The Netherlands have what it takes to go All the Way

Going to a stadium to watch the Dutch play is a spectacle in itself. The fact that the Dutch kits are orange only adds to the life within the stadium – not that it would need it. Picture entering a stadium where tens of thousands of orange-clad fans are singing and pongoing in unison. I’ll give you a minute, because it is a spectacle you can get lost in. I know I have.

Dutch football is like eating an orange (pun intended). It’s sweet, flavourful, tasty, juicy. Hell, I’ll say it, it’s – literally and figuratively – brilliant.

But a single trophy in the cabinet does not do one of the world’s best footballing sides justice, and the current crop of Dutch players have what it takes to put that right.

The Netherlands’ biggest contribution to football today is totaalvoetbal (Total Football), which was invented by former Ajax Amsterdam and Netherlands coach Rinus Michels. The system was characterised by one player in a team replacing another when that player moved out of position. As a football pundit friend of mine put it, ‘when a left-back plays as a right-winger’.

The system was known for its fluidity, and no player had a fixed or nominal role. Since the success of Total Football depended on high adaptability and understanding between team players, it placed a high demand on technical and physical ability.

The Dutch made the entire world stand up and take notice as they beat Argentina and Brazil – who were football powerhouses even then – only to lose to West Germany in the finals in the 1974 World Cup. They repeated the feat four years later, beating Italy and the West Germans before losing to Argentina in the finals. They also finished fourth in the 1976 Euros, but would have gone further had it not been for infighting within the squad.

The rivalry between The Netherlands and Germany has its roots in the Second World War, when the Nazis occupied the nation. A significant number of players in the 1974 World Cup had relatives who’d suffered at the hands of the Nazis. The Dutch were, therefore, out to exact revenge for the atrocities committed on their countrymen.

The greatest proponent of Total Football was Johan Cruijff, who is now a household name in several parts of the world. Listed on the teamsheet as a centre-forward, Cruijff would pop up wherever there was the potential of causing most damage to the opponent. Using this sysem, Ajax stormed to three European Cups in a row: 1971, ’72 and ’73. Cruijff’s team-mate at Ajax Barry Hulshoff explained how the team became so successful under the system.

“We discussed space the whole time. Johan Cruyff always talked about where people should run and where they should stand, and when they should not move. It was about making space, coming into space, and organizing space-like architecture on the football pitch,” said Hulshoff.

Cruyff narrowed down Total Football to one succinct sentence: “Simple football is the most beautiful. But playing simple football is the hardest thing.”

Sadly that legendary team would leave the world’s stage without a trophy to it’s name, and the Dutch would wallow for a while in anonymity, failing to get past the Group Stages of Euro 1980 and missing out on qualification for the 1984 Euros and the World Cups in 1982 and 1986.

But the Dutch were preparing for a comeback, and at the European Championships in 1988, the world was introduced to Cruijff’s successor: Marco van Basten. The Dutch beat the Republic of Ireland, England and West Germany to reach the final, where they beat the Soviet Union with goals from Ruud Gullit and van Basten. In 1990, the Dutch reached the Round of 16, where they once again lost to bitter rivals West Germany, a game that is remembered for the ‘Spitalia ’90′ spitting incident between Rudi Voller and Frank Rijkaard.

Throughout the nineties, the Dutch played well, reaching the semis in Euro 1992 where Dennis Bergkamp caught the attention of the footballing world, the quarters in 1994 and 1996 and the semis in 1998. At the European Championships in 2000 – which they co-hosted – they made it to the semis before losing on penalties to eventual runners-up Italy.

The team, however, failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2002 before suffering elimination at the hands of Portugal in 2004, the same team which beat them in 2006 in the famed Battle of Nuremberg. The Dutch showed their mettle on the world stage when they were drawn into the Group of Death at Austria-Switzerland in 2008, where they thrashed Italy and France (3-0 and 4-1 respectively) before beating Romania 2-0. Oddly enough, they failed to deliver the goods against Russia in the quarter-finals, losing 3-1 in extra time.

Bert van Marwijk took over from van Basten after the Euros and unlike many of Europe’s other sides, the Dutch have never suffered from a lack of confidence going into tournaments, which was highlighted by a hundred percent record in qualification for the World Cup in 2010. The Oranje finished on top of their group after beating Japan, Denmark and Cameroon. In the knockout stages, they beat Slovakia, Brazil and Uruguay to set up a mouth-watering clash against Spain. But fans of football were to be severely let down as the Dutch adopted a a highly physical approach to the game, emphasised by Nigel de Jong’s kung-fu style kick to Xabi Alonso’s left torso.

The match – refereed by Englishman Howard Webb – was to go down in infamy as the match with the most number of yellow cards in a World Cup Final: a total of fourteen yellows were handed out during the game, nine of which went to the Dutch. Defender Johnny Heitinga was sent off in extra time after receiving a second yellow. Although Andres Iniesta scored four minutes before the end of extra time, the World Cup proved a disappointment.

The Dutch, however, picked themselves up and lost just one game in qualification for Euro 2012, after their passage to Poland-Ukraine had already been sealed. Tactically brilliant, the Dutch possess some of the world’s most skilled footballers. Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Dirk Kuyt are some of football’s most technically gifted and hard-working players. Most teams struggle to find even one striker in form. The Dutch can boast of two: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar finished top scorer in Germany, scoring 47 goals in 48 games for Schalke 04, while Robin van Persie top-scored for Arsenal – topping England’s domestic goalscoring charts – with 37 goals in 47 appearances.

The team does have enough steel to complement its armoury of artistry and flair. Mark van Bommel and Nigel de Jong have been cautioned several times in the past for their bone-crunching tackles which have caused many of Europe’s finest players to give them a wide berth. The side also have three excellent goalkeepers in Maarten Stekelenburg, Michel Vorm and Tim Krul.

But this next part is where the orange turns sour.

The Dutch defence – unlike the rest of the team – is good, but certainly not world-class. John Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen are both capable defenders but are prone to lapses in concentration and tactical errors in judgement, something that will not be of great comfort to Dutch fans given that the Oranje have been placed in the Group of Death, featuring Germany (yes, Germany), Portugal (no, I’m not making this stuff up) and Denmark. The other three sides have better centre-backs (yes, Denmark too) who could be exposed given that Gregory van der Wiel is primarily an attacking fullback. Their source of solace would come from Khalid Boulahrouz and Wilfred Bouma though. Both are extremely versatile, hard-working players. Mathijsen, to complicate matters further, is nursing a hamstring injury, and there is probability that he could miss his side’s opener against Denmark. Van Marwijk has considered drafting in a replacement.

The Dutch go into the Euros in good form. Despite losing the first of their three warm-up games 2-1 to Bulgaria, Bert van Marwijk’s men beat Slovakia 2-0 before hammering Northern Ireland 6-0.

For the Dutch, Euro 2012 is a chance to rekindle long-lasting rivalries, triumph over those who’ve beaten them in the past, and above all, bring home a prize worthy of the calibre of this team.