World Cup Qualifiers + Friendlies | November 2017

KirkDuyt

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I really don't like this on "paper" argument. It just perpetuates the myth of the status quo. Thought the same with Italy.

I think not qualifying for the world cup could actually be a blessing in disguise. Dutch football has been on the wane for a while now. I don't think its solely down to talent either, with the KNVB a big part of that. Maybe this failure will kick them into action. The hiring of three successive managers at once was one of the most weird things I've seen, especially when that didn't include the man that should have got the job in the first place.
While the KNVB is part of the problem, a lack of talent is part of it too. With Robben retiring we have 0 world class, or even remotely topclass players left. We're used to having a lot of attacking talent and base our type of football on that. Now that we lack the players we still somehow want to dominate games. Playing (or rather trying to) offensively against France with our team is ridiculous for instance. It's like Crystal palace coming to Old Trafford playing a very hugh defensive line with lots of pressure on the ball.

We have to play a more defensive game and in that way we can still play a role in an international tournament (albeit a less glamorous one). We dont have world class players, but they're not on the level of Scotland or Ireland or even Sweden. Most play for teams in big leagues and some of them even in rather good teams (Wijnaldum, Strootman, Blind, VVD soon) whilst players like Promes and Dost are standouts in their leagues.

Bottomline we've been performing badly in part because of a filosophy that assumes you have world class attackers which we simply do not and in part because we have much less talent overall. We went from Arjen Robben and RVP to Memphis Depay and Ryan Babel ffs :(
 
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BBRBB

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I'm sure they would, but that doesn't make it a punishable offense to decline a friendly, which was my point.
It is a punishable offense. From FIFA's Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players

Annexe 1 Article 1:

1.
Clubs are obliged to release their registered players to the representative
teams of the country for which the player is eligible to play on the basis of his
nationality if they are called up by the association concerned. Any agreement
between a player and a club to the contrary is prohibited.

2.
The release of players under the terms of paragraph 1 of this article is
mandatory for all international windows listed in the international match
calendar (cf. paragraphs 3 and 4 below) as well as for the final competitions
of the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Confederations Cup and the championships
for “A” representative teams of the confederations, subject to the relevant
association being a member of the organising confederation.
 

AllezLesDiables

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I know it's deserved, but it's sad, because on paper we should qualify, making it more infuriating to yet again not qualify.
On paper this Holland team is slightly better than mid 2000 versions of Belgium, which were poor sides. Things will turn around, but outside of Robben the Oranje are bereft of talent and would probably rank around 20-25 in terms of top teams in Europe.

So I’m not sure where you get idea that on paper this is a WC type team.

If you own FIFA go home and make a squad concept and you’ll see that outside the team is made up of players in the mid to upper seventies.
 

Schneckerl

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Things will turn around, but outside of Robben the Oranje are bereft of talent and would probably rank around 20-25 in terms of top teams in Europe.
Their squad sure lacks quality, but I really doubt that. Overestimating the amount of teams which any kind of decent talent.

edit: I went through the teams and came up with 15, include those which are highly debatable and likely worse.

Absolutely no way it's 20-25 in Europe.
 
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KirkDuyt

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On paper this Holland team is slightly better than mid 2000 versions of Belgium, which were poor sides. Things will turn around, but outside of Robben the Oranje are bereft of talent and would probably rank around 20-25 in terms of top teams in Europe.

So I’m not sure where you get idea that on paper this is a WC type team.

If you own FIFA go home and make a squad concept and you’ll see that outside the team is made up of players in the mid to upper seventies.
Countries in Europe that have better squads on the top of my head:
France
Germany
Spain
Belgium
England
Portugal
Italy

These are obviously better. From here on it's rather debatable imo. May have forgotten some, mind you.
 

antohan

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Seeing some of these teams, I'm ashamed Holland didn't qualify. We're easily better than 2/3 of the contestants. Though being better on paper means nothing if you have a shite coach that embeds his shite mentality on our shite team leading to shite performances.

Yes Im sad.

:(
Doesn't stack up. Maybe you are not there because you are shite?
 

antohan

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With Chile and Italy in it? We'd get third place at best..
Tbh, Italy are all name and no substance (sounds familiar?).

Chile is an interesting one, on form they would be favourites and they would somehow make it sound like a legendary win ("a trophy is a trophy", Caf style), but I can see everyone poking fun at them winning the Losers Cup
 

FootballHQ

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Good move would be Copa America 2019 to invite some of the teams. I think they're keeping 16 team format so 6 guest places available. Mexico and U.S.A will be two I'm sure. Would be nice to have Italy and Holland in it.
 
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SCP

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Only now had the chance to see the highlights between Peru and New Zealand, incredible scenes, just refutes those who always moan against the importance of international football...
 

Peyroteo

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Good move would be Copa America 2019 to invite some of the teams. I think they're keeping 16 team format so 6 guest places available. Mexico and U.S.A will be two I'm sure. Would be nice to have Italy and Holland in it.
Have they actually confirmed they'll invite some teams? That would be great, would love for us to go.
 

FootballHQ

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Have they actually confirmed they'll invite some teams? That would be great, would love for us to go.
According to Wiki they're keeping the extension to 16 teams for 2019. They usually invited two from Concacaaf when it was 12 teams so presume might go to European teams.
 

Peyroteo

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According to Wiki they're keeping the extension to 16 teams for 2019. They usually invited two from Concacaaf when it was 12 teams so presume might go to European teams.
In the last Copa America it was also 16 teams and they invited them all from CONCACAF but hopefully they change it then. I'm fancying a trip to Brazil and it would be the perfect excuse.
 

haram

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