Van der Wiel critical of compatriot Robben
Ajax right-back Gergory van der Wiel has criticised Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben following Holland’s disappointing Euro 2012 campaign.
![](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xZfzVKjcJ9U9oC9AopY9wg.jpg)
The Dutch national side went into the tournament as one of the favourites, but crashed out at the group stage with Denmark as Germany and Portugal progressed to the quarter-finals.
In-fighting in the Holland squad compounded a miserable summer for the national side, which saw Bert van Marwijk resign as head coach.
And Van der Wiel has now spoken out about the disappointing campaign and pointed to Robben's contribution.
"If you give Arjen the ball and he has two opponents in front of him, he'll still try and get past them," the Ajax defender told NUsport.
"He's not the type of player to sacrifice himself for the wing-back and cut inside to create space for me, or tracks back to help me out when I'm dealing with two opponents.
"I was the one sacrificing myself for Arjen, and that's not something I'm used to. I prefer to do things together, both defending and attacking. It was a bit frustrating how things went."
However, the young right-back believes the duo can still work together on the pitch, despite their differences.
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
"I know that we can play together and that he can be decisive for us. Things simply didn't work out for the entire team. It was completely different than at the World Cup."
Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.
![LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 5: Arne Slot Manager of Liverpool congratulates Mohamed Salah of Liverpool after the 4-0 victory during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Liverpool FC and Bayer 04 Leverkusen at Anfield on November 5, 2024 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q3ie7X2vDDiU7X6C9HVRK7-840-80.jpg)
‘The pure simplicity of the way Slot has managed the squad is probably the biggest thing I could say about him. It’s not broken, so let’s get on with it’: Liverpool legend full of admiration for Jurgen Klopp's successor at Anfield
![CARDIFF, UNITED KINGDOM - JUNE 02: Wales captain Ryan Giggs shakes the hand of manager John Toshack after being substituted on his last International appearance for his country during the Euro 2008 Group D Qualifying Match between Wales and Czech Republic at the Millennium Stadium on June 2, 2007 in Cardiff, Wales. Photo by (Stu Forster/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ooQ9oNmgvfUUG8TBUhn6BK-840-80.jpg)
‘I trained at Spurs and thought they’d give me a chance. But I received a letter thanking me but saying they didn’t think I was good enough – I was gutted’: How Tottenham missed out on signing Wales legend John Toshack