just three times in the first half, according to OPTA.

Goal settles the game

No obvious changes at the start of the second half, but an immediate goal. And with the Dutch problems with width on the left, it was ironic that the goal came when van Persie chased a hopeful ball into a deep left-wing possession and crossed the ball in. Poulsen’s header was awful, deflecting off Daniel Agger on its way in, and Holland were ahead despite Denmark’s excellent defensive display.

After that, little happened to actually change the scoreline. The half-fit Bendtner could only last until the hour mark and he was replaced by Mikkel Beckmann, not a natural striker by any means. The Danes didn’t appear to be able to shift from their defensive state to a more positive approach, and offered little goal threat for the rest of the game.

Natural width proves successful for Holland

The main interest came from the Dutch bench, where Elijero Elia replaced van der Vaart and played the left-wing role much, much better – keeping wide and skinning the Lars Jacobsen on two occasions shortly after his introduction, stretching the Dutch play and allowing Sneijder to move into the areas he wanted to play in. It was no surprise that the second goal came from his run in behind the defence – his shot was partially saved by Thomas Sorensen, but it hit the post and rebounded to Kuyt, to tap in and seal the game in the 84th minute.

Conclusion

Holland need natural width. Preferably from Robben, but if he is not available, the pacey Elia should be used to stretch the opposition defence and vary the threat. They had struggled all first half for any flair from the left side of attack, and their two goals came when first van Persie and then the substitute Elia caused the Danes problems from that very position, showing what they needed on a more permanent basis.

The Danes’ near-successful approach suggested that a deep and narrow defensive line could cause Holland problems, and the way the midfield was set out, to deliberately confront the Dutch midfielders and full-backs when they got the ball, could well be used even more successfully by a more talented side. It was basically the complete opposite of the failed Australian tactics against Germany yesterday.

The Danish objective was (a) to try for a 0-0 and if not, (b) to avoid an embarrassment. Their midfield was disciplined and defensive, yet contained four players with ability on the ball – against Japan and Cameroon they will look to break forward more, and having avoided the mauling many predicted, still have a good chance of qualification.

quote:

Danes no match for Dutch

quote:

A Simon Poulsen own goal and Dirk Kuyt’s late winner earned the Netherlands a deserved 2-0 win over Denmark at Johannesburg’s Soccer City as the Dutch took an early lead in Group E and stretched their long unbeaten run.

Oranje coach Bert van Marwijk had sprung a pre-match surprise with the inclusion of Arjen Robben as a substitute and the early stages could certainly have done with the Bayern Munich winger’s pace and trickery. With Soccer City bathed in afternoon sunshine, the players took some time to establish the expected tempo, and the best efforts of a tight opening 20 minutes came through two hugely ambitious and off-target free-kicks from Wesley Sneijder and Thomas Enevoldsen.

Neither side were doing themselves justice at this stage but, of the two, it was the Netherlands who were displaying the greater attacking intent, with Rafael van der Vaart proving a lively deputy for the sidelined Robben. Twice in as many minutes midway through the half, the Real Madrid midfielder turned neatly on the edge of the box to fashion scoring opportunities, but on each occasion was unable to find the target.

Thomas Sorensen, fit again after suffering a dislocated elbow, endured a heart-stopping moment shortly after when he fumbled a tame-looking Dirk Kuyt shot only to recover the ball at the second attempt. The Dutch would have been worthy of a goal at this stage, but their failure to convert territorial dominance into goals threatened to cost them dearly as half-time approached.

The warning signs had been there when, with 28 minutes played, Nicklas Bendtner found space at the back post to head wastefully wide from a measured Dennis Rommedahl cross. Rommedahl himself tried his luck soon after, firing straight at Maarten Stekelenburg at the end of a lightning Danish break, while Thomas Kahlenberg provided the best effort of the half with a flashing left-foot shot that forced a terrific save from the Dutch No1.

However, it is not for nothing that Van Marwijk’s side came into this match on a record 19-match unbeaten sequence, and they took a deserved lead within a minute of the second half commencing. Robin van Persie was the goal’s architect, beating Sorensen to a through ball before curling over an inviting cross that Simon Poulsen, in his attempts to clear, headed across goal, against the back of Daniel Agger and into the net.

The Danes nearly self-destructed again four minutes later when a misplaced pass allowed Van Persie a clear sight of goal, but the Arsenal forward hesitated and Sorensen smothered bravely. Van der Vaart then came close an early contender for goal of the tournament with an audacious flick matched only in quality by Sorensen’s agile save, while Sneijder rattled the crossbar with a deflected 25-yard shot.

