The Dutch aim to paint Uruguay Oranje
Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk has warned his players to keep their feet on the ground and ignore the hype.
Dutch coach Bert Van Marwijk has warned his players to keep their feet on the ground and ignore the hype as they prepare for their World Cup semi-final against Uruguay today as firm favourites.
With expectations back in Holland building to a crescendo, Van Marwijk is keen to stress that with the biggest prize in world football at stake, anything can happen.
“It will be a very dangerous match. I warned about this on the first day two years ago - there’s always the next game”, said Van Marwijk.
“They didn’t reach the semi-final for nothing, so we have to really focus again and not think that we’re already there.”
Both sides will be missing key players as a final looms against either Germany or Spain, but the statistics speak for themselves. Under Van Marwijk the Oranje have been one of the best performing teams in the world. They picked up eight straight wins in qualifying and have a 100 per cent record from their five games in South Africa, which includes sending favourites Brazil packing.
It is a formidable achievement, especially with the South Americans needing huge luck to overcome Ghana after being pushed to extra-time and penalties in their quarter-final.
Before the tournament, the glory years of Uruguayan football were a fast fading memory, with their last semi-final 40 years ago and just two appearances in the last five World Cups.
But under Oscar Tabarez, who also steered them to the last-16 in 1990 in his first stint as coach, they have been rejuvenated and cannot be written off.
Known as El Maestro in his homeland, Tabarez is reliable, hard working and a man of few words. He, for one, is not ready to throw in the towel. “We are amongst the four best teams at this World Cup. This is something we would never have imagined before coming to South Africa,” said Tabarez.
Uruguay though are handicapped by the loss of influential striker Luis Suarez, who misses the game after being red-carded for his deliberate goal-line handball that denied Ghana a famous victory.
Defender Jorge Ciro Fucile is also suspended while skipper Diego Lugano and midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro are doubtful due to injuries as well, heaping even more pressure on the shoulders of Diego Forlan.
In the Dutch camp, Ajax defender Gregory van der Wiel and Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong miss out after picking up their second yellow cards of the tournament against Brazil.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2010.
With expectations back in Holland building to a crescendo, Van Marwijk is keen to stress that with the biggest prize in world football at stake, anything can happen.
“It will be a very dangerous match. I warned about this on the first day two years ago - there’s always the next game”, said Van Marwijk.
“They didn’t reach the semi-final for nothing, so we have to really focus again and not think that we’re already there.”
Both sides will be missing key players as a final looms against either Germany or Spain, but the statistics speak for themselves. Under Van Marwijk the Oranje have been one of the best performing teams in the world. They picked up eight straight wins in qualifying and have a 100 per cent record from their five games in South Africa, which includes sending favourites Brazil packing.
It is a formidable achievement, especially with the South Americans needing huge luck to overcome Ghana after being pushed to extra-time and penalties in their quarter-final.
Before the tournament, the glory years of Uruguayan football were a fast fading memory, with their last semi-final 40 years ago and just two appearances in the last five World Cups.
But under Oscar Tabarez, who also steered them to the last-16 in 1990 in his first stint as coach, they have been rejuvenated and cannot be written off.
Known as El Maestro in his homeland, Tabarez is reliable, hard working and a man of few words. He, for one, is not ready to throw in the towel. “We are amongst the four best teams at this World Cup. This is something we would never have imagined before coming to South Africa,” said Tabarez.
Uruguay though are handicapped by the loss of influential striker Luis Suarez, who misses the game after being red-carded for his deliberate goal-line handball that denied Ghana a famous victory.
Defender Jorge Ciro Fucile is also suspended while skipper Diego Lugano and midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro are doubtful due to injuries as well, heaping even more pressure on the shoulders of Diego Forlan.
In the Dutch camp, Ajax defender Gregory van der Wiel and Manchester City midfielder Nigel de Jong miss out after picking up their second yellow cards of the tournament against Brazil.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 6th, 2010.