Not exactly Clockwork Oranje: Netherlands 1-0 Japan
Not exactly Clockwork Oranje: Netherlands 1-0 Japan
By Amit Katwala, writing from London
It was not a particularly inspiring performance from the Netherlands, but they came away with a narrow victory and are on the verge of qualification for the next stage. This match was remarkably similar to the opening match of the group, Holland facing stubborn opponents who were difficult to break down in the first half. As in the Denmark match, this led to quite dull viewing with few real openings for either side. The Japanese were happy to sit back and attempt to stifle the Dutch, who helped by not playing as well as they could. The men in blue were well organised, and this made it hard for Sneijder to pull strings in the middle, and with Kuyt and van der Vaart outside him, there was again a lack of natural width to help the Dutch get in behind stubborn opponents. Rafael van der Vaart is clearly a quality player, but one more suited to a central role, and as with Steven Gerrard of England, his effectiveness is limited when he is played from the left.