The Dutch were not to be denied, however, and their continued superiority was rewarded with five minutes remaining when Dirk Kuyt slotted home from close range after substitute Eljero Elia’s initial effort had struck the post. The bounce of the ball had again favoured the Oranje, but there could be no Danish complaints about a result that is sure to enhance their Group E rivals’ standing as genuine FIFA World Cup™ contenders.

quote:

Mit deutschen Tugenden;

NIEDERLANDE Schlecht gespielt, aber gewonnen / Eigentor des Dänen Agger bricht den Bann

Von Holger Schmidt und Marco Mader Johannesburg.

Deutschland das Zaubern und Scheitern überlassen, dafür selbst ohne Glanz und Gloria endlich den Titel holen: Der zweimalige Vize-Weltmeister Niederlande hofft nach dem glanzlosen 2:0 (0:0)-Auftaktsieg gegen Dänemark auf die Entdeckung erfolgreicher "deutscher Tugenden".

"Deutschland hat wie Holland gewonnen, dafür haben wir wie Deutschland gewonnen", sagte der frühere Hamburger Rafael van der Vaart nach dem glanzlosen und von Daniels Aggers Eigentor (46. ) begünstigten Arbeitssieg. Und Mark van Bommel, Kapitän des Deutschen Meisters Bayern München, ergänzte mit einem verschmitzten Lächeln: "Deutschland ist für mich jetzt Turnierfavorit.

Aber vielleicht geht es ihnen ja wie uns bei der EM." Bei der EM 2008 hatte Oranje mit Zauber-Fußball gegen Italien (3:0) und Frankreich (4:1) ganz Europa verzückt und sich in die Rolle des Turnierfavoriten gespielt - scheiterte dann aber direkt im ersten K.o.-Spiel an Russland (1:3 nach Verlängerung). "Für uns ist es gut, dass wir zum Auftakt gewonnen haben und doch mit beiden Füßen auf dem Boden bleiben müssen", meinte van Bommel deshalb. "Wir haben nicht gut gespielt. Aber vielleicht ist das auch besser so", meinte van der Vaart. Dies war allerdings eine vorsichtige Umschreibung für die Leistung der Niederländer, die gegen schwache Dänen sogar Glück brauchten, um zum Sieg zu kommen. Erst Aggers Eigentor brach nach einer furchtbar langweiligen ersten Halbzeit den Bann, Dirk Kuyt vom FC Liverpool staubte nach einem Pfostenschuss des eingewechselten Hamburgers Eljero Elia zum Endstand ab (85.).

Der Flügelstürmer des HSV versprühte nach seiner Einwechslung (67.) als einziger etwas Glanz und schaffte das, was dem für ihn ausgewechselten van der Vaart nicht gelungen war: Den verletzten Bayern-Star Arjen Robben vergessen lassen. "Wir haben 2:0 gewonnen. Da kann man kaum sagen, dass wir Arjen vermisst haben", sagte Bondscoach Bert van Marwijk. Eine baldige Rückkehr Robbens ins Team scheint trotz ausgestandenem Muskelfaserriss nicht bevorzustehen. "Es geht darum, ihn zum richtigen Zeitpunkt einzusetzen", meinte van Marwijk. Der Auftaktsieg und die Leistung Elias lassen ihm auch etwas Luft, ein Risiko muss er nicht eingehen.

"Eljero hat super gespielt", meinte van der Vaart, der nun genau deshalb fürchten muss, endgültig aus dem Team zu rutschen. "Mein Traum ist es, der ganzen Welt zu zeigen, was ich kann. Meine Aktionen gelingen immer. Ich mache mein Ding", sagte Elia im Überschwang - und bremste sich umgehend selbst: "Ich bin froh über die Zeit, die der Trainer mir gibt. Ich bin nur stolz, bei Oranje und bei der WM dabei zu sein." Seine Visitenkarte hat der 23-Jährige jedenfalls eindrucksvoll abgegeben. "In der zweiten Hälfte haben wir uns gesteigert, auch weil Elia kam", sagte Kapitän Giovanni van Bronckhorst nach seinem 100. Länderspiel. Der Ex-Dortmunder van Marwijk meinte dasselbe, ohne Namen zu nennen: "Die erste Halbzeit war schlecht. Nach der Pause haben wir manchmal gezeigt, wozu wir in der Lage sind."

quote:

No glitter, but Dutch start with a victory

It wasn't flash, it wasn't spectacular, but the Netherlands opened their World Cup challenge with a performance that was steady as she goes rather than full speed ahead.

