Road to Rio: RVP flying high for Netherlands

Dignitaries from all over the world will gather in Brazil in early December for the FIFA World Cup draw as the field of teams is divided into groups for next summer’s festivities. As part of its “32 teams in 32 days” series, SPORTSNET.CA will profile each of the nations set to compete at Brazil, leading up to the draw on Dec. 6.

Shock and awe is the best way to describe the utter humiliation suffered by the Dutch at Euro 2012 as they exited the tournament in dead last after three humbling defeats to Denmark, Germany and Portugal. The embarrassment led to a tremendous amount of bad press within the country, no one being more vocal than legendary football philosopher Johan Cruyff. The godfather of total football was highly critical of the team’s star players, and fell just shy of labelling them an utter disgrace. After four years in charge, Bert van Marwijk fell on the sword and handed in his resignation. The arrival of Louis van Gaal –his second stint at the helm—wiped the slate clean. The 62 year-old has guided Netherlands to an impressive 16-match unbeaten run, having only tasted defeat on his debut, 4-2 to Belgium in a friendly, 15 months ago.

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How they got here: Rather easily to say the least. Undefeated, with nine wins from 10 matches, netting 34 goals (second-best in European qualifying) and conceding five. Netherlands very rarely struggle in qualifying, and for the most part cruise into every major international tournament. The only blip on the radar was a surprising 2-2 draw against Estonia in Tallinn, with Robin van Persie’s injury-time equalizer saving face in what would have been a historic victory for their opponents, who are ranked 99th in the world by FIFA.

Key result: Take your pick. Beating group runners-up Romania 8-1 home and away or third place Hungary 12-1 over two games provides enough perspective into Netherlands’ superiority over their opponents. When a team goes undefeated and wins 90 per cent of their games, choosing one defining result is irrelevant. The Dutch were a class above the rest in qualifying.

Star player: Without question or much thought, look no further than Robin van Persie. The Manchester United striker scored 30 per cent of Netherlands’ goals in qualifying (11), and ended as the top-scorer in Europe. The Dutch pool of players is loaded with depth and quality, yet RVP continues to top the chart at 30 years of age. He definitely still has one World Cup left in him, though, he is at the height of his powers and won’t be the same player in four years.

Player on the bubble: Canadian-born midfielder Jonathan De Guzman is currently on the fringes and a long-shot to make the final roster headed to Brazil. However, a generation shift could work in his favour, especially with the declining performances of Wesley Sneijder and Rafael Van der Vaart. Both are notoriously injury prone, which also helps De Guzman’s chances. The 26 year-old only received his first call-up earlier this year—coming off the bench in the 3-0 victory over Estonia. De Guzman is one of the first names on Michael Laudrup’s team sheet at Swansea City, though, he must put together an unbelievable sophomore season in the Premier League and give van Gaal no choice than to select him.

Team strengths: Two words. Total football. A gluttony of goals has always been the key to success. The Dutch at times are impossible to contain, and ravage their opponents with an attack-minded style that is not only entertaining but incredibly ferocious. The danger can come from practically anywhere on the pitch, from virtually every possible situation presented. Only rivals Germany scored more goals in European qualifying.

What they have to work on: As good as they are offensively, attention to detail defensively is where things sometimes unravel. Netherlands have a natural tendency to focus on playing beautiful football—victory or defeat is of little concern as long as it’s attractive to the eyes and stays true to their principles. For the viewer it has always been a fantastic concept and a joy to watch, though, it’s also the reason why Netherlands haven’t won a major international competition since Euro ‘88. Unfortunately, if you’re an Oranje supporter it’s a double edge sword.

World Cup history