Only caught the final 10 minutes as I had to move a bunch of furniture this afternoon. Heard van Persie is hurt yet again but no report on how bad. Sneijder looked good in the little time I watched. Two wins with clean sheets. 6 more and we can all dance in the streets!
I really don't understand why van Gaal opted for 442. Van Persie has a light groin injury according to Dutch TV
It looks amazing. Best I've seen in my lifetime. Shame we can't have these kits for all three matches in the group stages.
Van Gaal likes to call his 5-3-2 a 3-4-3. In order to give a little colour to the boring system he really doesn't want to play? What's with Big Louis anyway, having his ultimate dream job and despising it at the same time (half a year ago)? Naming Strootman's injury every time possible, as an excuse for changing formation but also as an excuse in advance for a bad performance? Nothing like the Van Gaal of the nineties and the attacking 3-4-3 he played at Ajax. And what about his claim over the years that Dutch players are tactically very good - but knowing nothing at all about a 5-3-2. Italy played it very nicely during Euro2012, Napoli did, Juve, so it has been on the telly. Juve and Italy make Pirlo shine that way, yet The Netherlands want to play a tackler (Nigel) and another defensive-instructed player (Fer, De Guzman) there. At WC2010 there also was little creativity from the back through the centre, but then there were 2 players on each wing to bring the ball forward. Now there's only one. I'm curious as to we can find a proper team that has a common plan and a common spirit. Don't care if the plan is to soak up everything by the back-7 and hope for the front-3 to make a goal. But I'm affraid that's too much against Van Gaal's philosophy. Perhaps he can hire Ronald Koeman for a few weeks? So I hope Van Gaal gets himself in line with his ambition and gets his players in line with that too. As I think Van Gaal is our main hope. Never thought I'd go there.
Well, van Gaal even likes to call his system 1-3-4-3! On his comments regarding not liking his job, he only said that what he didn't like about it was the fact that he could not work with the team on a daily basis. He said that felt like a sacrifice he needed to make in order to fulfil his wish of participating in a WC. He did not say he didn't like the job period. On bringing up Strootman: if he gets asked the same questions on his formation every time, it's not weird he gives the same answer every time. Not sure what your point is regarding the tactical awareness of the players. But it seems obvious to me that players will need training if they are to play a system that they usually do not play. Except perhaps for the Feyenoorders. Seeing it on TV does not help. I have seen Messi, Cruijff, Maradonna on TV. So why am I not in the team? Bringing up Italy, Juve... to point out errors in LvG's supposed 532 setup (which I guess was what you were trying to do) is moot. He calls it 1-3-4-3. And he is training his first 11 to play that against Spain and Chile. His philosophy is creating a team that can win. Again, I don't get what message you were trying to convey....
We Dutch always end up in 2 successive finals, European club finals, WC 74 and WC 78, and we now have to continue that tradition!
Wouldn't it be worse to make the Final and lose again? If I were Dutch, I think I'd rather go out earlier than lose a 4th World Cup Final. That would be torture.
I watched the last final in a crowded room full of Dutch expats. The pained look on their faces was one thing, but the realization of 'again' was far worse... The comments here perfectly reflect the Dutch attitude. Which at this point appears to be, "I don't care how good they look, prepare to be disappointed." Holland has almost an embarrassment of talent. Of European teams, I think only Germany is better. Before anyone jumps in and says, "but the English..." I don't see Holland playing the US to a tie. Not for another ten years or so. This tournament won't favor a group used to playing in cool weather. It will be 90 fahrenheit with 80% humidity. I want to see Holland go as far as any European team. Though obviously, I'd like to see them go further.
I know the point you're trying to make, but no normal human being would rather its team lose a semi-final match because he anticipates losing in the final. Anyway though, as far as painful losses go, mine would be Euro 2000. And then there's Italia 90. And speaking of predictions, here's a little bit of fun fact: ever since 16 teams are introduced into the knockout/second round of the WC, two of the four previous world cup semifinalists either failed to advance past the group stage of the following world cup, or failed to qualify outright altogether. If, and that big IF, this trend holds up yet again, that suggests 2 of either Spain, Netherlands, Germany or Uruguay will fail to advance past the group stage. Speaking of trends, I think Germany has always made it to the quarters, since rd16 were introduced. Someone check me on this ! And since rd16, Oranje has always qualified past group stage (fingers crossed..) ..so that leaves Uruguay ... and Spain !
Spain does not have good world cup statistic going for them. It's been some 50 years since any country repeated as champions. There's a fun thread going here with a lot of informative posts about World Cup facts.
There's a small correction to be made: Ever since 32 teams were introduced at the WC finals, in 1998, at least two of the four previous world cup semifinalists either failed to advance past the group stage of the following world cup, or failed to qualify outright altogether. There. Just checked. So that means, since the 1994 WC semifinalists of Brasil, Italy, Sweden & Bulgaria, at least two of the counties have been eliminated in the group stages - or failed to qualify - for the next world cup. I find this astonishing. It can be a strong statistical indicator of how competitive and exhausting a successful WC campaign can be, in modern times. That's a record going on since 4 world cups ago, 16 years on, so now watch me break the damn jinx...
I dunno... I like the start for the footage... But... I kept expecting some weird twist that never came ... Lacks a bit of lightness...
If you have 3 Defenders to support along with a De Jong there is a no logic of not play Clasie. It allowed Juventus to play Pirlo infront of the defense and play Vidal and Pogba/Marchisio upfront without a proper DM and allowed the Wing-Backs the license to attack. With 3 CB's and even Blind who has also played CB at one point, Set-pieces should not be a problem. I can't find any reason for both De Jong and De Guzman to play so defensively infront of the defense.
^^^ I gotta agree, Clasie should perhaps get the start ahead of deGuzman for Spain game. Its not like Spain's midfield players are giants who are gonna outmuscle our little Clasie