An own goal by Denmark and a tap-in by Dirk Kuyt was enough for the Dutch to extend their unbeaten run to 20 matches, a record for the country that began after they were last beaten in 2008. Since then they have had 15 wins and five draws.

It is a run Bert van Marwijk, the Dutch coach, will be hoping to keep going over the next few weeks.

Van Marwijk could afford not to risk playing Arjen Robben, who has been struggling with injury, but in Wesley Sneijder, who has enjoyed a dream season with Inter Milan, and Arsenal's Robin van Persie, well rested after spending much of the season injured, he has men capable of engineering a win from very little.

A poor first half was followed by a second in which the Dutch dominated.

"It was a difficult first half, we didn't play well in the first half, but we did enough in the second half to win," said Man of the Match Sneijder.

"I think it's too early to say what will happen (in the rest of the tournament). We didn't play that well today, but we won 2-0. That's important. The first game is the most important one."

After a first half of bitty chances and Daniel Agger marshalling a Danish defence that blocked and scrambled efficiently, it took a mistake to add life to a match that had rumbled along.

Van Persie's diagonal run, from right to left, was picked out by a long ball from the Dutch defence and drew Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen to the edge of his area.

The Arsenal winger turned and clipped over a cross that Simon Poulsen, who plays in the Dutch league for Alkmaar, headed into Agger's back and it crept inside the left-hand post for an own goal.

Denmark coach Morten Olsen had a word of comfort for Poulsen.

"I told him it happened to me one time in my career, so it can happen to anyone. He just has to forget all about it," said Olsen.

"There were still 45 minutes to go, so we had some problem in our attacking play. We had a similar goal in the second half against England in 2002. It's not an excuse, but this was a good Dutch team.

"I thought we defended well in the first half. We had planned to play (Niklas) Bendtner for a half, but got 60 minutes from him, so he's getting fitter."

The introduction of 23-year-old Eljero Elia after 67 minutes for the misfiring Rafael van der Vaart gave the Netherlands an injection of pure pace. He combined well with Dirk Kuyt, the Liverpool midfielder.

Indeed, the Netherlands could have been three or four goals up in the second half if not for the athleticism of Sorensen.

The Stoke City goalkeeper could only get a hand to an Elia shot with five minutes left and pushed it on to the post, from where it rebounded neatly into the path of Kuyt, who killed the game off.

Hup Hup, Holland are on the move.

quote:

Mondial 2010 : les Pays-Bas, révolution "oranje"

Anthony Hernandez

Deux finales perdues, des générations sacrifiées, l'équipe des Pays-Bas n'a jamais eu une relation apaisée avec la Coupe du monde. Pourtant, les Néerlandais n'ont jamais manqué de talents et d'opportunités d'aller au bout. Auteur d'une qualification parfaite, les joueurs de Bert Van Marwijk possčdent le potentiel d'un vainqueur. Mélange de joueurs ā maturité et d'espoirs, les Pays-Bas évolueront dans le groupe E avec le Danemark, le Cameroun et le Japon.

HISTORIQUE : l'apogée des 70's

Aprčs deux participations peu reluisantes au Mondial en 1934 et 1938, les Pays-Bas inscrivent la premičre page de leur histoire au plus haut niveau en 1974 avec la génération Cruyff. Pratiquant le football total sous l'influence directe de l'Ajax Amsterdam, les Néerlandais disposent au second tour de l'Argentine (4-0), du Brésil (2-0) et de la RDA (2-0). Tous les observateurs attendent le sacre des sublimes footballeurs "oranjes" mais la RFA, ā domicile, s'impose 2-1 en finale malgré l'ouverture du score de Neeskens sur penalty.

Quatre ans plus tard, les Néerlandais se présentent au Mondial argentin sans Cruyff qui boycotte la compétition pour ne pas cautionner la dictature du général Videla. Aprčs des victoires notamment contre l'Iran, l'Italie, l'Autriche et un match nul face ā la RFA, les Pays-Bas disputent une nouvelle finale, encore une fois face au pays organisateur. Les Argentins ne laissent pas échapper leur premičre Coupe du monde grâce ā une victoire 3-1 aprčs prolongations. La déception est légitime : la génération en or ne gagnera jamais le Mondial. Sublime injustice !

