Next up in our series of World Cup team analysis articles, we take a look at Louis Van Gaal’s Holland. Their campaign gets underway on Friday June 13 at 8pm against holders Spain, in a repeat of the 2010 World Cup Final, before they take on underdogs Australia five days later at 5pm, with a potentially decisive final match against Chile on Monday June 23 at 5pm:
Road to Qualification
The Dutch cruised through their qualifying group, winning nine and drawing one of their 10 fixtures. Drawn against the likes of Romania, Hungary, Turkey, Estonia and Andorra, Van Gaal’s team ran riot, scoring 35 times and conceding on just five occasions, with six clean sheets accrued.
Most Starts Kevin Strootman, Jermain Lens, Robin Van Persie (9), Daryl Janmaat, Bruno Martins Indi (8), Ron Vlaar, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder (6)
Most Goals Robin Van Persie (11), Jermain Lens, Rafael Van Der Vaart (5)
Most Assists Daryl Janmaat, Arjen Robben, Jermain Lens (3)
The Key Targets
In spite of their excellent qualifying record, expectations are somewhat low as the Dutch go into next month’s tournament. Van Gaal has mainly utilised a number of young, domestic-based players and has recently, and rather surprisingly, decided to alter his team’s formation from 4-3-3 to 5-3-2 – a shape trialled during a 1-1 friendly draw with Ecuador earlier this month. Van Gaal has revealed three reasons behind his tinkering – the absence of Strootman through injury in the centre of the park, the lack of a first-choice left-back and his intention to field a minimum of three creative players in his starting XI.
In terms of Fantasy targets, Robin Van Persie remains an obvious choice. The United frontman racked up 11 goals during qualifying and is also number one for spot-kicks – he notched in the Ecuador draw last week and, available for 9.8 in FantasyiTeam, will play through the centre regardless of formation. Fielded as part of the front three during qualifying, Arjen Robben ended the qualifying campaign with three goals and a trio of assists in his last four appearances and, like Van Persie, is nailed-on under Van Gaal. The Bayern man could be shifted to the left of the new system, allowing Wesley Sneijder the playmaker role in “the hole†behind a front two – the Dutch have upcoming friendlies against Ghana and Wales which will hopefully shed more light on Van Gaal’s intentions. At 7.6 and 6.6 in FantasyiTeam, they are both considerably cheaper than the United forward.
At the back, Bruno Martins Indi offers the greatest goal potential amongst Van Gaal’s first-choice defenders. The big centre-half (likely to be partnered by Villa’s Ron Vlaar) is a real threat in the opposition box and notched twice in eight qualifying appearances – at 5.6 in FantasyiTeam, he’s already been linked with a move to Old Trafford following Van Gaal’s appointment.
The Long Shots
Feyenoord’s Daryl Janmaat was first-choice right-back during qualifying and chipped in with a trio of assists. He looks set to benefit from the new system – with Van Gaal opting for three centre-backs, Janmaat can be expected to forage up and down the flank as a wing-back and, like Martins Indi, comes in at 5.6 in FantasyiTeam.
For those games that reward defensive actions, Daley Blind could be worth a look. The defender (priced at 5.3 in FantasyiTeam,) is more likely to be utilised as a central midfielder in the new system and with Van Gaal determined to go on the offensive, Blind’s ball-winning abilities in the middle of the park could prove pivotal in allowing the more creative players the chance to flourish.
Coming in at 8.0 in FantasyiTeam, Jermain Lens cannot be overlooked. A somewhat temperamental figure, he started all but one of the qualifiers as part of the front three and racked up five goals and a trio of assists – he could be set to partner Van Persie through the middle in the new set-up, though is versatile enough to offer alternatives should Van Gaal change his personnel or approach mid-match.
Further Analysis
Group A – Brazil,Cameroon, Croatia, Mexico
Group B – Australia, Chile
Fantasy iTeam
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Community Articles
The World Cup – The Players by The Sarjeant, The Netherlands Squad by Pompeyfan
