The team might be marginally better but as Laurent75 already noted in his response, it's not a clear case here. Leicester was a Black Swan event. they suffered no injuries, didn't play in Europe and were knocked out of the two English cup competitions very early so the club had no distractions. Most all of the players had a career year at the same time. they had a very good defense and an opportunistic counter attacking striker in Vardy. Of course Ranieri played an important role managing the team. Will all those players have the same type of season next year or was this a one off? We don't know right now. BTW: Germany is losing at home to Slovakia 1-3. I guess by your measure, Loew should be sacked!!!
@DRB300 - none of us particularly like Blind as the NT manager. He was a failure as a manager at Ajax and the only claim to fame I think he has is as an assistant with the NT. That being said, he has the worst group of players to pick from since the period between 1978-86 when the NT had to wait for the Koeman, Rijkaard, van Basten, Gullit group of players. I cannot think of any time period from the 1988 Euro victory until now when the talent pool was as poor. We are better off trying to figure out why things have gotten this bad rather than arguing about an NT manager when that is not the fundamental problem. Hiddink laid a big egg but he was a great club coach and did a wonderful job with the 1998 team in France. Is he a terrible manager? If so, why did Chelsea turn to him after sacking Mourinho? I'm rapidly tiring of this Blind attack as it really doesn't matter; the rot goes much deeper.
Half of the things you mention don't depend on Blind IMO. The team was already playing slow with Van Gaal, I remember that game against Japan and I remember yourself complaining about the lack of players able to turn quickly compared to the japanese players. Nothing new. This problem also exist with Ajax and the youth teams. Very few movements by the midfielders, a lot of back passing...How can you blame all the organizations stuff on the coach ? France scored two minutes after the equalization, I'm really not sure Blind had the time to tell anything to his players, they just defended crap and took a goal. Remember when they lost to Bulgaria at the last minute on a friendly in 2012 with Van Marwijk, was 1-1 until Heitinga made a stupid cross pass in his own half which leaded to a bulgarian goal. Van Marwijk went mad, was it an organization problem or just another amateur mistake by Heitinga ? Could happen with every coach. Every team. Concerning the players selection, I honestly think Hiddink and Blind have been acting rationnal so far. Some exceptions here and there like for Berghuis, but nothing mad. I've just reproached Blind for not having selected more midfielders and wingers, but when I checked the available players now, I understood he doesn't have much to pick from. If wanna add quantity, then it means calling players like Chery, Hendrix or Maher and losing quality behind... As much as I dislike Narsingh, I can even understand his selection. Started a lot of games with PSV and was champion, if not him, then who else ? Only El Ghazi could make sense. Otherwise Boetius and Kishna were injured the biggest part of the season, Ola John is lost, who else ? Not Blind's fault if dutch players don't perform with their clubs anymore. Starting Wijnaldum above Van Ginkel was rationnal to me. I don't like Wijnaldum as a midfielder but first he had a better season than Van Ginkel, and second he was the most attacking option in the list. Would have Blind started with Strootman-Bazoer-Van Ginkel, could people complain it looks like an Ajax midfield with almost three DM. Wijnaldum is able to make runs off ball as well. Failed to do it once again, but was not Blind's fault. Van Gaal started Wijnaldum several times as a CM as well and we were complaining about it. Started him there during that friendly against Portugal, and then used him there during the WC again, would probably continue to do it if he was still the coach. Van Gaal is more stubborn than any other dutch coach we've seen recently. Started BMI in almost every world cup game even if he was the weak link in the team. At least Blind stopped with him
Depay not impressing the coach during training: http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/oranje/25892657/__Gedrag_Depay_wekt_verbazing__.html
