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Dutch Task – To Go From Good To Better To More Success

The Dutch have picked up good results so far in the tournament. Not even Brazil can boast of a 100% record at the 2010 World Cup. The Oranje are in the same class as Argentina who clinched maximum points in the group stages of the tournament. But then, there are some factors that have prevented football analysts and fans to tip Holland as potential winners of the 2010 FIFA World Cup above all the remaining contenders. 

The cold and humid weather in South Africa as well as the Jabulani ball may be excuses for the Netherlands’ lack of spark. Either way, Robin Van Persie and co haven’t displayed the type of flawless and total football that the Dutch are known for.

The Arsenal striker, who finally got a goal against Cameroon on Match-day Three, is aware of the Netherlands’ unimpressive performances. Van Persie has urged his team to improve.

“Definitely, it’s good that we won all our three games. It’s amazing. But still, we need to improve. In the last three matches, we had some good phases. That’s what we need to build on and play better throughout.”

Contrastingly to what the case is in South Africa, the Netherlands were breathtakingly terrific in Round 1 of Euro 2008 – crashing Italy 3-0 and France 4-1 in total fashion. But a relatively average performance infected by mistakes against Russia saw them exit the tournament in the following round.

This is something that the Dutch want to avoid in South Africa. They want to carry on with the results they conceived in the group stages and reach the skies. Comparing the Netherlands’ 2010 World Cup squad to the one that featured in the 2008 European Championship, winger Arjen Robben explained:

“The spirit is the same. What has changed is that we are two years older and we are more experienced. It’s been a long time that we’ve been player together and we have learnt from our mistakes.”

So do the Dutch have the guts to overcome what they had to endure in the 1990 and 2006 World Cups when they failed to get past the Round of 16?

Underdogs Slovakia – Push It To The Limit

The 2010 World Cup has produced shocks over shocks and Slovakia are part of the teams that have pulled out those upsets. How many people realistically believed that the Slovakians would succeed in their do-or-die battle against defending champions Italy who only needed a draw to reach the Last 16?
If Slovakia go far in South Africa, they will definitely emerge as the competition’s surprise package.

Surely now, their qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was no fluke like many had suggested. Just recall; how many teams have been able to defeat Italy – managed by Marcello Lippi – over the past years? Football has no limits. The game is round like a ball and Slovakia have proven that upsets at the highest level are not only imaginations but also realities.

It will be very interesting to see how the Netherlands will react against Slovakia’s threat. Likewise, it will be fascinating to see how the Slovakians will carry on after ousting Italy from the 2010 World Cup to set a date with the Dutch.

For Robert Vittek, who heroically scored two goals in Slovakia’s 3-2 win against Italy, there is no pressure on the World Cup debutants to push it to the limits.

“We’ve got nothing to lose. We came here as outsiders, as newcomers. We wanted to surprise,” Vittek explained.

“We’ve already created a shock and we hope we can do the same thing against the Netherlands. But, they are one of the favorites.”

These are pretty humble comments from the Slovakian. What will the reality bring?
 
 

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