BMI can play left back, but I think Blind is considered first left back under van Gaal. Lens is not in the preliminary squad but we have seen this more from van Gaal. He has build a track record of not putting people in the preliminary squad to then add them later in the final squad. I will only label it as a real surprise if he fails to make the the final squad. Vilhena has not impressed me the times I saw him. That being said, Pröpper is not in his best form either. Klaassen maybe slightly less good then when he started as well. Van Gaal has seen Vilhena up close and maybe looked for something else.
I am note sure what Clasie, Fer or Propper has done? Vilhena is so young and raw and I still remember him against germany in the U-17's final When Germany was destroyed. I think he played the CAM and he did amazing.
The reason Vilhena wasn't called up is because Koeman is a sucky coach and has been ruining Feyenoord's talent the entire season now. Almost all of their talented players looks so out of shape.
This. Vilhena moved up to the offensive midfielder's role would upgrade him one whole level. Then again, I am kind of thankfully for Koeman not seeing/doing this. I get vibes from Vilhena that he is on the more lazy side of the spectrum. Him playing "box to box" or something close to it, kind of nurtures a better working ethic in him. Had he plays there now already, I kind of expect him to somehow drop off early in his career. Vilhena is a pan on the heat for after WC 2014.
I'd love to see Klaassen and Sneijder together in midfield. De Jong as holding mid. Don't see Strootman losing his spot to Klaasen though
I highlighted in red the players I think should make the final cut. Also Clasie is not a defender....LOL
Less then 4 months until World Cup. Who is in goal? Who is the 23 man team? Starting XI? What is Van Gaal up to?
The quality of the squad is not up to scratch. People are too raw. RVP Strootman Robben are definitely making it. LVG says he has got 11-12 odd players in mind while the other spots are pretty open
Oranje are in a transition period plus we might be in a little down period right now as well, where NL just isnt producing top talent like we were in the past. This I'm afraid will probably mean either a group stage exit this summer, or a complete and utter 2nd round thrashing by Brazil who are hellbent on revenge for 2010. Its gonna get real ugly! And things will get worse before they get better I think. Holland won't have a world class team thats a semi-final or final contender for at least 5 to 10 years. I'm not being pessimistic, just realistic
There's a lot of good talents coming. None really breaking out. Veltman, BMI, Cillesen, Boetius, Depay. Talents like Strootman to be World Class, or showing such potential. Robben RVP are World Class. Sneijder VDW coming back strong. I don't know what there to be so pessimistic. LVG is so great with young talent, no idea how Hiddink will be. The next few years are crucial for BMI, Veltman, Depay. They can break out of the cusp or be the next Afellay\Elia. Would love to see 2-3 Players actually breaking out. Spain and Germany have heaps of talent breaking out. They can atleast form 3 World Class teams
I think qualifying from a group stage in WC is a realistic expectation. Difficult, yes - but it's doable. Knock-out stage is a whole different ball game, anything and everything can happen. Losing to Brazil will suck, but after all, they're the host nation and a leading contender.. we'll see. The future looks pretty decent. I wouldn't call it "ugly". There are plenty of young blood who can/will step up and make noise. Some of them are already in the mix in the current setup, the likes of BMI, Rekik, Veltman, Clasie, Depay. "Senior" like Strootman (who's only 24, btw!) is becoming/will become one of the most sought-after midfielders in Europe, if not in the world. Need more supporting casts, for sure... Van Ginkel is a wildcard to me. If he's back to his form and can gain meaningful playing times at Chelsea or elsewhere, watch out, he will rock. Definitely need a long term sub for Van Persie. Probably the most concerning area in my book. Even then, RvP's game is built so much on intelligent and positioning, so while he does lose speed due to age, I think he can be relied upon for another couple years (that is, if he stays healthy!). The U21 pipeline looks pretty healthy. The back line is loaded with the likes of Hendrix (my personal favorite!), Denswil, Ake, and Kongolo. Then there's Ayoub and Ziyech in midfield. I predict Ziyech will become very good.. quick-thinking player with sweet passing. And then there's of course Maher, who's been flirting with the senior team in recent months (as well as Jetro Willems, to that matter). So that's pretty good core for the next, at least, 3 years. Beyond that, well.. it is a crapshoot. Talents emerge and disappear, who knows.. although early indication is not too shabby at all, with Bazoer, Kishna, Zivkovic, Nouri, Dekker, Riedewald, Basacikoglu receiving some good words. And as bonus, Hiddink is back. Strong character, tactically genius and hopefully can be an inspiration for the younger generation.
The only 2 out of that bunch I think are possibly world class are Veltman and Strootman. It wont be another 3 to 4 years before they peak though Agreed. But they are at the tail end of their career. Where are the next Robben's, RvP's and Sneijder's?? We have no world class strikers coming through the ranks Again, I'm not trying to be pessimistic at all. I hope our saving grace will be that often our best players seem to come out of nowhere
Sorry, I shouldve been clearer. I mean the revenge Brazil will want against us at home will get ugly. I wouldnt count out a similar type game we had vs England at Euro 1996 I think vPersie will be good till Euro 2016. After that he'll probably retire or be over the hill
Brazil will be under a lot pressure from the home crowd and media to perform well, and it might backfire. But that's too early to tell... first priority is to get out off the group first..
First match result with Spain will be crucial. I believe their backline could be had. Hopefully I am correct, but much to be answered in the next few months regarding Oranje XI.
Well in 2010 the Swiss did it in their opening match against Spain ... the ball is round and other platitudes like that ... the bookies offer something that's more or less tangible: - 1st match - to qualify (to the KO stage)
I feel Cillesen Depay Van Ginkel BMI all have the potential to be World Class too. Hope they don't get stuck in the Elia Afellay level
Wolfsburg are a really good team and the Schalke have a Youth Academy which is a Gold Mine and can rival Barca's. Dost & Hunter are in 2 potential Title Contenders if steered properly by the right management. Vfl bought Gustavo & De Bruyne this term and if they can get into CHL places, they will be investing in the squad substantially
Allow me to answer all of those. - Cillessen - Goalkeepers Cillessen, Krul, Vorm/Stekelenburg Defenders VDW, Janmaat, Veltman, de Vrij, Vlaar, van Dijk, Blind, BMI Midfielders De Guzman, Fer/Clasie, Nigel, Strootman, VDV, Sneijder Forwards Robben, Narsingh, RVP, KJH, Lens, Boetius/Depay - Cillessen VDW - Van Dijk - Vlaar - Blind Strootman - Nigel - Sneijder Robben - RVP - Lens - Van Gaal wants to win the WC and claim supremacy in every country in the world "We zijn de beste in.. Australia, we zijn de beste in.."
I think the squad will look a lot different to your suggestion. Veltman and BMI are both better than Vlaar. Just because Vlaar plays in EPL it does not make him a great defender. He's still a mediocre defender. Sneijder and Strootman are not compatible, Sneijder hugs the touchline and Strootman has no right foot. I don't know LVG will make it work. I hope someone like Klaasen develops or Sneijder adjusts his game seeing Strootman is the core of the team. Van Dijk? Is he even called up? He's doing very well from what I hear
As a supporter of this team and as a small nation this is too be expected. Holland has always punched above their level at football. Transition periods happens for all nations and certainly is happening right now for holland. Hopefully this team doesn't go Into the dark ages like the 80s. I see holland finishing runner ups and losing to brazil or possibly but I doubt it falling 3rd behind chile in group stage, holland from 88-2000 was a powerhouse fell off slightly in the early 2000s and rose again from 2004-2010. Right now it's Belgium time soon though it will be holland time yet again.