NETHERLANDS – FRANCE Match Preview
Stade de Suisse, Berne
Friday 13 June 2008 – 20.45CET (20.45 local time)
Group C
The Netherlands and France may have played just one game so far in UEFA EURO 2008™ Group C, yet the moods in the respective camps could hardly have been more contrasting ahead of Friday’s meeting at the Stade de Suisse in Berne. While Netherlands coach Marco van Basten was doing his utmost to calm expectations following the superb 3-0 victory over Italy on Monday, his opposite number Raymond Domenech attempted to reassure French fans that the Les Bleus were ready to improve on their subdued goalless draw against Romania.
‘Start again’
Van Basten, a UEFA European Championship winner in 1988, is bidding to become the first man to clinch the title as player and coach and could not have enjoyed a better start against the world champions. Another victory would propel the Oranje into the last eight, but the former AFC Ajax and AC Milan striker is refusing to get carried away. “We played well against Italy but you don’t win the tournament after one match,” Van Basten said. “Instead of thinking already about the quarter-finals, we must get our feet back on the ground and start all over again against France, who are a very strong, experienced team.”
Robben return
The Netherlands are likely to adopt a similar formation to that which they deployed against the Azzurri when they meet the two-time winners, with Orlando Engelaar and Nigel de Jong protecting the defence and three support players operating behind striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. Monday’s triumph was founded on rapid counterattacks and Van Basten hopes for more of the same, saying: “If one team has to attack it’s France. We’ve already won a game so the pressure is on them.” Van Basten nevertheless possesses an enviable array of attacking talent – particularly after Arjen Robben returned to training on Thursday following his groin injury. “Robben is ready to face France,” confirmed Van Basten, who must now decide whether to stray from a winning formula.
‘Sparkling performance’
Domenech seems certain to make at least one change from the side held by Romania, with the fit-again Thierry Henry returning to lead the attack. The France coach had stumbled on the steps on his way to addressing the media, but quickly dismissed suggestions he was feeling anxious and insisted his players would not trip up on Friday. “We know what we have to do and we’ll try our best to get the three points,” the 56-year-old said. “Personally, I’m hoping for a sparkling French performance, but unfortunately I can’t predict anything. We build our side around a solid defence and the Dutch have outstanding attackers, so it should be a good, exciting match.”
Comparison
Similarities are already being drawn with France’s 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign – when they opened with a stalemate against Switzerland before reaching the final – and Domenech is convinced his team will again improve as the stakes get higher. “Feeling that danger and fear is important for top-level sportsmen,” argued Domenech, who would not reveal whether captain Patrick Vieira has recovered from his thigh injury. “It was always going to be a struggle and hopefully the situation will bring the best out of the players.”
Sagnol defends French philosophy
Despite France’s failure to open their goalscoring account at the first attempt, defender Willy Sagnol says they will continue to employ a safety-first approach in their second Group C match against the Netherlands at the Stade de Suisse.
Defensive duties
Les Bleus have earned criticism in some quarters for not taking more risks in Monday’s 0-0 draw with Romania. With midfielders Claude Makelele and Jérémy Toulalan sticking close to the back four, and full-backs Sagnol and Eric Abidal focusing almost exclusively on defensive duties, the French were solid yet created little. There have been calls for a more expansive display against the Dutch yet Sagnol believes it would be unwise to suddenly change the team’s philosophy. “Over the last few years, we’ve made defending well our priority,” the FC Bayern München right-back explained.
‘Never-ending debate’
“We know that if we keep it tight we have a good chance of winning. With players like Thierry Henry, Karim Benzema, Franck Ribéry and Nicolas Anelka we’ll always have chances.” When asked if he himself might play more adventurously, Sagnol refused to make any promises, saying: “The question of whether a defender should try to attack or concentrate only on defending is a never-ending debate. The priority has to be making sure you don’t concede. Then, if you sense you have a possibility to get forward, you should do it.”
Slow starters
The defensive philosophy has served France well in recent times. Clean sheets against Brazil and Portugal in the latter stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup sealed their place in the final, and the mean streak continued in qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ with just five goals conceded in 12 games. That strength at the back, and France’s reputation for being slow starters, lead Sagnol to believe they will emerge unscathed from the most testing of sections. “I don’t know why we are slow starters, but sometimes it’s better to have a slow start and then improve as the tournament progresses,” the 31-year-old said.
‘Winning formula’
Referring back to the World Cup, when Raymond Domenech’s men also began with a goalless draw, Sagnol said: “Italy and France didn’t play the best football at the World Cup but ended up in the final. Spain and Argentina, on the other hand, were flamboyant in the group phase but didn’t get much further. It’s difficult to find the balance. At the World Cup we found a winning method towards the end. But even against Brazil we didn’t have many chances and scored from a free-kick. Then against Portugal we scored from a penalty.”
Dutch threat
Sagnol’s cautious stance may have been influenced by the outstanding Dutch performance against Italy on Monday. “They were impressive,” the former AS Saint-Etienne player said. “Italy’s defence is usually their strong point, yet the Netherlands found a way through. We’ll need to be careful because even if we have the ball, they can be dangerous. With players like [Rafael] Van der Vaart, [Wesley] Schneider and [Dirk] Kuyt, they get forward quickly. The key for us will be to find a mix between attacking and defending.”
Van der Sar keeps feet on ground
Netherlands captain Edwin van der Sar has said his team-mates will not get ahead of themselves following their 3-0 win over Italy as they prepare for their second Group C game against France in Berne.
Ideal start
The 37-year-old explained that despite getting their UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign off to the ideal start, the Oranje were just concentrating on their next match. “We were all happy about Monday’s result,” said Van der Sar. “But in the past two days we have forgotten about it and just started working hard again. We just finished our last training session and I am a bit tired, but we are looking forward to the France game.”
Early days
The Manchester United FC goalkeeper was also cautious of the Netherlands being tagged as one of the tournament favourites so early in the competition. “We have only played one game so far. Now we start all over again, and hopefully we can perform so well again,” said Van der Sar who became only the third player to appear in four UEFA European Championship finals in Monday’s match. “It could become a very good tournament for us but we are still in the early stages. We still do not have anything to show for our efforts yet. It was the same with United this year when the press started saying we were going to win things early in the season.”
Tough opponents
After beating Italy, the Dutch now face the side that lost to the Azzurri in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final and Van der Sar – who made two excellent saves from Andea Pirlo and Fabio Grosso when the score was sill at 2-0 against Italy – is fully aware of the threat posed by Les Bleus. “France are very strong opponents and they have proven that in the last decade,” he added ahead of Friday’s game at the Stade de Suisse. “They have reached finals, semi-finals and have won titles so it will just be another tough match. You always have to take the strength of your opponents into account and different teams offer different problems. We have to be careful of their fast forwards but hopefully we will be able to give the same effort we showed on Monday.”