What is new to me is the slow turnover speed. Free space in front of players and then holding back. Even Berghuis held back when there was space to run into. That is not turning around with a man in your back, that is simply not running with (out) ball now anymore. Because there was an off ball player on the bench: van Ginkel. He played 3 in the ball players for midfield. 0 balance. We saw that things opened up instantly with van Ginkel (nothing spectacular, but it was there). However I saw van Ginkel then play as a 6 sometimes. Keeping shop at the back. He should have all freedom to surge. Bazoer was doing nothing anyway, so let him keep shop or do not play him at all. It is the sign of a spineless weak team. Same as losing against USA the way we did. The way we play in general as well. It is the total picture. How things add on. How we lost 2 Euro qualifiers in quick succession for the first time in history and not against 2 great teams, but Iceland and the Czech. No, let me rephrase that, against a 10 men Czech team for more than 45 minutes in a must win game. This is beyond the beyonds. Van Marwijk made winning a habbit and his qualification consisted of many winning streaks. Mistakes do happen and right at the end before the tournament we were in decline. Yes, van Marwijk was losing control and was slipping. We also had a bad Euro. Van der Wiel selection (for Turkey?) was stupid. He did not play for PSG at the time. This game he messed up midfield configuration, Berghuis was afraid to get passed opponent, team played like a turd and his body language makes everybody in the Netherlands more depressed. He should only speak for radio, not TV anymore. I don't want to see that stupid accountant anymore (nothing against accountants, just don't want them as football coaches of the NT). The guy is the opposite of inspirational. Could play Wijnaldum on the wing and make midfield more heavy. Could play El Ghazi or Narsingh. Should never have selected van der Wiel that also costed us against Iceland and Turkey. Maybe forgetting some moments. Must have better midfield configuration. The morale of the team sucks, the organisation with dead ball moments, the compactness and the way we concede is unacceptable. You don't blame Blind, I do. Were not competing. Wijn was 10, Bazoer 8, Stroot was the 6. Bazoer and Ginkel should normally compete and yes, that made no sense. Bazoer is not a good player (yet). He needs way too much time on ball. How should Blind be exempted from seeing a clear pattern with Wijn and the NT? When has that player really shined with the NT? He always disappears. I am always looking for him. His ability to free himself up sucks and is nowhere to be seen in the NT. Yes, if I can see that, Blind must see it. Wijnaldum in the NT has been a mediocre to bad story so far. Van Gaal made a deep run with his choices. You point to Robben, I point to Romania, you point to RvP/vdVaart being there, I point to Colombia then (Vaart got injured and was taken off), with 10 men. Now that was a good game. It does not matter it was a draw. In the last minutes the 11 from Colombia tried to win time. We were the most dangerous in the second half with 10 men and pressing until the last seconds. Unlike against Ireland, a less opponent where we had 11 men, not 10. Also where are Fer and Anita? If we have to play this Ajax U football under Blind, it makes sense to put Anita on 6, since that player did well for them back then. It does not matter if Wijn did better than Fer in EPL. IN the NT he sucks. He is probably also more adventurous than Bazoer (who is properly Frank de Boered).
In addition, what happened to our attack? I wondered if De Jong hadn't scored, would the media slaughter Blind and the team? What good is the possession without penetrating or scoring chance/shot on goal? IMO Blind is confused and clearly does not have his strategy/approach. He cannot put a stamp on this team. Lacking of talents to pick for the team, yes I give you that. However, I look at the 24 teams qualified, there may be 10 teams having more talents than us. Looking at the 3 teams qualified ahead of us Czech, Iceland and Turkey in the qualification group, I do not think they are more talented but they are better organized, better coached and play better as a unit. This is coaching's. What make me the most disappointed about Blind is that he shows that his approach seems to be trial and error (e.g. LVG's, Hiddink's, MVB's) and has no idea how to find the best strategy to fit with the players he has. And now we add Advocaat to the group. After Advocaat starts, perhaps we will see Blind trying Advocaat's method as well. What positives have you seen from Blind besides trying to call up young players so that they select Netherlands instead of other countries? If Blind stays as coach and we qualifies for WC 2018, I will apologize in this forum for criticizing him. I don't see any positive from this team enough to see that we can build on from the last game. The way we played was simply dreadful.
Honestly Turkey has a better team than Holland now. Czech and Iceland don't but they took advantage of the situation. Were more hungry. One thing needs to be said also, the qualifiers started just after Holland got an unexpected 3rd place at the world cup. Hard to be very hungry after this. I stick more to the theory saying that Holland took the first qualifiers games too easy and fell into its own trap , a mix of low motivation + mediocre players, rather than "everything is because of the organization of Hiddink and Blind" while those two tried different systems and players.
