It's not as limited as what we've shown so far. Sure, we have no Robben, Van Persie, Bergkamp or Gullit, but feckin hell we are shit.
Winning this group is not an achievement at all since it's by far the easiest one with Qatar from pot 1.
King Van Gaal's Orange Army || 19 games unbeaten
- Thread starter VanDeBank
- Start date
Winning this group is not an achievement at all since it's by far the easiest one with Qatar from pot 1.
It's not just Robben, van Persie, Bergkamp or Gullit. There is also no van der Saar, van Bommel, Seedorf, Davids, Sneijder, Kuyt, van Bronckhorst, Makaay, van Nistelrooy, Cocu, van der Vaart, Huntelaar.
Sure, you have some decent players and that boy Gakpo looks like a young Lampard in the making but you are doing well as you currently don't have a golden generation. I'm sure benchwarmers and squad players of the golden generation would be sure starters in this team and that means the key for you is to play dull, tactical football in order to get the max as a team. But I understand, you're dutch and love flair. After all you have been spoilt during the years with fantastic players.
Our defense is better than in 2010 and 2014 and Frenkie de Jong is the best playmaker we've had in ages (unless he plays like he did so far this WC). I dont mind playing dull, but unlike 2010 and 2014 we lacm the weapons to create moments on the break like we did with Robben and Van Persie. If we want to get anywhere we have to be slightly more adventurous. And Vangle should really stick that dumb 5-3-2 formation up his arse.
His football is worse than Jose's - There I said it!
Don't think I've ever hated a united manager as much as I did him. Even now I can never wish his teams well. He just rubs me off the wrong way.
Don't think I've ever hated a united manager as much as I did him. Even now I can never wish his teams well. He just rubs me off the wrong way.
Frenkie is a good player. Not better than Sneijder or Seedorf in my eyes and not far ahead of van der Vaart who was very good for a while, very underrated. Let's say they are all more or less on the same level.
But as you yourself type, you lack offensive power. I mean you used to have incredible riches in the CAM, wings, SS, CF. Bergkamp, van Hooijdonk, Hasselbaink, van Nistelrooy, Makaay, Huntelaar, Dirk Kuyt, Vennegoor of Hesselink, Bas Dost, Ryan Babel, Eljero Elia, Ibrahim Afellay, van dey Meyde, van der Vaart, Sneijder, Robben, van Persie, Seedorf, Overmars. Probably forgetting someone.
Let's wait and see. I am a big fan of LvG, he brought Bayern out of the dark ages. No LvG and Bayern would never have made UCL final 2010, 2012, 2013. Germany would never have won WC 14.
We will get better...
We have to...
We have to...
Sneijder and Vd Vaart are both attacking midfielders though, not really playmakers. Seedorf was great though never really found his role in Oranje.
Van der Vaart is one of the most talented Dutch players I've ever seen, on par with Bergkamp and Van Persie. Just a bit too lazy to get the most of it.
What the hell is Ryan Babel doing in your list though
Other than the great strike by Gakpo, that was poor.
is this the least talented Dutch team ever ?
I just have to keep questioningmyself whether I missed anything at United from 14 to 16. Yeah Rooney rated him the most detailed tactician he had ever had, still...
2014 overall was worse, but Robben's ballon d'or level performance masked everything. Even RvP was already past it and was shite apart from Spain.
This squad has more than a few good players, but nothing up front and in midfield except for Gakpo and FDJ.
Memphis and the ajax lads are hopelessly out form.
Going for world record least shot on target for a ro16 team?
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Just read we managed 4 shots on target so far. Miracle we scored 3 or we'd have 1 point after 2 games.
LVG is making the players look worse than they are. He’s lost all ability to make a team play attacking football. He’s a dinosaur
Awful decisions yesterday
It's not necessarily that he's a dinosaur, but Van Gaal wants to point to Van Gaal after a victory so he can say, Ha! my brilliant tactical decision is what won us the victory, none of you peasants could ever come up with that. That's why he always makes weird decisions (like playing fecking 5-3-2 with the most 4-3-3 football country of all time) or putting Noppert on goal after 5 games at the highest level (he's done allright I suppse).
Piss off and retire you narcissistic old git
I think LVG should mix his obsession with 352 and the traditional for the Dutch 433 and come up with.... the 343 formation he used at Ajax in the 90's haha that will do it for this World Cup...
I think national teams are a difficult context to do funny things tactically - especially this WC when there was just a week of preparation.
But maybe Van Gaal is assuming that he can make the team grow into it during the WC itself. We'll see I guess. At least he's admitting yesterday's crap was due to tactical issues.
Nah, Van Gaal, knows he's fecked. His expression/body language in the post match says it all. He's just gonna try to hold the nil, pray for individual brilliance from Memphis/Gakpo and try and go to pens in the knockouts.
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I keep seeing this sentiment and i'm really not sure; on the one hand it does lack attacking talent, especially when you consider the great names of the past. On the other hand, look at that defence and the key player in midfield: VVD, Ake, Timber, De ligt, Dumfries, Blind, and FdJ....technically that's a very strong, talented group of players who play at the top level in Europe. These aren't players languishing in the lower divisions.
I think LVG is trying to use the same blueprint he used in 2014 which was a very pragmatic side that went far in the tournament. Problem is he doesn't have Robben or RVP this time and FDJ is not showing much at the moment either as a creator or as a metronome.