Eclipsés pendant une décennie, les Pays-Bas atteignent les huitičmes de finale en 1990, les quarts de finale en 1994 et enfin les demi-finales en 1998 en France. Ils s'inclinent aux tirs au but face au Brésil aprčs un score de 1-1. A la surprise générale, en 2002, les Néerlandais ne se qualifient pas pour la Coupe du monde asiatique. En 2006, sortis du groupe de la mort au détriment de la Serbie et de la Côte d'Ivoire, ils perdent leurs illusions ā la suite d'un défaite lors d'un match violent face au Portugal.

PARCOURS DE QUALIFICATION : un sans-faute plein de promesses.

Dans le groupe 9 des éliminatoires de la zone Europe avec la Norvčge, l'Ecosse, la Macédoine et l'Islande, les Pays-bas ont réalisé un parcours parfait. Au-delā des huit victoires en huit matches, les coéquipiers de Arjen Robben ont inscrit 17 buts et n'en ont surtout encaissé que deux. Pas souvent cités parmi les grands favoris, les Néerlandais restent de sérieux outsiders. Et si la révolution "oranje" s'abattait sur l'Afrique du Sud ?

POINTS FORTS ET POINTS FAIBLES

Un mélange de générations : le sélectionneur Bert Van Marwijk s'appuie sur un mélange de joueurs expérimentés et affirmés, et de jeunes joueurs non moins talentueux. Les cadres de l'équipe ont fičre allure : en défense, Boulahrouz, Mathijsen, Ooijer, van Bronckhorst ; en milieu de terrain, Sneijder, van der Vaart et van Bommel ; en attaque, Kuyt, van Persie ou Robben (de retour de blessure). Cette génération fréquente la sélection depuis quelques années, tout comme le haut niveau du football européen. Des espoirs se męlent petit ā petit ā cette base solide : Afellay (PSV), de Zeeuw (Ajax) ou Elia (Hambourg)... Cette cohabitation pourrait permettre d'apporter au groupe une émulation et une fraîcheur appréciables sur les terrains sud-africains.

Qui en pointe ? Męme si la liste des attaquants oranjes est d'une rare qualité (van Persie, Babel, Kuyt, Huntelaar, Robben), l'absence d'un vrai buteur, en forme, pourrait se faire cruellement ressentir. Et le choix du sélectionneur de ne pas prendre van Nistelrooy revenu en forme avec Hambourg risque de susciter des critiques. Kuyt ne joue pas dans l'axe avec Liverpool et malgré sa polyvalence, il n'est pas un vrai finisseur. Barré au Real Madrid, Huntelaar n'a pas réussi ā s'imposer ā Milan. Il n'a inscrit que neuf buts sous le maillot milanais. Quant ā Babel et Robben, ce sont des joueurs de couloir, moins susceptibles de marquer. L'inconnu concerne van Persie, blessé pendant la majeure partie de la saison mais qui est revenu avec Arsenal. Ailier de formation, van Persie a les capacités d'occuper l'axe de l'attaque, qualité qu'il démontre sous le maillot des Gunners.

JOUEUR CLÉ : Mark van Bommel, la plaque tournante.

Une teigne, un dur, un costaud, un tatoué, Mark van Bommel n'est pas un adversaire réputé facile sur le pré vert. A 33 ans, avec son mčtre 87, ce milieu défensif, qui a débuté au Fortuna Sittard avant de se révéler avec la bande du PSV mené par Hiddink (Lyon s'en souvient), est un joueur essentiel dans toutes les équipes par lesquelles il est passé. En 2005-2006, Barcelone profite de sa roublardise et de son impact physique. Depuis quatre saisons, le Bayern Munich ne peut plus se passer de lui. Et la derničre campagne de Ligue des champions du club prouve aux sceptiques que van Bommel n'est pas seulement une brute. Sa justesse dans la passe, son sens du jeu et ses orientations font de lui une véritable plaque tournante du milieu de terrain. Les Pays-Bas en profiteront ā coup sûr lors du Mondial.

JOUEUR Ā SURVEILLER : Ibrahim Afellay, un vrai créateur.

