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Mourinho sees orange success
Written by Sawyer | 5th June 2006 | 0 Comment(s)
Last Autumn Jose Mourinho was questioned on his thoughts for the forthcoming World Cup, and as the Chelsea boss deliberated on the chances of a few nations, he made the poignant remark that:
‘Holland is not only well prepared for Germany 2006, but also for the next World Cup in South Africa.'
The Chelsea boss is sometimes unfairly ridiculed for his advantageous situation of being able to out-bid any team for star players, but that doesn't mean he ignores football's developing talent.
Sunday's Uefa U-21 European Championship Final would appear to back-up Mourinho's comments as the Dutch triumphed, to gain success for the first time at this particular level, beating a spirited Ukraine side 3-0 in the final.
In time-honoured tradition (and let's be fair, the Dutch do like a heroic defeat) Holland had lost the three finals in which they had previously participated, but many of the group of young talent presently assembled look to have extremely bright futures ahead of them, and quite importantly a winning attitude.
No wonder Chelsea pulled out all the stops to attain Frank Arnesen from Tottenham last summer, with the Dane's expertise in Dutch football being quite apparent.
The link with PSV Eindhoven, which may have come from initial discussions before Mourinho's arrival, was probably on the advice of the manager-in-waiting in a similar way that Arsene Wenger was evidently responsible for the arrival of Patrick Vieira before taking up post at Highbury.
Two of the main attractions of Holland's successful U-21 squad will have been striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar and midfielder Nicky Hofs, neither of which play for PSV, but don't expect Chelsea to be too far away when they look to leave the Eredivisie.
Dutch Coach Marco van Basten still has most of The Netherlands mystified by his non-selection of Huntelaar for Germany following a season in which he has scored 50-plus goals in all competitions.
Unsurprisingly the Ajax striker was the top scorer in the Tournament, and his two goals in the final helped him gain the man-of-the-match award. Mourinho will not be impressed that PSV let him leave for Heerenveen a few years ago, which will now mean any acquisition will be a little more complicated than it may have been.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham have all been monitoring the player who may attract a fee sizable enough next summer that Ajax may find extremely hard to refuse.
Hofs, who plays at Feyenoord and scored a late third against Ukraine, produced his own man-of-the-match performance in the semi-final with favourites France, scoring two goals of his own in a 3-2 (after extra-time) victory. Huntelaar also showed his class in this match scoring an audacious chip reminiscent of Dennis Bergkamp in his hey-day.
Mourinho wisely sat firmly on the fence when questioned as to which Country may prevail this summer, and although he spoke graciously about the Dutch that doesn't necessarily mean he think they will win, but assuming van Basten can retain harmony within the squad over the coming years there is no reason why The Oranje can't add to the European Championship gained in 1988.
This summer may prove to be a couple of years too early for van Basten's new look team. In addition some may feel the added pressure of looking to right the wrong that was perceived to be at the climax of the 1974 Tournament just too much; a defeat that continues to leave a sour taste in Holland despite the victory on German soil in '88 (and the revenge match against the Germans in the semi-final).
Many of van Basten's young players will have youthful memories of the Dutch being so happy to defeat Germany 3-1 in the European Championships of 1992, but forgetting to beat Denmark in the semi-final because of the team's eagerness to rub German noses in it once again in the final.
More fresh will be 1998 when many in Holland think they were the best team in the finals, only to capitulate on penalties for the umpteenth time. However, U-21 coach Foppe de Haan and van Basten would appear to have instilled a winning mentality and this could have been helped by many of the younger players not wishing to experience the failures of their predecessors.
Whether the Dutch has enough experience to succeed in Germany with the likes of Khalid Boulahrouz, John Heitinga, Jan Kromkamp, Hedwiges Maduro, Robin van Persie, Ryan Babel and Wesley Sneijder replacing many of the ‘old guard' remains to be seen, but with many of the U-21 squad pressing for full international recognition the future could once again be bright and be orange; to coin a phrase.
The one thing that you can be sure of; is that Jose Mourinho has taken note and will be watching.
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