Netherlands finally tries to end the fate of failing at the World Cup

There is no team so revered in football with so few victories to show as the Netherlands. The Clockwork Orange school, by Rinus Michels, birthplace of Johan Cruyff, Ajax four-time European champion, the golden generations that reached world championships as favourites…

Even with all this, Holland arrives in Qatar still in search of its first title in the tournament. Their solitary achievement of expression, the Euro 1988, was followed by a poor performance in 1990, when they were eliminated in the round of 16 by Germany and left the World Cup without winning a single match.

Being classified in 2022 is already more than the Netherlands achieved four years ago, when they didn’t even get a place to go to Russia.

“This is a supergroup of players, with enormous commitment and maturity. The team spirit is incredible, and that is a joy for any coach”, defines Louis van Gaal, who is heading the selection for the third time.

The trajectory of Van Gaal, responsible for the formation of the historic Ajax team that won the 1995 Champions League, is inconsistent. He was the manager who failed to take the Netherlands to the 2002 World Cup, losing his group spots to Portugal and Ireland. Then he commanded the team in the 2014 World Cup third-place campaign in Brazil. Now, he will be in Qatar.

“I was coached by Van Gaal in the national team and in the club. The difference is huge”, defined Robin van Persie, a striker who got on well with the boss in the national team in 2014, but clashed with him the following year at Manchester United ( ING).

The mystique is built on historic players, offensive philosophy and tactical innovations. Rinus Michels’ “total football” made the Netherlands favorites in the final against West Germany in 1974. They lost 2-1. Four years later, a team already weakened and without Cruyff fell again in the final, but for Argentina: 3 to 1.

In 2010, the selection reached its third final and kept the success at 0%. It was surpassed in extra time by Spain after Robben wasted, in normal time, the chance that would represent the title goal. Despite the campaign, he left South Africa criticized for having, in theory, reneged on the essence of Dutch football, of offensiveness and touch of the ball.

A philosophy that, sponsored by Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, ​​led to the emergence of one of the best teams in history: Barcelona European champions of 2009, 2011 and 2015.

Between 1978 and 2010, the Netherlands had some of the greatest players on the planet, such as Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Ronald Koeman, Patrick Kluivert, Frank de Boer, Edgar Davids and Dennis Bergkamp, ​​without also reaching the top of the mountain: winning the world Cup.

“After what happened in 2018 [a não classificação]this team believes it has a lot to prove”, sums up forward Memphis Depay, 28, one of the remaining third-place finishers in 2014.

Depay is one of those responsible for offensive creativity and in this role he scored 12 goals in 10 qualifiers.

With a mix of youth and experience, the Netherlands have Daley Blind, 32, and Virgil van Dyke, 31, to balance a group of rookies like Jurrien Timber, 21, and Cody Gakpo, 23.

Louis van Gaal revealed this year that, after treatment for prostate cancer, he was tumor-free. To keep players from finding out about his state of health, he would undergo radiation therapy sessions at night.

“I didn’t want them to know because it could influence their performance on the pitch,” he later explained.

The Netherlands are in Group A, with Qatar, Ecuador and Senegal. The debut will be against the Africans, on November 21.