Né ā Utrecht de parents marocains, Ibrahim Afellay a été formé ā l'école du PSV Eindhoven, gage de qualité. Ce milieu de terrain offensif a débuté en professionnel ā 17 ans lors de la saison 2003-2004. Il connaît la premičre de ses 16 sélections sous le maillot néerlandais en 2007 aprčs avoir refusé de répondre aux sollictations de la Fédération marocaine de football. Plus en difficultés cette saison, Afellay a le potentiel pour illuminer le jeu des Pays-Bas. Mais derričre Sneijder et van der Vaart, la concurrence au milieu de terrain sera acharnée.

quote:

The Netherlands rarely had to step out of second gear during a routine 2-0 win against a lackluster Denmark side in Johannesburg’s Soccer City. A comical own goal, which went in off Daniel Agger’s back, gave the Dutch the lead just after half-time and although the Dutch had to wait for Dirk Kuyt’s tap-in to seal the victory, Denmark had never threatened to equalize.

The Netherlands’ are often tipped as pre-tournament dark horses, and this World Cup is no different.

Arjen Robben may have been missing with a hamstring injury but coach Bert van Marwijk was still able to call on the talent of Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, and Rafael van der Vaart. The young substitute, Eljero Elia, whose shot was palmed against the post to set up Kuyt’s goal, also impressed. This team should not struggle to create chances.

They struggled initially, though.

It was an uninspiring first half, summed up by the crowd’s enthusiasm for a Mexican Wave – a sure sign that there was little on the pitch to keep their attention.

The Netherlands were neat but rarely threatening, while Denmark occasionally caused problems on the counter attack. Sniejder was reduced to two long-range free kicks. Both were from at least 35 yards – one slammed into the wall, the other sailed clear over the bar.

The best chances in the first 45 minutes fell to the Danes. Nicklas Bendtner should have done better with a free header in the 27th minute which he glanced wide, while Dennis Rommendahl forced a good save out of Maarten Stekelenburg in the Dutch goal after Martin Jorgensen had played a delicious cross field pass to set him clear.

But Agger’s own-goal, within 40 seconds of the restart, knocked the air out of the Danes.

Set up to play defensive football, they seemed unable to change. Martin Olsen’s three second-half substitutions were all attacking changes, but they made little difference. A late counter-attack, when the score was still 1-0, petered out when only three men in red bothered to cross the halfway line.

The official capacity may have been 83,465 but empty seats were, once again, in evidence.

Thousands were still free by kick off, although most had filled by midway through the first half; a sign that Johannesburg’s traffic jams and tight security around the stadium are preventing everyone from arriving in time.

More frustrating for the organizers must be the rows of empty seats in the corporate boxes. Around half were unfilled. It is becoming a recurring problem and one that threatens to make a mockery of FIFA claims that 97 percent of the tournament’s tickets have been sold.

quote:

Dutch Find Goals in Unusual Places, Including From the Opponent

The Netherlands has the victory it wanted, and some of its big-name players might even now be thanking Dirk Kuyt, the son of a fisherman, for putting the finishing touch to a 2-0 victory over Denmark on Monday at Soccer City stadium.

Kuyt is the player whose highly developed work ethic coaches love but whose lack of refined skills was disparaged by members of his team during the approach to this World Cup.

He is a modest man, like his father, also Dirk, who died of cancer three years ago. But it is Kuyt’s belief that you work, you persevere, you believe in yourself even if those who share your labor are never convinced about you.

Kuyt must be fulfilled knowing that he was still on the field, still running, still in position to tap in the final goal when Robin van Persie, the striker who had so openly questioned Kuyt’s right to share the attack, had already been withdrawn to the bench.

Soccer has this way of leveling down the egos, and van Persie owes Kuyt a beer.

Well, O.K., it was not much of a goal, knocked in from less than three feet after Eljero Elia, a quicksilver wing who came on midway through the second half as a substitute, did all the creation.

Elia, 5 feet 9 inches, quick and as slippery as a lizard darting between rocks, had beaten the Danish goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen with his low shot, which bounced as a gift off the far post into Kuyt’s path.

At least that goal had a Dutch name to it. The first one was cruel, but almost comical.

Van Persie can claim the assist on that one because he made the cross from the left flank. But Simon Poulsen made a pig’s ear of an easy clearance.

The ball struck him on his shaven scalp above the right temple, ricocheted the opposite way from the one he intended, struck the back of his teammate Daniel Agger, and one-hopped across the goal line. Because it struck Agger before crossing the line, FIFA officially credited the goal to him. But there was no doubt that it was Poulsen’s fault.

