After Spain rout, Dutch should show same hunger against Socceroos

“Den Koning van Hispanje heb ik altijd geëerd,” reads the last line of the first stanza of the Dutch National Anthem. It means “I shall always honour the King of Spain”.

But there was little honour shown to the current World Cup holders when during the Spanish Inquisition that came their way.

Champions are defined by those who bounce back from positions of adversity when others fall away and while they did do that after defeat at the hands of the Swiss in 2010, there was little to suggest that as their countenance bore distraught expressions as they trudged off the field at half time, minutes after Robin van Persie’s audacious equaliser against them.

The Dutch, on the other hand, went into their dressing rooms with broad smiles on their faces, and they had every reason to be happy. But why the Spanish were so listless at half time is surely a question Vicente Del Bosque would’ve been asking his team as they attempted to regroup in the dressing room.

1-1 after all is not in any way a calamitous score. Why then were the Spanish acting like they’d just been eliminated from the World Cup? The reason the Dutch were so rampant was because of the difference in attitudes between the two teams.

Louis van Gaal set up his team to neutralise Spain’s strengths. La Furia Roja are notorious for finding space in between midfield and defence and Manchester United’s new manager decided to nullify that threat by packing five at the back.

Truth be told, the Spaniards did not deserve to take the lead. On the face of it, it might’ve looked like a penalty in the heat of the moment but replays showed that it was Diego Costa who trod on Bruno Martins Indi’s foot, and not the other way around.

But the Dutch continued to patiently probe and create chances, safe in the knowledge that their back five would quickly dispossess the Spanish and recycle the ball forwards.

Unlike the bludgeon-like approach that Bert van Marwijk used to stop their opponents at Soccer City four years ago, van Gaal’s surgical precision involved employing the strengths of his players and was a sharp reminder of the fact that the Dutch were the original inventors of Total Football.

The manner in which the Dutch took their goals showed just how technically skilled the Dutch were. The Dutch teams of the 1970s symbolised football that was audacious, adventurous, beautiful, and pushed the boundaries of what was considered an acceptable way of playing the game.

Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben’s goals displayed an audacity that Spain simply weren’t accustomed to seeing since they’d won the Euros eight years ago. That and Stefan de Vrij’s excellent positioning for the third goal displayed qualities that opponents seldom showed against Spain because they were so used to frustrating opponents with their tiki-taka.

Spain’s touches were sloppy and their attack toothless, as exemplified by Iker Casillas’ howler that led to Robin van Persie plundering the fourth goal of the night and Fernando Torres somehow contriving to fail to put the ball into an empty net.

The Dutchmen’s touches were perfect, their attack devastating. Spain did not know how to deal with the anticipation of van Persie, whose header showed determination and bravery, the searing pace of Robben, who ran at a lightning-quick gallop that defied his 30 years and displayed magnificent technique to control the ball with his first touch for his first goal, and the vision of Wesley Sneijder, who was the conduit for nearly every Dutch attack.

The Dutch were better prepared for the game than the Spanish were, and had to maintain the same level of concentration and anticipation throughout the game to beat the Spanish. It is these qualities that they will have to bring against Australia tonight.

Chile’s 3-1 win over the Australians flatters the South Americans somewhat because the Socceroos held their own for large parts of the game, creating as many chances as their opponents. Had a few contentious decisions got their way, it would’ve been the team from Down Under leading the group along with the Dutch.

Coached Ange Postecoglou, a man who has witnessed the rise of Aussie soccer over the last 20 years, is a shrewd tactician who knows that shackling the above three players would stymy the Dutch attacking abilities.

Australian soccer is currently undergoing a transition, with several of the old guard that guided the country to successive World Cups in 2006 and 2010 either retiring or being overlooked for this tournament and the younger generation will be eager to prove that they have what it takes to succeed the likes of Lucas Neill and Mark Schwarzer.

That generation of players famously defeated the Dutch 2-1 in Eindhoven in 2008, and although it was a long time ago, Postecoglou will know that re-creating that win will go a long way in boosting the morale of this team, proving to all those back home that Australian soccer is on the up in the form of these players.

The team is built around Tim Cahill, who is used as a shadow striker in the system and relies on pacey wingers such as Thomas Oar and Ben Halloran to get beyond defenders. The current crop of Australian players at the World Cup is considered to be among the most promising group of players to play for Australia and although Postecoglou is expecting to reap rewards in the future and notstun the world now, he most certainly could do that with a win against the Netherlands.

The Dutch must therefore be aware that the Australians have a point to prove and will be looking to catch them unawares. They cannot afford to underestimate the Socceroos, who actually looked very competent while defending against the Chileans. The South Americans found that it was not easy to break them down and it required three moments of brilliance to unlock the Australians.

The Dutch are in no way short of brilliant players but they will need to look out for today’s opponents on the counterattack. The Australians’ style of play is characterised by accurate crosses deep into the box, but they’re also not afraid of playing the ball on the floor when necessary.

In fact, every cross that the Australians launched into the box against the Chileans caused their rear guard trouble. Despite seeing less of the ball, the Australians actually created more chances (13 to Chile’s 11). Had the Chileans not plundered two early goals against the Australians in the 12th and 14th minutes, they might have actually beaten the South Americans.

This young Socceroo squad would have therefore learned that they have to start games strongly so that their task does not become too overwhelming, which it could well become given the qualities of their opponents.

They will therefore come in to this game alert right from the start, with a topping off of even more heightened awareness, now that they know just what the Dutch are capable of. The Dutch will therefore have to treat them the same way they treated the Spanish.

Victory would of course get the Netherlands out of the group stages even before the Spaniards have kicked a ball against Chile, rubbing salt into some very sore wounds in the process.