There are some fine young players in the Netherlands to keep Holland among the leading powers beyond the World Cup The days of totaalvoetbal are long gone but have always cast a long shadow over the Oranje, never more so than when a tournament comes around. No other European side are expected to do more than just win their matches; the Dutch have a brand of football which the world expects to see. The dominant philosophy at this year’s tournament has been “win at all costs”, while the English have long had an attitude of “it isn’t enough to win, others must lose”. The Netherlands and Brazil are arguably the only remaining nations where the attitude is “win and win well”. Indeed, the great Uruguayan football philosopher Eduardo Galeano described the Oranje as “the Latin American team I like the best”, before going on to suggest that they were an “orange fire that flitted back and forth, fanned by an all-knowing breeze that sped it forward and pulled it back”. The class of 2010 may be more pragmatic, with slightly more emphasis on not conceding goals, but the spirit of ’74 remains part of the national make-up. They will always be one of the more entertaining sides, even in an era of more conservative football. Never has an international tournament had quite so many teams that fit Johan Cruyff’s description: “They can never beat you, but you can lose against them.” • Follow the Guardian’s World Cup team on Twitter • Sign up to play our great Fantasy Football game • Stats centre: Get the lowdown on every player • The latest team-by-team news, features and more To borrow a phrase, Holland in a World Cup are like the proverbial box of chocolates. Not only do you not know what you are going to get, but they are varied, luxurious, melt in the heat, and the orange one is everybody’s second favourite. The squad which Bert van Marwijk has assembled are no different; a temperamental, unpredictable, often flamboyant group of players, with more collective experience than any previous Dutch squad. What is clear is that this is the last chance for many of their number. Giovanni van Bronckhorst has already stated that he will retire after the finals. Andre Ooijer will likely play his final internationals before a move to Roda JC, while Mathijsen, Boulahrouz, Braafheid, Van Bommel and Kuyt will all be the wrong side of 30 by Brazil 2014. The Euro 2012 campaign may well see the changing of the guard, but the Dutch will not be hindered as their system remains loosely the same, and the nation produces like-for-like replacements to fit that system. There are, of course, quality reinforcements in the current squad (who may or may not have one eye on a British TV broadcasting job come World Cup 2026). Eljero Elia looked spritely against Denmark and were Van Marwijk a more adventurous coach the young Hamburg winger would certainly start against Japan on Saturday. Elia won the 2009 Johan Cruyff Prize (the Eredivisie Young Player of the Year) while at FC Twente, and earned himself a move to Hamburg last summer. The transfer to the Bundesliga looks to have settled him, as his form was so good it even earned him a place in the lucrative Honigstein Team of the Season . Ibrahim Afellay is a relative veteran at 24, not least because he has been playing regularly for PSV for the last six years. Equally capable on the wing or in the centre of the park, he is lightning quick, possesses amazing vision and has been attracting attention from Europe’s big guns for some years. Afellay is joined in South Africa by Gregory van der Wiel, Ajax’s marauding right-back and last season’s Eredivisie Young Player of the Year. At only 22, Van der Wiel has attracted favourable comparisons with Michael Reiziger (when he was good, not the jigsaw-kneed journeyman Middlesbrough fans got). Both Afellay and Van der Wiel are expected to follow Elia out of the Eredivisie this summer, with England a likely destination. The Eredivisie has been seen as a fertile feeding/breeding ground for English sides for some time, and there are a number of highly rated youngsters already with Premier League clubs. Chelsea will send the 18-year-old Jeffrey Bruma on loan next season (most likely to Twente), and his team-mate Patrick van Aanholt may well follow him. Arsenal look set to sign Kyle Ebecilio, Bruma’s 16-year-old cousin, to add to their own orange contingent. It is clear that the future Dutch stars will most likely move abroad, but who are the boys most likely become stars within the Netherlands? Jeremain Lens was in the provisional squad for the World Cup, and was unfortunate not to have made the final 23. After a successful season in which he managed 12 goals in 20 starts, Lens opted to move from AZ Alkmaar to PSV Eindhoven, where he is seen as the long-term replacement for Danko Lazovic. The Dutch may also find that they have a ready-made replacement for Mark van Bommel in the 23-year-old Twente midfielder Wout Brama, already on the fringes of the national side, or Groningen’s tough-tackling Danny Holla. Brama’s team-mate Luuk de Jong – younger brother of Ajax’s Siem – is expected to take over from Blaise Nkufo in leading the Twente line next season and both brothers are tipped to make an impact. The fate of the Dutch national side is perennially held in the hands of the two clubs with the finest youth systems in the land. Ajax and Feyenoord produced more than half of the 1974 World Cup squad and thirteen of the current squad owe some part of their education to one of the two Klassieker rivals. In the current Feyenoord squad there are two young players who will be lighting up a far bigger stage soon. Leroy Fer anchors the Rotterdam side’s midfield, and looks set to develop into an Edgar Davids-style box-to-box midfielder. Ferocious in the tackle, sensible with possession and capable of driving forward runs, the 20-year-old has been singled out by his captain, Van Bronckhorst, as one of the best players in the side. He is joined in midfield by Georginio Wijnaldum, named by Fifa as one of the 40 best young talents in the world. Wijnaldum was full-back tormentor-in-chief last season, and possesses a Bergkamp-sized bag of tricks, flicks and party pieces. The 19-year-old is also deceptively strong and direct, capable of riding challenges and holding off defenders. If words don’t do justice to his potential, see for yourselves. Although he has only featured in three games for the men from De club van Zuid , remember the name Luc Castaignos. As a quick and skilful striker Castaignos has been a revelation for the Dutch Under-17s squad, finishing top scorer at last year’s European Championship. In doing so, he broke the all-time goalscoring record for the Dutch at that level, overtaking the tally jointly held by Collins John and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. Of course, being a young talented Dutch striker, he has been scouted by Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Internazionale, Arsenal, blah, blah, blah … but a couple of good seasons in the Eredivisie would surely be more beneficial than an early move abroad. Ajax continue their fine tradition of discovering and nurturing the finest young talent in the world. In Vurnon Anita they may have unearthed the long-term replacement for Van Bronckhorst. The young left-back has kept two internationals on the bench this season, and at only 21 he has five years of first-team experience. Although he was one of the unfortunates cut from the provisional squad for 2010, Anita will be hoping to be first-choice left-back in time for the 2012 European Championship. There are also high hopes that Daley Blind can replicate at least some of the success his father, Danny, had at club and country level, while the winger Jeffrey Sarpong has flirted with the first team and spent last year on loan at NEC. Arguably the finest prospect of all is Siem de Jong, an attack-minded midfielder in the Sneijder/Van der Vaart mould. De Jong managed 15 goals in 33 appearances in all competitions last year, a record which will not be without admirers. Of course the best result for the Netherlands could be that these youngsters stay where they are and learn their craft properly, rather than risk moving too early. Dutch football is always producing “the next big thing”, but such players as Nacer Barazite, Ryan Babel, Marvin Emnes, Vincent van den Berg and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie have risked football purgatory by moving abroad early in their careers. But, as the saying goes, the future is bright. The future is … Holland Eredivisie World Cup 2010 Group E World Cup 2010 guardian.co.uk
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Holland’s football future is totally safe with rich crop of youngsters | Thomas Watt