What does a coach say to a defender as hapless as that?

“I said to him it happened to me a lot in my career, it can happen to anyone,” said Morten Olsen, Denmark’s coach.

He possibly told a white lie there. Olsen was more than a competent defender, one of the most accomplished players in Denmark’s history. But it is in a coach’s interests to be kind to his player, and Olsen told Poulsen, “Forget about it and think of the next game, because you played a good game today.”

A good game is the faint praise the performance and the victory merit. Players are saying that the atmosphere at matches is surreal, that the tuneless din of the vuvuzelas gives them little feeling of normal soccer audiences.

But these are the multimillionaire players of world fame. If the crowd does not give them energy, they have to create it for themselves.

Few games so far have grabbed the undivided attention of the spectators. This one was better than, say, France-Uruguay or Serbia-Ghana, but for long spells it was a highly orchestrated stalemate.

The Danes confessed beforehand that a tie would be the summit of their ambition and set out a seven-man rearguard action to try to achieve it. The onus was on the Netherlands to break that organized resistance, but though it had far more of the ball, it lacked ideas on how to penetrate.

Denmark absorbed the blows and counterattacked. And once, at 37 minutes, Denmark’s lonesome striker Nicklas Bendtner beautifully spun with the ball and passed it into the stride of Thomas Kahlenberg. Kahlenberg shot for goal, but Maarten Stekelenberg, the Dutch goalkeeper, clawed it down with both hands.

The Dutch were by then wary of Denmark’s swift and sudden raids down the wings, especially the pace of Dennis Rommedahl on the right.

And in a tournament thus far refereed in the highest standards, the Dutch more than once got away with rugged fouls that surely deserved censure. Nigel de Jong’s hack at the heels of Martin Jorgensen, clearly seen by the French referee Stéphane Lannoy, went unpunished.

It was culpable foul play. It threatened the limb of an opponent. And referees are instructed to clamp down on those, as the arbiter had the previous night when Tim Cahill of Australia was shown a straight red card for a similar foul, on Germany’s Bastian Schweinsteiger.

With that caveat, the Dutch deserved their victory. Elia deserves more game time. Wesley Sneijder, who combines industry with art, deserved a goal when his left-foot shot glanced off a defender and struck the crossbar.

Most of all, Kuyt deserves to be praised, not mocked. Perseverance is his virtue, and the Netherlands’ game clincher.

quote:

Netherlands defeats Denmark. Okay, but wasn’t the stadium beautiful?


Soccer City was basking in the best that the Johannesburg winter can offer. The stands are brightly coloured in a red-orange combo. There was excitement and expectation in the air. And that’s just about the only positive things we can say about the Netherlands’ win over Denmark. It was 2:0, but we were left thoroughly bored.

While Denmark are a tough, traditionally well-organised European team, albeit lacking in big stars (the biggest of them being Arsenal’s Nicholas Bendtner), the world’s focus today was on Dutch team. The 1974 and 1978 finalists and 1998 semi-finalists, the Dutch went through a generation of very talented but also very moody stars in 2002 and 2006. The current team appears to be a much stronger and more cohesively put together outfit, with plenty of attacking talent in Van Persi, Robben, Snyder and Kuyt.

Denmark is a hard nut to crack on any day, but Monday saw a Dutch team that was not particularly inspired. Yet, they were ready to grind their way through the game, even as Denmark appeared to be the slightly better of the two teams in the first half.

The Second half, however, saw the Danes press self-destruct button in the same way Algeria and Serbia did before them. An innocent-looking cross was headed by Danish central defender Poulsen into the shoulder-blades of his unsuspecting colleague, Liverpool’s Agger, and then into Sorensen’s goal.

The Dutch goal, as accidental as it was, wreaked havoc with the Danish tactics of playing a mostly defensive game with quick counter-attack sorties into the opponents’ territory and they never really recovered, not that they were shining before it anyway.

Apart from winning this hard-fought game, the Dutch could be very encouraged by their newest young talent, Elia, who replaced van den Vaart and brought much-needed urgency to their game. The final goal was the best move of the match, with Snyder brilliantly finding Elia, who quickly check-mated Sorrensen, only to hit the far post. The ball was then simply tapped in by the supreme predator Kuyt.

All in all, the Netherlands-Denmark game mostly bored us to sleep. But such are the best teams at big tournaments: the Dutch won a tough game by spending just enough energy and without losing any of their stars. And the next time, Robben might be fit to play too.

