“This team is comparable in strength to ours,” he said at a pre-match press conference. “Guus Hiddink has a young team with many talented players. I expect a good match and a fruitful rehearsal for the upcoming qualification meetings.”
Seriously the upcoming game and the Dutch players. “The match certainly will not be an easy walk,” expressed Wann midfielder Denny Landzat. By the way, the national teams of Russia and Holland have never met before. For the last time, the CIS team played with the “orange” - on EURO'92 (0: 0). It is curious that in that match, the Dutch were all their current coaching staff: Marco van Basten, Rob Witchge and John van't Schip.
Experiment time
The composition of the "orange" on Wednesday will not be optimal. In recent weeks, many leading Dutch footballers have had health problems. Chelsea defender Khalid Bularuz was injured in a knee. His fellow Role Andre Oyer of Blackburn broke his leg. A young midfielder AZ from Alkmaar Stein Schaars injured his ankle. The same trouble befell the winger from Chelsea Arjen Robben. And Robin van Persie from Arsenal injured his foot. In the national team, announced by van Basten at the beginning of last week, none of these players were. But, as it turned out, the Dutch personnel losses were not exhausted by this. Last weekend incapacitated three more.
The main goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in the match “Manchester United” with “Tottenham” suffered a concussion, and in addition broke his nose. Instead, an experienced Henk Timmer is urgently called in. However, on Wednesday, most likely, not he, but Martin Stekelenburg will become the gate. Van Basten, who has traditionally relied on youth, recently announced that he is counting on the 24-year-old goalkeeper, “Ajax”, as the successor to Van der Sarah who is leaving EURO'2008. Timmer, who is only a year younger than van der Sarah, from now on can only count on joining the national team in the event of force majeure.
And on Monday it became known that the team lost two players, “Ajax”. Defenders Urby Emanuelson and Johnny Heiting, who injured their knee and leg, respectively, in a Sunday collision with Feyenoord, will not play against the Russians either. However, van Basten did not look for a replacement for them. Instead of the originally announced 20 players, only 18 are preparing for the match. Moreover, two of them returned to the team after a long break.
Ian Kromkamp has not been called up by Van Basten for the past six months, although he has received constant playing practice at PSV. Interestingly, when he was sitting on a bench at Villarreal and Liverpool, he regularly defended the colors of the team. Today, the 26-year-old Kromkamp, apparently, will play the position of right-back.
And 28-year-old Wilfred Bouma may take one of two places in the center of defense. After this player moved from PSV to Aston Villa in the summer of 2005, he lost his place on the national team. But in conditions of staff shortages, van Basten remembered him as well.
Joris Mataisen can play in the position next to Bouma. Well, and the left flank, they say, will be left at the mercy of Tim de Claire, who is conducting a great season in AZ. In the clip of van Bastin there is also a much more sophisticated Giovanni van Bronkhorst. But why not actually experiment?
"I am inconsistent"
As for the midline, Van Basten had previously stated that he would not simultaneously call on Rafael van der Warth, Wesley Snyder and Clarence Seedorf. Like, these three midfielders in the team are crowded, and therefore two are quite enough. When van Basten invited Seedorf to a friendly meeting with the British last fall after a long break, Snyder was immediately out of the squad. However, now all three are preparing for a duel with the Russians.
“Yes, I am inconsistent,” the Dutch coach admitted. “But in friendlies you can try various tactical options. In the absence of van Persie and Robben, I want to put van der Wart in the place of the winger.” Thus, the top three midfielders in the traditional “orange” 4-3-3 scheme are likely to be Snyder, Seedorf and experienced Landzat.
Van Basten demonstrated inconsistency once again, saying he did not rule out the return of Edgar Davids to the national team. Before answering questions about this player, Marco was perplexed: "You do not ask why I do not invite Jan Wowers?" The allusion to Davids' acting out was more than transparent.
But, as the 33-year-old veteran returned to Ajax, Van Basten spoke differently. What gave an occasion to intensify detractors who reproach the mentor for excessive love for his native Amsterdam club and its players.
The three “orange” attacks are likely to be van der Warth, young Ryan Babel and well-shaped Dirk Kate. Klas-Jan Huntelar, unsuccessfully playing for Ajax, is likely to remain in reserve.
But Ore van Nistelrooy is still not in the team. Like Mark van Bommel. In August, van Basten abandoned these experienced football players, for which he received a fair portion of criticism. Now he seems to be not opposed to returning the outcasts. But offended by van Bommel and van Nistelrooy so far respond with refusals. Although, it is likely that soon - exactly to the important March matches - they will change their minds.
Forget about the scandal
The excitement before the match with the Russians in the Netherlands is not felt. They do not expect a full house at the Amsterdam Arena: there are still a lot of tickets on sale. However, in any case, the match will not be deprived of attention. In Holland, many are interested in looking at the current wards of Guus Hiddink.
Although the steering of the Russian team is now mentioned in the Dutch media in connection not only with football, but also with the judicial scandal that erupted around it. Hiddink is accused of the fact that in 2002-03 he avoided paying taxes to the Dutch treasury, declaring the Belgian city of Ahel as his place of residence, although he actually lived in Holland. The trial has been going on for several months. And with the upcoming match coincided in terms of a very important part of it. Hiddink can hardly fully concentrate on football ...
Sergey NIKOLAEV