Dutch to Counter Ivory Coast Threat With Rampaging Robben
June 16, 2006
After recording a vital 1-0 win over Serbia and Montenegro on Sunday, the Dutch will be hoping for a repeat of the inexperience the young West Africans showed in their 2-1 loss to Argentina in their opener.
"In our group, all points are very vital," admitted Dutch defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst. "It's clear that we've got four very strong teams (in the group). There's been a one-goal difference in both games so far," he said. "For our next game against Ivory Coast, if we win that we are almost in the second round. We want to qualify as soon as possible and don't want to have to go into the third game having to secure a win."
Ivory Coast will no doubt be buoyed by the mothers of the 23 players in the squad holding a three-day fast and prayer sessions before Friday's game in Stuttgart, but more realistically will be aiming to inject some ruthlessness into their play.
Coach Michel Henri, lambasted in the Abidjan press after the Argentina game, was disappointed after that match but remains confident.
"I believe we paid for our inexperience at this level," said the Frenchman who guided France to the 1986 World Cup semi-finals and who has also coached Morocco and Cameroon. "Now we need a big performance against the Dutch and a good result. That is what we are going to address ourselves to."
"We have to work on our strengths and weaknesses, and while we are in a less comfortable situation (after the Argentina loss), I still say we can beat the Dutch."
Dutch winger the man to watch as Ivory Coast fight to survive
Ivory Coast striker Arouna Kone, who has spent three seasons in the Dutch league -- the last with PSV Eindhoven, has earmarked left winger Arjen Robben as the dangerman.
Robben turned in a scintillating, goal-scoring, man-of-the-match performance against Serbia and Montenegro, and Kone said: "Robben is probably the most important player in their team. In their first match, all attacks were led by him."
Among the biggest concerns for the Netherlands are the Ivory Coast strike force of Didier Drogba, Kone and Bonaventure Kalou. "It's going to be a hard game trying to contain that trio," defender John Heitinga told reporters. "It promises to be a really tough game against their strikers, but I think that if we play football we'll win."
Dutch coach Marco van Basten added: "They have a lot of good players, experienced players who play in big competitions in England and Spain so they are very strong."
"We saw their games in the African Nations Cup (where they lost in the final), and we know a lot about that. It will be a tough and very important game for us."
As for the specific threat posed by captain and Chelsea striker Drogba, van Basten was resolute. "We know he's a very good player, very strong. And technically he can make goals. But we don't change everything for one player."
Concerns over the calf problem suffered by Dutch captain Edwin van der Sar during the Serbia-Montenegro match have been allayed, and the Manchester United goalkeeper will start against Ivory Coast.
And van Basten also hinted that influential Hamburg midfielder Rafael van der Vaart might be in line for a call-up, possibly at the expense of Wesley Sneijder, largely ineffective against the Serbs.