Here are the minute-by-minute notes:

Starting line-ups

Netherlands: Maarten Stekelenburg, Gregory van der Wiel, John Heitinga, Joris Mathijsen, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Mark van Bommel, Dirk Kuyt, Nigel de Jong, Robin van Persie, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart

Denmark: Thomas Sorensen, Christian Poulsen, Simon Kjaer, Daniel Agger, Lars Jacobsen, Martin Jorgensen, Nicklas Bendtner, Thomas Kahlenberg, Simon Pulsen, Dennis Rommedahl, Thomas Enevoldsen

Man of the match: Wesley Snyder

First half

It’s been a somewhat uneventful start to the game, with both teams probing each other cautiously. The Danes seem somewhat out of it, with a few back passes to the keeper almost falling at the Dutch strikers’ feet.

* 4th minute: Free kick for the Dutch as Sneijder is brought down about 38m from goal. Sneijder takes the shot, but skies it.

We’ve seen eight games without a single good free kick. Jabulani's fault?

* 10th minute: First shot at goal from Kuyt, who shoots it right at Sorensen. The Danish keeper fumbles it very badly before recovering.

It seems like keepers are having trouble with saving routine shots. This will hopefully encourage the players to try their luck with shots from as far out as Sandton.

* 12th minute: Hand ball to Wesley Sneijder, just inside his half.
* 14th minute: Bendtner tries to set up a counter-attack, but finds himself isolated and is quickly muscled off the ball. The Danes are going to let the Dutch keep possession, and then rely on counter-attacks to create chances. Good luck with that.
* 16th minute: The Dutch earn their first corner kick, but nothing comes of it. You’d be forgiven for thinking you were attending a training camp instead of a World Cup match. This has not been tantalising football.
* 19th minute: Van Persie sets van der Vaart up for a shot, but a quick Danish defender gets in the way, and the shot goes out the back for a corner.
* 19th minute: Second corner to the Dutch, and again it fizzles out as the Danish defender use his superior height to defend the high ball.

* 20th minute: The first serious chance for the Dutch comes as van Bommel slices a low cross in, but van der Vaart wastes the chance, trying to get away from the flocking Danish defenders.
* 21st minute: Enevoldsen sends a shot from just outside the penalty box into the stratosphere.

The Danes are certainly the less convincing side in terms of attack.

* 26th minute: Rommedahl sends a brilliant cross into the Dutch penalty box, right onto Bendtner’s forehead, who nudges it just wide of the goal. The Dutch defence was certainly caught by surprise.
* 30th minute: De Jong stomps quite savagely on a Danish player’s ankle, but doesn’t get booked for it.
* 30th minute: Free kick to the Dutch from just outside the centre circle. Sneijder fluffs it quite ridiculously.
* 33rd minute: Rommedahl gets the first shot on goal for the Danes after a counter-attack, but shoots it right at the Dutch goalkeeper.
* 34th minute: Jorgensen gets a free kick in a goodish area, but it is wasted as Kahlenberg buries it into the Dutch wall.
* 37th minute: Kahlenberg gets a shot from angle, but it is saved by the Dutch keeper, earning the Danes their first corner. Predictably, it’s a complete waste.

The France vs Uruguay game was more exciting than this, and that is quite an indictment. I’d sooner sit through a Mbeki speech...

* 42nd minute: Van Persie turns a defender several times inside the Danish penalty box, and finally sends a shot off his right foot, which skids harmlessly to the side of the goals.
* 43rd minute: Nigel de Jong gets the first booking of the match after bringing Bendtner down. Finally, an incident.

End of the first half, thank God.

Second half

46th minute: Poulsen scores an own goal. He is absolutely devastated. Van Persie attempted a cross, and Poulsen headed it into his own goal, after deflecting it off Agger’s back.

* Looking at the own goal replay, Poulsen definitely directed that header away from the goal, but it took an awkward glance off the back of his head, and spun back into the goal. Jabulani is a very unpredictable ball, that much is for sure.

Photo: Denmark's goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen watches the header of Simon Poulsen (R) that ended up with an own goal during their 2010 World Cup Group E soccer match against the Netherlands at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg June 14, 2010. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

* 49th minute: A yellow card for van Persie for fouling Kjaer.
* 55th minute: Enevoldsen goes off for Gronkjaer. A bit of an ancient player, is Gronkjaer.
* 58th minute: Van der Vaart’s back-flip shot, off van Persie’s cross, is easily saved by Sorensen.
* 60th minute: van Persie is caught offside by the Danish defence, and has a few words with the referee. He apparently couldn’t hear the whistle over the noise of the vuvuzelas.

