Fans and pundits spanning the globe had been pondering who would snatch the third place title, and for Brazil, the fears came true. Louis van Gaal’s proud Dutch team couldn’t quite muster up first or second positions, but receiving the bronze medals was certainly enough to show their strength in the sport. But just how was it that Holland did so well in the tournament?
It was a given that Arjen Robben and Manchester United’s Robin van Persie were going to be the characters pinching the limelight, for they have all the talent and experience to bring home the prize. Although Wesley Sneijder was also supposed to be one of the big household names, he brought nothing but a predominantly nugatory performance. Even Robben and RVP weren’t quite as good as they generally are for both of their clubs. So who did aid the frontmen in their many victories?
In their opening group game against world gigantors, Spain, I should imagine that Holland were rather quaking in their colourful boots. However, they instantly rained on the Spanish parade and seized control comfortably. The initial moment that I realised the Netherlands were hungry to get stuck into the matches in Brazil was at the point that van Persie morphed from dynamic Dutch forward into a graceful dolphin. His glide into the box, heading the ball neatly into the back of the net left both poor Iker Casillas, and myself, dumbfounded. A series of further goals tumbled into the Spanish net faultlessly after that moment; one from Robben, then De Vrij, then van Persie and back to Robben once again. Spain was somewhat disillusioned after the Dutch stripped them of their pride and came out 5-1 in the clear. This was undeniably when the whole world, be it on the sofa, in the office, or even whilst purchasing a Spanish football kit, sat bolt upright immediately, marking Holland’s number.
Their second group game faced the bounding Socceroos, who were aware of Holland’s might, and gave them a run for their money. Robben has always been something of a whirling dervish once he’s in possession of the ball, and despite fairly similar prowess to begin with, Australia had been strung up in quite the same fashion as Spain. The Bayern man, coupled with another belter from van Persie, and then a ball-shaped nail in the coffin from young Memphis Depay, saw the orange-shirts triumph again.
From these two starting fixtures alone, it was clear to deduce that it was Robben and van Persie, as anticipated, who added all the glitter and pizzazz to the Dutch squad, and although they were certainly never a one- or two-man team, they held the key to success. The last of their group campaign was another simple win, and Memphis Depay was able to boast some baffling technique with another great goal. Leroy Fer, another to earn the ‘super sub’ nickname, secured the game with his additional ball in the back of the net, despite remarkable play from Alexis Sánchez’s Chileans.
From this rather vivid image, the pitch was awash with all hues and tints of sheer Oranje glory, and it was van Gaal’s knack of substituting key men from the bench that extinguished the competition fully. This streak continued, firstly with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, who whacked in the penalty against Mexico (I felt rather sore about seeing them go) in the knock-outs (following Sneijder’s phenomenal goal and only decent contribution in the entire tournament). Furthermore, the bizarre last-minute substitution of baby-faced keeper, Jasper Cillessen, for Tim Krul benefited them once more. Though Krul entered the field with a somewhat arrogant expression, he did well in the penalty round against Costa Rica and sent his team flying through to the semi-finals.
From here, we can suss out that it was Memphis Depay who affected gameplay in the latter halves of matches, and proved his worth with a pair of goals. But I should mention that Daley Blind and Ron Vlaar had been paramount components throughout, especially Vlaar. He was statistically impeccable, and necessary for the maintenance of Holland’s hardy defence, especially against Argentina. Their quarter-final debacle had almost set a weird precedent for their next game against hapless Argentina, which ended in what? That’s right, penalties (sigh). It was dull and I’d have, frankly, had more fun cleaning my en suite (who actually enjoys scrubbing sinks, etc?), but it didn’t tip in Dutch favour and so their next conquest was against useless Brazil.
Sneijder’s freak hamstring incident during the pre-match warm-up was unfortunate, but he had already shown how he wasn’t extremely vital for decisive action on the pitch. It was not so much perseverance and determination that won Holland their first goal of the night, rather a stupid shirt-pulling error from Thiago Silva that set up van Gaal’s side with a penalty (I don’t want to even whisper about Holland and penalties anymore, it’s been too much). Van Persie was on the scoreboard again. Latterly, dire Brazilian defending allowed Blind to find space and score, which outlined that Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side hadn’t regrouped or learned from their tragic mistakes against Germany. Despite a ragged display of football, the game shone light on Dirk Kuyt, yet again, who was celebrating his 100th cap for the side. He had been a very conscious, necessary ingredient throughout, despite his rugby-player aesthetic. Brazil’s lack of je ne sais quoi set Holland up for further chances, and interestingly, conveyed Jonathan de Guzmán’s tenacity when hunting the ball. He was therefore another to exile the opposing side, as well as Vlaar’s excellent defending.
Holland were not as energetic as per, and didn’t fare quite as well as they had in prior games, but all of this composed just how much they had achieved in Brazil. Hopes of winning were somehow shattered in the confused game against Argentina, but I’m pleased regardless that the bronze medals were hooked around the neck of each and every talented member of Louis van Gaal’s squad. One thing I would add is that I’m still not sold on the ‘tactical genius’ front entirely.
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