When Bayern hired LvG one of the top brass, Hoeness or Rummenigge, said they hired a football teacher. Not a football manager but a football teacher. Someone to implement a system and teach automatisms. Heynckes, a better man manager, then took LVG system and won the UCL. In the tactics department only a select few like Pep or Bielsa are equal or ahead.
Mind you that in itself doesn't make LvG the best manager. He is by far the GOAT spotter and promoter of talent and he knows it.
Bayerns motto is "We are who we are". An arrogant and confident way of saying they know who they are and they won't pretend or change to impress others.
When LvG arrived at Bayern he said: "I am what I am; self-confident, arrogant, dominant, honest, industrious, innovative. Bayern fits me like a warm coat".
So the truth is that he is a genius but he has an enormous ego regularly clashing with chairmen of the board or top (diva) players who don't accept his ways. Rooney and Robben accepted it, Luca Toni and Rivaldo were kicked out because they didn't accept it.
That is probably also why he works best with youth players who are yet to develop an oversized ego. Iniesta, Xavi, Puyol, Muller, Alaba, Seedorf, Davids, Kluivert, van der Saar... He has developed serious talent but I'm not sure he could have handled them if he had gotten them at 28 instead of 18.
LVG's ego?! When he was firstly hired as a manager of Ajax in 1991 he famously said: "Congratulations! You just hired the best coach in the world!" And that was his first actual job as a first team coach..
Proves my point exactly. And LvG wasn't far off either, look at what he managed to do with that Ajax team even winning the UCL.
Our whole country's press is desperately trying to write Xavi Simons into our starting line up. Must say I agree completely. Kid has fire, unlike the milktoast cnuts we've seen so far.
De Roon to start according to VI.
Great move, we will need that extra defensive security against mighty Qatar. We can't be playing to frivolously and attacking like we did during the brilliant creative displays against Ecuador and Senegal. I'm also elated Vincent Janssen will be slotted back in. A defensive striker like the late great Dirk Kuyt, Can't wait.
Unlike Koopmeiners he'll stay in midfield to receive the ball instead of fetching it at RB.
I like Louis but Netherlands going out would be funny
I'll fight you.
Not a fan of him at all, also some of the worst football I have ever seen Holland play at a tournament, even worse that the EC.
I hate this 5 defenders crap, really despise it. It is so seldom that teams play well with such an approach. You have strong centre backs, in stead of trying to fit them all in, trust on having just two.
His persistence with Dumfries and Blind to play every match, the entire match, I truly believe Frimpong/Malacia can add.
Noa Lang would also be a good option, unfortunately he got injured. He is not a high profile player, but a player that is creative and makes stuff happen.
I hate this 5 defenders crap, really despise it. It is so seldom that teams play well with such an approach. You have strong centre backs, in stead of trying to fit them all in, trust on having just two.
His persistence with Dumfries and Blind to play every match, the entire match, I truly believe Frimpong/Malacia can add.
Noa Lang would also be a good option, unfortunately he got injured. He is not a high profile player, but a player that is creative and makes stuff happen.
I know we don't see eye to eye mostly, but I couldn't agree more about Dumfries. Seeing him recieve the ball with the play in front of him time and time again is just soul destroying. He has no clue what to do with a ball whilst standing still. At all. Just have him play off a proper winger
I'd personally love to see both Lang and Simons, just for their tenacity and attitude.
You are one of the funniest posters on this forum, I just disagree with your comments on Ajax players but that's okay. It is nothing too personal.I know we don't see eye to eye mostly, but I couldn't agree more about Dumfries. Seeing him recieve the ball with the play in front of him time and time again is just soul destroying. He has no clue what to do with a ball whilst standing still. At all. Just have him play off a proper winger
I'd personally love to see both Lang and Simons, just for their tenacity and attitude.
I am usually quite a fan of Dumfries, but with the way we are playing now, he adds nothings. Our attacking threat is 0, and he will not be able to bring it on his own.
Simons could really add a lot as well, good shout. Gakpo and Depay/Janssen up front, and maybe Simons at CAM. I think Brobbey should have come along.
Haha okay fair enough, I hate having bad blood
Yes, Brobbey instead of Wegorst would've been good. Weghorst is just a poor Luuk de Jong.
Looking like they will top their group despite being fairly uninspiring.
Going forward I wonder if their style might actually work better against the stronger teams? I still look at that defence and think there's a lot of talent there and if they can shut games down and sneak a few wins then maybe they can go far?
Going forward I wonder if their style might actually work better against the stronger teams? I still look at that defence and think there's a lot of talent there and if they can shut games down and sneak a few wins then maybe they can go far?
Today Van Gaal taught us that a win can in fact be a loss. Kick the narcisistic cnut out. What a fecking disgrace of a performance.
Another borefest. Good chance they'll make it to the quarters though, given the opposition in the next round might be fairly week. But this approach won't win anything, the formation and tactics just don't bring out any creativity or proper forward drive.
I don't see us beating the US at all.
Yeah, good chance was maybe a bit optimistic. Decent chance?
Actually, the weirdest thing about all this is that it's a pretty defensive approach and that's where the Netherlands have quality - yet teams keep breaking through the lines and creating chances. So even that part of the plan just isn't working.
I would swap him for Southgate right now. Atleast Southgate sometimes brings on a entertaining player. My God.. Jansen and Weghorst but no Simons (supposed to be looking really good in training) or Danjuma (not even selected) 
Would have been nice to see Malacia or Frimpong too.
Would have been nice to see Malacia or Frimpong too.