* 61st minute: Beckmann comes on for Bendtner.
* 63rd minute: Kjaer wins a dubious yellow card after tackling Sneijder. He definitely got the ball on that one.

Kahlenberg has been strangely subdued in this match.

* 66th minute: van der Vaart comes off, and Elia comes on.
* 68th minute: Elia gets away quite brilliantly from two defenders, and crosses the ball to van Persie who cannot get it past a wall of Danish defence. That was the first bit of exciting football in this game, coming from the Dutch substitute.
* 72nd minute: The lacklustre Kahlenberg is replaced by 18-year-old Eriksen.
* 73rd minute: Van Bommel gets a shot in, but Sorensen nudges it aside. Elia has definitely injected a greater sense of urgency into the Dutch attack.
* 74th minute: Van Persie headers a cross from a corner wide.
* 76th minute: Van Persie is withdrawn for Afellay.
* 77th minute: Kjaer fouls van Bommel, and earns the Dutch a free kick, who opt to play it instead of seeking a shot.

The Dutch are choosing to defend this one goal instead of seeking another. As if the football wasn’t boring enough already.

* 81st minute: De Jong goes down with a cramp to his right calf. Yes, really. The game is that boring.
* 81st minute: Sneijder fires a shot in, and disaster almost strikes again for the Danes as the ball takes a dangerous deflection off a Danish defender, but strikes the top bar and goes out for a corner.
* 83rd minute: Afellay shoots a shot high and wide. “Way high, Afellay,” moans the bored TV commentator.
* 85th minute: Sneijder gives Elia a brilliant pass, and he makes an even better run to nudge it past Sorensen’s outstretched arm. It hits the post, and Kuyt nudges it into the goal. Score!

Netherland's Eljero Elia kicks the ball past Denmark's goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen to hit the sidebar and allowed team mate Dirk Kuyt to score during the 2010 World Cup Group E soccer match agasint Denmark at Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg June 14, 2010. REUTERS/Michael Kooren

* 87th minute: Poulsen rescues his country after Kuyt fires a low cross in for Afellay, who manages to get it past Sorensen. Poulsen clears it brilliantly off the line.
* 87th minute: De Zeus comes on for De Jong.

The game is livelier now, the Dutch perhaps smelling blood. The Danish side is completely demoralised.

The referee finally blows his whistle, ending the Danish misery.

quote:

* 87th minute: De Zeus comes on for De Jong.

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 09:47 schreef Flammie het volgende:

Bild.de zit al te beredeneren waarom Duitsland wel wereldkampioen kan worden.. Wij mogen ons eerst eens druk maken over de groepsfase....

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 09:47 schreef Flammie het volgende:
Nou nou wat een positieve berichten weer Na de 1e wedstrijd is het al allemaal duidelijk en zo te zien ook in het buitenland... Nederland heeft echt veel geluk gehad tegen de Denen en het is geen topteam

Bild.de zit al te beredeneren waarom Duitsland wel wereldkampioen kan worden.. Wij mogen ons eerst eens druk maken over de groepsfase....

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 09:47 schreef Flammie het volgende:
Nou nou wat een positieve berichten weer Na de 1e wedstrijd is het al allemaal duidelijk en zo te zien ook in het buitenland... Nederland heeft echt veel geluk gehad tegen de Denen en het is geen topteam

Bild.de zit al te beredeneren waarom Duitsland wel wereldkampioen kan worden.. Wij mogen ons eerst eens druk maken over de groepsfase....

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 11:05 schreef Ypmaha het volgende:

[..]

En weer een Oranjehater

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 11:10 schreef kadeya het volgende:
Dit is op zich wel relaxt, beetje underdog positie. Laat ze zich allemaal inderdaad maar lekker opwinden over Duitsland, Argentinie, Spanje, enz. NL elftal heeft met 2-0 gewonnen en zijn zelf ook niet echt tevreden, als dit slecht is wat wordt het als ze goed spelen!

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 11:18 schreef Flammie het volgende:

[..]

Tegen goede landen? Dan verliezen ze met 3-0 ofzo

quote:

Op dinsdag 15 juni 2010 11:05 schreef Ypmaha het volgende:

[..]

En weer een Oranjehater