There is nobody on this forum saying everything. Player quality is not something that can be influenced right now (from a total pool perspective). Circle of concern stuff, not influence. Also, motivation is also part of the job of a coach. If the players are not hungry, then you select those players that are. Then you leave out regulars that play on their standard tempo and go for the minimal. Not the maximum anymore. Van Gaal left out many regulars with some excuse that they were in a transfer phase at their club. That was just a way of him saying, I don't need you. Took a risk that way with the Turkey game IIRC.
Hard to be very hungry after 3rd place? With this mentality we will never win another title, ever. If the team took the first qualifier games too easy + low motivation, this was coaching's (Hiddink's) faults. By the time Blind came, every game mattered and it did not improve much. He failed to motivate the players as I did not see the fighting spirit. The more we drag on with Blind, it will be too late. I don't disagree with you how Turkey or Czech or Iceland are better team than Holland right now (they qualified ahead of us). Holland has more talented squads, but failed to play as a unit and it is due to coaching. What do you see about Blind that you can tell his coaching is good? The longer you leave him as the coach, the less time you give to the next coach. By March 2017 it will be too late. Isn't Cocu contract with PSV up next year? My vote goes to Cocu for the next head coach before the first qualification game vs Sweden in September.
I actually like Wijnaldum and feel he has potential. Played well for a poor Newcastle side until the final few games were performance mattered most however he did not help himself as his form dipped and the rest of the squad just lacked quality and belief. I thought he performed well during the World Cup playing in a holding like role. That said I see him as a versatile, athletic player who lacks in confidence and form. His best position is one for debate Blind does absolutely nothing to lift his morale and the rest of the Team clearly as it looks mentally soft. I would love to know the conversations the KNVB board members and Coaching Staff have amongst themselves. What is the plan? Why are things fallen apart?
The Bergkamp generation would be hungry after a 3rd place, but those guys were happy and satisfied with it. It was unexpected. A group stage with Spain + Chile and probability to play against Brazil away after, going to the quarters was already a big big mission. And finally they could go further, with a lot of luck though. I don't see anything positive in Blind's work, but I don't see something particulary negative neither. Actually Blind and Hiddink followed Van Gaal's work, remember the first games of Hiddink, he used the same system and called the same players Van Gaal called. But it failed. One simple mind would think "if Van Gaal results with this team and Hiddink cannot do it, it means Hiddink is the problem" but I really don't think so. Many other factors. First look what Hiddink and Blind had to work with : RVP almost completly done, hasn't performed at all last two years, same for Sneijder and Huntelaar, Robben and Strootman always injured, no Van der Vaart anymore, now Depay flopping in his club...We reached a point where the biggest player on the list is Promes. Van Gaal took the team at a better period. Could still rely on the "oldies". Also it might sound paradoxal but I do believe it's easier to motivate players after an horrible EC they had like in 2012 rather than after an unexpected good world cup where Holland played above its standards. At the end of the day I really believe what happened should have happened and it would have happened even if the coach was Mourinho or whoever else. When you reach such a low level of quality, and we've been seing this for long years now with the decline of dutch clubs, the lack of talented players etc. obviously you're gonna have big fails. Not qualifying for a tournament in such a weak group was a big big fail, sure, but how many times did Germany, France, Italy...been disqualified in the group stage while having even better players and coachs ? Nothing to blame Blind for me, it's just dutch football that sucks now and patience is the only solution in my opinion.
I usually skip friendly nationalgames because they are pretty much always terribly pointless and horrible to watch, but this game atleast has that same kind of lowlevel excitement that racing has for me, hoping for crash and drama. Might just watch
Well I expect Netherlands to do everything to prove us that Ireland was an isolated case. They said the training was so good, so now surely we get to see the real face of this team, the magic they reserve for training. I also expect Promes and Wijnaldum finally prove they can shine in the NT. I have yet to see a really good game of them wearing Orange, so this is he opportunity to do so. Bouncing back from the most horrible, boring game I have seen in years. Go.
I hope for a better performance, "always earned, never given" attitude, some penetrating attack in the middle, forwards/midfields coming back to help defense + defense move up to help offense = leaving opponent with little/extra space, better positioning for set piece. I'm looking for some positives that a team can build a foundation on. If nothing is positive, I'd sack the coach. It is easier to replace the coach then to replace players (11? 23?). If we have to rebuild, find a coach that is good and proven with young players (Blind is not). Good luck to our team today!
^^ Yes I want to see a hungry team out there that has something to prove for a change, and not one with their minds already set on vacation.