Sneijder: Dutch need to find missing style fast
Reuters - Thursday 14 June 2012, 10:38
Netherlands need to quickly
find the missing style they have been unable to locate at Euro
2012 if they are to have any chance of staying alive in the
tournament, playmaker Wesley Sneijder said.
Wednesday's 2-1 defeat by Germany, following the opening
loss to Denmark, leaves one of the pre-tournament favourites and
World Cup finalists two years ago without a point at the foot of
Group B.
"We know that our game needs to improve. We need to get our
routines on the pitch back, the things we are used to, the
courage to play," Sneijder told reporters.
"Maybe in that last game, because we know we have to win it,
there'll be no other chance. It's all or nothing on Sunday and
perhaps we can bring our own football back in that game."
Although their future is out of their hands, the Dutch
could still progress to the quarter-finals if they beat Portugal
on Sunday and Germany take care of Denmark.
Even then goal difference in the games between the teams on
three points would come into play but none of that will matter
if Bert van Marwijk's side are unable to solve the numerous
problems afflicting them.
Winger Arjen Robben - who stomped off the field and removed
his shirt when substituted - highlighted the disjointed nature
of the Dutch play with little fluency between defence, midfield
and attack.
"There is no cohesion between our lines, there are gaps and
we are not connecting and then it is very difficult to recover
the ball," he remarked.
"At the moment we are not steady as a team like we were two
years ago and there is not one area to blame. We failed as a
team.
"Now we have to hope that Germany will do their duty against
the Danes and we have to avenge our first two defeats and hope.
"We are not in control now and that doesn't feel good."
GREATER CONCERN
While Robin van Persie's superbly taken second-half goal
against Germany will boost his confidence and Robben is always
capable of something special, a greater concern will be the way
Germany carved open the Dutch defence in the first half with two
strikes from Mario Gomez.
Germany coach Joachim Low said he knew there was a chance
to exploit spaces left by fit-again central defender Joris
Mathijsen and John Heitinga and to beat them individually.
"One thing we did know was that Holland are not so good in
one-on-ones in defence and that's how the two goals came about,"
he said.
"There were little spaces next to Mathijsen and Heitinga and
we knew if we could get in there it would be very dangerous for
Holland."
The options for Van Marwijk are limited with Klaas-Jan
Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart now hoping for a start. The
coach hinted at frustration over the lack of fresh faces
emerging since the 2010 World Cup final defeat by Spain.
"The last two years, we as technical staff spent a lot of
time to see if there are fresh names for this team but they have
to be available," he said.
"Now we have to work out a plan to beat Portugal with a two
goal deficit [in the group]."