History in World Cup:
The nation ranked fifteenth by FIFA and ninth by UEFA has finished runners up on three occasions. Only one nation, Germany, has suffered more heartbreak than them at the final hurdle. The Dutch finished runners up in 1974 when their version of total football forced Germany to grind out a 2-1 win. In 1978, the hosts Argentina defeated them in the final. Finally, in 2010, Spain broke their hearts deep into extra time. They are the second nation in history to be ranked top in FIFA’s Rankings without a World Cup to their name; the other is Spain who, of course, won the competition in 2010. This will be their tenth World Cup.
Road to World Cup 2014:
The results seemed perfect but Louis Van Gaal might demand a bit more from his players going into the finals. The Dutch topped a group consisting of Romania, Turkey, Andorra, Hungary and Estonia, dropping two points on the way. The Oranje surprisingly dropped their only points against minnows Estonia.
Player to Watch:
The player to watch is definitely Bayern Munich’s winger Arjen Robben. He certainly had to shoulder plenty of the blame of losing the 2010 final after missing two vital chances. However, the man of glass has learned to become the man of the moment since, scoring the winning goal in a UEFA Champions League final and a DFB Pokal final and being Bayern’s most consistent attacker under Pep Guardiola. Louis Van Gaal depended on Robben in his days as a Bayern coach; he is set to do so again.
All About…..Coach Van Gaal!
The KNVB had to forget the past to hand Louis Van Gaal this job ahead of the World Cup. His team of 2002 failed to qualify for the tournament of course. The team needed to be rebuilt after Bert Van Marwijk’s departure following an unceremonious group stage exit in Euro 2012. Van Gaal has definitely done exactly that but he has also held on to a portion of the old guard. The Dutch fans will be hoping that he concentrates on the World Cup and not Manchester United though.
A Glance at the Roster:
A Dutch roster is not complete without top scorer Robin Van Persie. He will be the primary source of goals for the Dutch. Aside from him, the old guards consists of mercurial midfielder Wesley Sneijder, hardman Nigel de Jong, experienced Paul Verhaegh of Augsburg (although he is definitely not a starter), Ron Vlaar and Rafael Van der Vaart amongst other players. Klaas Jan Huntelaar is a very valuable option if the Dutch require a goal late on in a match.
TV Information:
The Netherlands, placed in Group B alongside Chile, Spain and Australia, will be live on ESPN an ESPN 3 throughout their World Cup campaign. For more information, visit the Netherlands team page here.
