Oranje: silence before the storm…

With the EC approaching real fast now, the Dutch team enters yet again another phase. Dick Advocaat: “Van Basten will know by now who he will play against Italy. Maybe he still doubts one or two positions, but he will be interacting very intensely with those 13 players… The players will also know what Van Basten will decide. You can feel this and see this in little details.”



Dick Advocaat, the Little General, was in charge of Holland during the WC1994 campaign and the EC2004. “Players have a sixth sense for stuff like that. But it’s not rocket science. The ones that most certainly won’t play will know too, because Rob Witschge or Frank de Boer will be working with them. They get less attention. That’s how it is.”

The preparation phase went smooth, apart from Babel’s injury of course. But there were no rifts, no wars fought out through media columns (Gullit and Michels in 2000), no cable discussions (1996) and competitors didn’t try to injure each other (don’t know if that ever happened…). The silence before the storm?

It’s remarkable however, how stories come out of the Oranje camp regarding Ryan Babel. The Liverpool striker had skipped a training due to some little pains. The next training he went for it, full blown ahead. Some players (Van Nistelrooy, Van der Vaart and Gio) told Babel to take care and not overdo it. The youngster was determined to prove himself however, and threw caution in the wind. At the end of the training his ligaments snapped.

Jan Kromkamp, PSV full back and part of the squad in 2006: “The prep in 2006 was also really calm and controlled. You wouldn’t tackle a “competitor” with your foot at knee-height.” He did see some changes in the final phase though.

“Little irritations come up, once it’s clear what the manager wants to do. Personally, I also felt some pressure from Van Basten. I can handle some extra scrutiny, no problems, but in my case it did felt too much. It didn’t help me, I felt I really really had to perform. I think Mark van Bommel suffered from that as well.”

Kromkamp started in the line up for 2006 but was subbed after the first match. His tournament ended there. His tournament ended in a disaster when during a training, two players got to chose their team mates for a training match. Kromkamp was picked as the last player and felt humiliated.

“It was like at school, with gym. The losers stay till the last. I was that boy this time. I was very disappointed about it, but that’s professional football, I guess. The survival of the fittest.”

Dick Advocaat doesn’t want to comment on who he thinks should play. “No, it’s never fun when other coaches or ex-team managers start to meddle. I had my doubts once about two players. Marc Overmars was the man then on the wings, in 1994. But Gaston Taument trained so well, he was in super form, so I played him against Saudi Arabia as a sub. He scored the winner late in the game.”

Right before the EC2004, Andy van der Meyde was the designated right winger for Oranje. During a press conference, a journo asked Van der Meyde what he tought of playing opposite Phillip Lahm (Germany). The Ajax winger said: “Who? Lahm? Never heard of the guy!” German tabloid Bild tore Van der Meyde to pieces.

Advocaat: “I never really talked about it with Andy. He is the kind of player that can say these types of things. You never know if he means it. I said only one thing: “Ok, Andy. Show us that Lahm is a nobody in the match, ok?”

The preparation is actually the best time. “The atmosphere is always good. A lot of optimism. Everyone is working hard. Once the tournament starts, you’re in this avalanche, it’s hard to get out.”

The first match always sets the tone for the tournament. When Oranje lost it’s first match at the EC1988, Michels immediately took some drastic measures. It’s important to start well. “I am very curious to see how Oranje does. I’m normally pretty realistic but I do feel Oranje will do very well this time around… I don’t know…it’s just a feeling I have. These boys could surprise everyone.”