Holland are still entertainers, insists coach Van Marwijk
URUGUAY vs HOLLAND
Tonight, ITV1, ko 7.30pm
HOLLAND coach Bert van Marwijk insists his team have not renounced their entertaining ways just because they have learned how to defend.
Marwijk has transformed the Dutch from freewheeling underachievers into a ruthless results machine that now stands just two matches from a historic first World Cup triumph. But ahead of tonight’s semi-final with Uruguay in Cape Town, the former Feyenoord manager stressed that he had not stripped the side of all its trademark flair.
“When I took over this job, my first goal was to teach the team to defend better,” he said. “Because we haven’t scored that many goals so far in this World Cup, people see it differently as they only associate attractive football with lots of goals. But we still play attractive football.”
Van Marwijk has paid particular attention to refocusing his players after their shock quarter-final victory over Brazil. “We haven’t succeeded in our mission yet,” he added. “The target, to be crowned champions, is not yet achieved.”
Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, meanwhile, has identified Arjen Robben as Holland’s biggest threat, although not all of his players seem convinced his plans to nullify the winger will work.
Sebastian Abreu, who scored the winning penalty in their shoot-out win over Ghana, said: “We know how to do it but whether the execution actually comes off is another thing.”