• Robben recovers to play full part in training • Winger likely to start on the bench against Japan The Holland winger Arjen Robben has completed a full training session for the first time since recovering from a hamstring injury, but is unlikely to start his team’s World Cup match against Japan tomorrow. In training earlier today Robben appeared to be fully recovered from a left hamstring injury he sustained in a warm-up match against Hungary on 5 June. The injury kept him out of his country’s 2-0 defeat of Denmark in their first World Cup game. The Holland coach, Bert van Marwijk, says he is unlikely to play Robben against Japan in the Group E game in Durban, but has not completely ruled it out. Japan beat Cameroon 1-0 in their first match. “It’s quite something that he trained with us today,” said Van Marwijk. “But we have to wait and see how he responds tomorrow.” In a friendly last September the Dutch were frustrated by Japan for over an hour before winning 3-0. “This is going to be a tougher fight,” said Van Marwijk. “Both teams want to win and both sides won their first match. We cannot compare that game to this one. I expect a very aggressive Japan and we are prepared for everything and anything.” Van Marwijk believes Japan have improved since then and that was evident in their 1-0 triumph over Cameroon in their World Cup opener. “They have progressed a lot,” he said. “They have been together for a long time and have played lots of matches. They have been looking for some time to find a style of play which they didn’t have in qualifying. But they appear to have found that style. I have a lot of respect for the Japan coach and his team and we will not be underestimating them.” Van Marwijk believes the Oranje must focus on themselves and not on their rivals. “People who know me know that I concentrate on my team and I don’t make adjustments based on our rivals,” he said. “We have to play the way we know how and make the most of our chances.” The Oranje will have plenty of support tomorrow in Durban with thousands of fans having travelled to South Africa, while there is plenty of optimism back home regarding the team’s chances to go far in the tournament. “We hear a lot about the atmosphere back in Holland and this is great,” said Van Marwijk. “We also have lots of fans here and it’s wonderful that they have travelled such a long way to support us. But we have a long way to go and the most important thing is tomorrow’s match.” Holland World Cup 2010 World Cup 2010 Group E guardian.co.uk
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World Cup 2010: Arjen Robben returns for Holland after hamstring injury
