FIFA WORLD CUP TEAM PREVIEW: NETHERLANDS

Nick name: Oranje

Manager: Bert van Marwijk

FIFA Rank: 4 (Ref: FIFA.com, April 2010)

Group Opponents: Cameroon, Denmark,Japan

World Cup Schedule:

vs Denmark 14th June

vs Japan 19th June

vs Cameroon 24th June

Squad:

Goalkeepers: The area looks a bit doubtful with the absence of Edwin van der Sar.

Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax)

Sander Boschker (FC Twente)

Michel Vorm (FC Utrecht)

Defenders: The dutch will be missing the services of Jaap Stam as a player but the defense looks fairly solid with experienced players like Boulahrouz, Heitinga, Ooijer and Bronckhorst.

Vurnon Anita (Ajax)

Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart)

Edson Braafheid (Celtic)

Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord)

John Heitinga (Everton)

Joris Mathijsen (HSV

Ron Vlaar (Feyenoord)

Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax)

Andre Ooijer (PSV)

Midfielders: They are probably spoilt for choices. with the likes of Sneijder,Afellay and van-der-vaart in the mid field coupled with brilliant strikers this team looks a powerhouse.

Otman Bakkal (PSV)

Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich)

Wout Brama (FC Twente)

Orlando Engelaar (PSV)

Nigel de Jong (Manchester City)

David Mendes da Silva (AZ)

Stijn Schaars (AZ)

Wesley Sneijder (Inter)

Rafael-van-der-vaart(Real Madrid)

Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax)

Ibrahim Afellay (PSV)

Forwards:

Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool)

Jeremain Lens (AZ)

Eljero Elia (HSV)

Ryan Babel (Liverpool)

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan)

Robin van Persie (Arsenal)

Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich)

Recent Form and News: In one word- Brilliant.A red-hot qualifying campaign saw the Dutch sail through to the finals without dropping a point and coach Bert van Marwijk is happy with the way the draw panned out for his star-sprinkled team. Big things are expected from the in-form Oranje, currently ranked four in the world behind Brazil, Spain and Portugal, but Van Marwijk is taking nothing for granted. They have every reason to be satisfied with the draw. They managed to stay away from European powerhouses such as France and Portugal, while classy African teams such as Ivory Coast and Ghana will be avoided as well in the group stage.

Author’s take: Nobody will doubt the capabilities of the Dutchmen who are proven match winners on their day. They probably have the most balanced lineup on paper boasting of players of immense calibre.They are in a relatively easy group and are certain of making it to the Quarter finals. Along with Spain and Argentina, they boast of having the best forwards in WC’10. Perhaps the hottest player in the world is their winger Arjen Robben , Van Persie is in his prime now but its InterMilan who have produced a revelation in Wesley Sneijder.They have to shed away their “chokers” tag and make it big this time, probably make a repeat performance of what they did at the 1974 world cup.