To Holl and back
last five World Cups that they will not play a part in.
Worse still, the Oranje’s failure is barely a surprise to the country’s media, supporters and the legions of tragic romantics around the world who follow them.
When the Dutch failed to reach the 2002 World Cup, in part because of a Roy Keane performance at Lansdowne Road to rival Turin in 1999, the shock hit the lowlands like a hammer.
That a side starring several players from Ajax’s cherubic 1995 Champions League winners and guided by the mastermind behind that triumph Louis van Gaal had fell short in qualifying was barely believable. There will be
no such surprise this time, however, because there is no such wealth of talent. The home side started brightly in the Amsterdam Arena with a fired-up Robben converting a 16th-minute penalty and then hammering home a superb left-footed shot five minutes before halftime to raise the faint hopes of the home fans. The Dutch, however, lacked the necessary creativity as Sweden shut up shop in the second half and the match fizzled out, leaving the Netherlands in third place. Sweden now enter a two-legged playoff next month against one of the other eight best second-placed European sides. Yesterday’s encounter proved to be the last international for Robben who, after 37 goals in 96 internationals, received a standing ovation as he limped through the final minutes. After the final whistle, the Swedish players went to their changing room to celebrate, leaving the stage free for Bayern Munich forward Robben to say farewell to the Dutch fans. “We knew we didn’t have a chance but it was an amazing game. It hasn’t been an easy decision but I am 33 and now must give my full focus to my club,” said Robben. Missing out on the World Cup caps a remarkable demise for the Netherlands, who were runners-up to Spain at the 2010 tournament in South Africa, and third in Brazil in 2014, with Robben again in the side, in a semifinal defeat by Argentina.
They have now missed out on a second major tournament after also failing in their bid to qualify for last year’s European Championship in France.
Hopes of rejuvenating Holland have now moved towards another generation of young players born in the mid-to-late 1990s, including some of the young Ajax players that Bosz guided to the Europa League final last May. The current squad is 25.2 years old, younger than any that competed at the 2016 Euros, but recent history suggests it will take more than a handful of talented individuals to restore the Oranje to their historic level.
Some argue a country with a population less than half the size of Poland never had a right to compete with European and world football’s biggest nations on a consistent basis, but the Dutch made their size irrelevant through innovative, free-thinking football; by breaking, rather than reinforcing dogmas. Unfortunately, it may be some time before we see that Holland again. – Reuters/ The Independent