Brilliant Oranje - The smallest nation on earth to have ever reached 3 WC finals [R]

Van Marwijk has already stated in a football program very recently he has made a list with -the exact number I have forgotten- I thought around 15 players that he deemed as potentials and that are followed with great precision.

He is on this case of bringing new blood in the team and understands that to stay at the top, you need to have excellent judgement in signaling when the energy and hunger is away with certain veterans.

However my point with you would be is that you have some kind conformation bias going on here for yourself. You have a concern, an idea to answer to it and now you are looking around and try to find faults in players so people (but also yourself) are tended to believe in your answer and the urgency of it.

I am not the biggest fan of VDV in midfield either. I see the great games he played there and raised our level but have not forgotten Russia 2008 (where we were overrun with him there) and his remark directly after the game that there are things more important than football (which made me like him on a human level more by the way) and also the Hungary home game. I think with VDV you will win some battles in a beautiful way but lose the war if played in DM. However to think that it needs more time and space to grow into the team and that it hasn't been applied in the right way up until now (meaning playing 1 DM and him and Sneijder further up the pitch) is a position I can understand too.

It does not lead me to watch his games and say he had a bad game when he was voted MOTM. Maybe you want to extract traits from that game important for the DM position that were not well executed in the match despite him having a good game, but that is not fair either to VDV. He is played either as a 10 or second striker or a right attacking midfielder. However VDV is never a right attacking midfielder. There was a funny picture I tried to find where Spurs fans made fun but also raised the problem of VDV on the right. He always gravitates to the center. Then you can always say he leaves his defensive duty's or positional duties for what they are, but that is not correct. First of all Harry has said against Bale and VDV they can play where they want. Second of all if VDV is already in center the question becomes if he gravitates more to the front, getting in Sneijders way. I don't think he does. I actually saw Sneijder against Switzerland coming all the way back to play next to his buddy. Sneijder had to go more up front so there was more vertical passing and combinations to break through the Swiss defense. However that has nothing to do with VDV. Once played in center he never annoys me like he does when he for example is played in 4-2-3-1 as an attacking player at the side. Then he really gets into Sneijder's area and makes it painful to watch. That's just who he is and also knowing what his weaknesses are. He is far to slow to make a vertical action and outrun an opponent. At Spurs you will see he will horizontal get past a player and uses his central position to gain advantage from it by setting Ade free or stuff like that.

He was not subbed out this game as the last game. Micro trend? Is he improving in stamina? . Point is VDV is seen in England as an artist and that's correct. I fully enjoy watching his games and mind you we will not see quickly such a talent again. We get your opinion. Unfit to play in DM. Fine. With that stated and out of the way we can give him justice here, when he is nutmegs his opponent as yesterday, making people come off their chair, clap and want to identify with him as he is cool as f*ck.





Cheers

 

If we look around Bigsoccer, this could be a setup:

1. U16
2. U17
3. U18
4. U19
5. U21
6. Senior Team
7. Dutch abroad
8. Dutch players in the Eredivisie

What we do here is bringing the whole screening of players (1,2,3,4,5,7 and 8) under in this thread and the discussion involving the senior NT in this thread right here (with few exceptions when a youth team does something special or has to be mentioned). The separation between the NT and it's tactics is something I will not subscribe to and have addressed that earlier. Uncomfortable for me. However it is an interesting thread "om the bomen over alternatieven"

Cheers.

 

Argentina’s 1978 World Cup win against Peru was fixed in a brutal political deal, former senator says

In that case Netherlands is WC champions of 1978. They cheated. Just plain cheating. Tour de France winners lose their titles because of 0,000000000005 grams of Clenbuterol in their blood. They did something far worse. They could save energy in a fixed game and have not overcome all the hurdles that grand you a place in the final. That's like not riding a few stages of the Tour de France and still claiming victory. That they won from the Netherlands is therefor irrelevant. We did take all the hurdles. I always thought it were Dutch excuses (and I hate hearing those to a certain extend), but this is just cheating.


