A famous Danish victory means the players of the Netherlands now must take a good look at themselves.A famous Danish victory means the players of the Netherlands now must take a good look at themselves.
On another day, the Dutch would have taken the Danes to the cleaners. A plethora of chances went begging as Robin Van Persie had one of his worst nights in recent memory. The one weakness in the Dutch side was revealed on quite a few occasions as time and again, the Danes managed to cause problems for the back line. A Michael Krohn Dehli goal was enough to consign the Dutch to defeat.
The Danes are former winners of this competition of course. They won in 1992 beating Germany in the final. Their best hope out there really was to hold tight at the back and finish their chances. This season in club football, especially in the Champions League, the lesson we have all learnt is that no matter how dominant a team is, if they can’t finish off their chances, they will be punished.
The Dutch failed to finish and grew fatigued as the game went on. Also, the selfishness of players such as Arjen Robben and Ibrahim Afellay to take on shots rather than pass to a better positioned team mate really cost them. The back four of the Danish held on. Simon Kjaer and Lars Jacobsen as well as Daniel Agger refused to allow the Dutch to stroll to victory.
For Netherlands, this was supposed to be the easy game. Having messed this up, they must record a win against the Germans, who lead the group alongside Denmark following a victory over the Portuguese. In-fact the Dutch could learn a thing or two from the Germans who were awful offensively on the night but grabbed one of the only chances
presented to them and held out at the other end.
In the next match perhaps, Klaas Jan Huntelaar might replace one of the wingers, Robben or Afellay. In truth, in terms of quality of football, the Dutch played better than the other three sides in the group. They could have recorded a huge victory. The players know there is nothing really to adjust in attack except of-course their willingness to take shots on themselves rather than pass the ball.
The defence could do with a bit of adjustment but if the offence gets going, the Dutch can progress by the sheer power of their attack. All is not last yet. However, watching the Germans today might have given Bert Van Marwijk an eerie feeling. His side will have to contend against another stubborn defence after having faced that of the Danes. Despite this, the Germans looked very beatable on the night and Van Marwijk is sure to have taken note.
The group of death really turned out to be exactly that. Only two goals were scored in two encounters. No team really stood out and if the Dutch and the Portuguese win their next match, all the teams will be level going on to the final day of the group matches. The Netherlands rather unnecessarily have left it all to do. They should have been leading the group with a good goal difference today.
However, the Danes and Martin Olsen must be credited for what was a brilliant performance. They could have grabbed two more goals themselves. Each player played his part. What will concern Olsen is that Nicklas Bendtner looked sluggish. However, the Danes have now given themselves what many put beyond them: a real chance to qualify for the quarter-finals.
The Danes are former winners of this competition of course. They won in 1992 beating Germany in the final. Their best hope out there really was to hold tight at the back and finish their chances. This season in club football, especially in the Champions League, the lesson we have all learnt is that no matter how dominant a team is, if they can’t finish off their chances, they will be punished.
The Dutch failed to finish and grew fatigued as the game went on. Also, the selfishness of players such as Arjen Robben and Ibrahim Afellay to take on shots rather than pass to a better positioned team mate really cost them. The back four of the Danish held on. Simon Kjaer and Lars Jacobsen as well as Daniel Agger refused to allow the Dutch to stroll to victory.
For Netherlands, this was supposed to be the easy game. Having messed this up, they must record a win against the Germans, who lead the group alongside Denmark following a victory over the Portuguese. In-fact the Dutch could learn a thing or two from the Germans who were awful offensively on the night but grabbed one of the only chances
presented to them and held out at the other end.
In the next match perhaps, Klaas Jan Huntelaar might replace one of the wingers, Robben or Afellay. In truth, in terms of quality of football, the Dutch played better than the other three sides in the group. They could have recorded a huge victory. The players know there is nothing really to adjust in attack except of-course their willingness to take shots on themselves rather than pass the ball.
The defence could do with a bit of adjustment but if the offence gets going, the Dutch can progress by the sheer power of their attack. All is not last yet. However, watching the Germans today might have given Bert Van Marwijk an eerie feeling. His side will have to contend against another stubborn defence after having faced that of the Danes. Despite this, the Germans looked very beatable on the night and Van Marwijk is sure to have taken note.
The group of death really turned out to be exactly that. Only two goals were scored in two encounters. No team really stood out and if the Dutch and the Portuguese win their next match, all the teams will be level going on to the final day of the group matches. The Netherlands rather unnecessarily have left it all to do. They should have been leading the group with a good goal difference today.
However, the Danes and Martin Olsen must be credited for what was a brilliant performance. They could have grabbed two more goals themselves. Each player played his part. What will concern Olsen is that Nicklas Bendtner looked sluggish. However, the Danes have now given themselves what many put beyond them: a real chance to qualify for the quarter-finals.
