Though many thought that the Dutch National team would have a setback after their amazing World Cup run, few would consider them in risk of not even qualifying for the 2016 European Championshiop, especially when one considers the fact that this qualifying round is designed to let the big teams go through, with the Championships being increased from 16 to 24 teams. In other words, qualifying for the Euros has never been easier. Still, the Netherlands are six points behind leaders Czech Republic after five matches played.
Last Wednesday was a new chance to prove that the Dutch side are on track to the Euros, but the match against Turkey proved to be almost the opposite. Burak Yilmaz put the Turks in front after 37 minutes, and the Netherlands looked to lose the match until Wesley Sneijder’s late finish in extra time deflected off Klaas Jan Huntelaar and into the goal. The Dutch had narrowly avoided another disaster, but still find themselves in the middle of one. Football legend Johan Cruyff wrote in his column in a Dutch newspaper the day after the match that the team still lack identity and that it was painful to watch them play.
The Netherlands, along with Johan Cruyff and Dutch legendary manager Rinus Michels, are known as the inventors of “Total football” which was a revolutionary new way of playing football. Every player was a vital part of his teams way of playing, and every player was supposed to be able to play in each others position. This created an attacking, fast, passing style of football which took the rest of football Europe by surprise. The invention of the Total football lead Ajax to success in Europe, winning several European cups, and the Dutch national side to successive silver medals in the World Cup in 1974 and 1978.
The Dutch style of total football has not been seen at its best for many years. The Netherlands did not play their total football in the 2014 World Cup. Their coach then, Louis Van Gaal, had his team playing in a much more defensive style, and that did seem to work well when Van Gaal managed the side. After the appointment of Guus Hiddink though, things have not been going as smoothly. Hiddink’s massive previous success, both as a club and international manager, has not helped him so far.
One of the reasons for this may be the gap between the expectations and the reality of the team’s ability after the last World Cup. In the World Cup the team surpassed expectations and played above their ability. Spurred on by the fantastic Arjen Robben, the Dutch got as far as the semi-finals, and eventually came third in that tournament. However, it seems that the team has become too dependant on Robben’s services.
Another point to consider is that the Netherlands have for several years gone through a change of generation. The golden generation of footballers like Robin Van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van Der Vaart must be replaced within a few years, with Euro 2016 probably being the last tournament of this generation. The hunt for their replacements has so far not been completed. There does not seem to be an equally talented generation ready to step up; Memphis Depay maybe the exception. Still, that would explain why the Dutch team is finding it difficult to play their brand of football in the manner we know they are capable of.
Guus Hiddink now has to wait until June for international matches, when the team need to step up and probably win the remainder of the qualifying matches to be able to play in Euro 2016. The last time the team failed to qualify for the Euros was back in 1984.