They cheated their way to this one, that should belong to us:

 

Guus Hiddink signs for Anzhi Makhachkala

 

Yup, we are soon back at nr 2 in the FIFA ranking:

Netherlands go up 1 place




We are also on nr 2 in the Elo rating:

Elo





I guess Germany can't keep up with us

 

He guys here a table with how Bert van Marwijk probably sees the hierarchy in his selection looking at the last preliminary squad (added some extra players myself that are not selected):

Preliminary squad

Doel: Maarten Stekelenburg (AS Roma), Tim Krul (Newcastle United), Michel Vorm (Swansea City)

Verdediging: Vurnon Anita (Ajax), Khalid Boulahrouz (VfB Stuttgart), Jeffrey Bruma (Hamburger SV) Urby Emanuelson (AC Milan), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Málaga), Erik Pieters (PSV), Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord)

Middenveld: Mark van Bommel (AC Milan), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City) Stijn Schaars (Sporting CP), Wesley Sneijder (Inter), Kevin Strootman, Georginio Wijnaldum (PSV), Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur), Adam Maher (AZ)

Aanval: Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04), Ola John, Luuk de Jong (FC Twente), Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Jeremain Lens (PSV), Luciano Narsingh (sc Heerenveen), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern München

​

Though we have natural wingers we play 1-4-2-3-1 and so I have chosen to put them all under AMR/AML. Maher and Wijnaldum I had a bit trouble with how they are seen. I can imagine them being used both in DM as on 10. However I remember against San Marino Wijnaldum being brought in while Sneijder was still in the team, so I put him under DM. Maher same thing, but he can play on 10 as well without having seen a game of him yet to know Bert's idea with him so I put him under both.

If you think the current hierarchy is different or like players to add or replace, let me know, then I will make improvements. I made this quick to create better overview for people, without to much seconds thoughts. Discussion will always create some chances anyway.

Cheers

 

Jonathan de Guzman has made up his mind, and he wants to play for Netherlands.

 

The Holland preliminary squad for the game against Belgium on August the 15th. Final squad will be announced on August the 10th.

Goal

1. Tim Krul (Newcastle United),
2. Maarten Stekelenburg (AS Roma),
3. Michel Vorm (Swansea City).

Defense

1. Khalid Boulahrouz (Sporting Lissabon),
2. John Heitinga (Everton),
3. Joris Mathijsen (Málaga),
4. Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa),
5. Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax),
6. Jetro Willems (PSV),
7. Ricardo van Rhijn (Ajax),
8. Nick Viergever (AZ)
9. Stefan de Vrij (Feyenoord).

Midfield

1. Nigel de Jong (Manchester City),
2. Stijn Schaars (Sporting Lissabon),
3. Wesley Sneijder (Internazionale),
4. Kevin Strootman (PSV),
5. Rafael van der Vaart (Tottenham Hotspur),
6. Vurnon Anita (Ajax),
7. Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord),
8. Urby Emanuelson (AC Milan),
9. Siem de Jong (Ajax),
10. Adam Maher (AZ).

Attack

1. Ibrahim Afellay (Barcelona),
2. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04),
3. Luuk de Jong (Borussia Monchengladbach),
4. Dirk Kuijt (Fenerbahce),
5. Luciano Narsingh (PSV),
6. Robin van Persie (Arsenal),
7. Arjen Robben (Bayern München),
8. Bas Dost (VfL Wolfsburg),
9. Ola John (Benfica),
10. Jeremain Lens (PSV).

Clasie finally in the preliminary squad:







The names from the players who have yet to play their first FIFA international A game:

1. Jordy Clasie,
2. Stefan de Vrij,
3. Bas Dost,
4. Ola John,
5. Adam Maher,
6. Ricardo van Rhijn
7. Nick Viergever