Confident and Competent. Dutch Advance with a Game to Spare

As of the time of writing, only two sides have won more than one game at the World Cup, the Leo Messi inspired Argentina and the slightly less heralded Dutch.

In Argentina’s case, there is still some work to be done in Group A, as defeat to Greece and a South Korean win over Nigeria could see three teams tie on six points, of which one would be eliminated. Given their goal differences, it is least likely to be Argentina who aren’t all that likely to lose to Greece in the first place.

No such problems exist for an exuberant Holland. Firstly they beat the Danes 2-0 in a dull encounter that failed to capture the interest of many outside Europe. In their second game, the faced Japan in a battle of two sides with 100% records. Japan had contributed to Africa’s poor start to their own World Cup with a 1-0 win over Cameroon, perhaps the worst result recorded by an of the six African countries so far.

The Dutch hardly excelled but they hardly broke sweat either in defeating a defensively minded Japan side 1-0. Wesley Sneijder’s powerful 52nd-minute winner from just outside the box lured the Japanese a little out of their shell but the Dutch held on.

Japan adopted a curious new defensive protocol. They all stood inside their own half and allowed Holland all the possession they wanted in their own half without pressure. Immediately the ball crossed the half way line, four or five Japanese ‘forwards’ would crowd around the player in possession and force him into a hurried pass, usually back into the Dutch half to a lonely colleague.

Japan will have to find a little more offence to beat a well upholstered Danish side, although the Asians would progress with a draw. Now the Netherlands have the supreme and so far unique luxury of having already qualified for the next stage after just two games.

They have therefore the luxury of resting key players against Cameroon. None of their Group E rivals can complain either. Cameroon cannot now qualify and attain the unwanted distinction of being the first side eliminated from Africa’s first World Cup. So neither the Danes nor the Japanese have any vested interest in the game.

Holland only picked up three yellow cards in their first two games Nigel De Jong, Robin van Persie and Gregory van der Wiel. Bert van Marwijk can therefore rest them and he has the bonus of the so far unused and world class Arjen Robben who was ruled out of the first two matches through injury. Players who haven’t started such as SV Hamburg’s Eljero Elia and Milan’s Klaus van Huntelaar wait in reserve, not forgetting the Moroccan born 24-year-old Ibrahim Afellay who has played his entire career in the Netherlands at PSV Eindhoven.

The Netherlands are now unbeaten in 21 games and seem to have avoided the traditional internecine disharmony among their players which ritually bedevils their World Cup campaigns. In the next round, they will encounter a side from Group F which could still be any one of the hopelessly unimpressive Italians, sparky Paraguay, the useless Slovakia or tiny New Zealand. At this stage, the Dutch seem to have enough in reserve to overcome that hurdle with resources to spare. Then and only then will they have to worry about Spain or Brazil.

Who can predict what suspensions and injuries will have bedeviled those two by then? Spain will have had to play Portugal or the Ivory Coast the round before, if not Brazil themselves. Should Brazil beat the Ivory Coast today, they too will have qualified with a game to spare but one cannot see them pulling resources for that third match as it is against Portugal, their mother country and their biggest rival outside their own continent.

Whatever the Group G outcomes over the next 24 hours, there can be little doubt that Bert van Marwijk’s Orange Army have had the best start to the tournament and arguably are looking at the brightest short term future.