GROUP E: NETHERLANDS 1 JAPAN 0:The DNA of the Holland team appears to have been changed. They have won their opening two matches, qualifying with a game to spare, but the words to describe their performances are more associated with Germany. They have been efficient, neat and methodical, with little of the fluid, expansive football that is usually considered an obligation of all those who pull on the orange and black.
The legacy left by Johan Cruyff, Dennis Bergkamp and those many other exquisitely gifted footballers is of being recognised as one of the more sophisticated football nations, and that means the Dutch are supposed to beguile us. It is not enough to win; the requirement is to do so in a particular way. Yet this victory was due largely to a goalkeeping mistake from Japan’s Eiji Kawashima and, in the post-match press conference, one of the Dutch corps chastised the coach, Bert van Marwijk, for the team’s “dreadful” passing. His tone was accusatory, holding up a mobile phone and complaining it was full of text messages from friends questioning when the team last played with so little incision.
An exasperated Van Marwijk argued, legitimately, that Japan’s conservatism, playing a deep, defensive line, had contributed.
Van Marwijk, searching for reasons to explain why his team had created few opportunities against Japan and Denmark, also spoke about the computer data that is scrutinised by coaches. “The thing is, you don’t have any secrets these days,” he said. “We want to play beautiful football but it is not always that easy.”
Holland still have reason to be satisfied with the manner in which they have navigated their way safely through Group E and, in terms of entertainment, there should be more to enjoy when the fit-again Arjen Robben returns. For all the criticism, they had almost two-thirds of the possession. The problem was the majority of it came in areas where they would not trouble their opponents and they were indebted, ultimately, to Kawashima misjudging the flight of Wesley Sneijder’s 53rd-minute shot for a soft goal.
There is scope for improvement when it comes to Robin van Persie. The Arsenal player was substituted after failing to make any impression and his performances in both games are becoming a cause for consternation for Van Marwijk. “He played well in the warm-up games against Ghana and Hungary but he is not satisfied with himself after two matches here,” the coach said. “But he will improve.”
HOLLAND:Stekelenburg, Van Der Wiel, Heitinga, Mathijsen, Van Bronckhorst, Kuyt, Van Bommel, De Jong, Van der Vaart (Elia 72), Sneijder (Afellay 82), van Persie (Huntelaar 87). Subs Not Used:Vorm, Robben, Boulahrouz, Ooijer, De Zeeuw, Braafheid, Schaars, Babel, Boschker. Booked:Van Der Wiel. Goals: Sneijder 53.
JAPAN:Kawashima, Nagatomo, Nakazawa, Tanaka, Komano, Hasebe (Okazaki 77), Matsui (Shunsuke Nakamura 64), Abe, Endo, Okubo (Tamada 77), Honda. Subs Not Used:Narazaki, Uchida, Yano, Iwamasa, Kengo Nakamura, Konno, Morimoto, Inamoto, Kawaguchi. Attendance: 62,010
Referee:Hector Baldassi (Argentina).
GuardianService
