Who are your country's rivals?

callumander · 2 days

I think Germany holds one of the highest scores against them and recently Netherlands beat them 11-0. I think they don't get mad from losing, but I can imagine they could develop a rivalry with the double digit country's.

Atald · 2 days

Frank de Boer has just rejected Liverpool. Link. That's a good start.

nextman6515 · 3 days

Well I have seen the majority of the Bayern games and I think he has been great after a short problematic start after his injury. He was also great at the start (remember that chip against Hamburg and his overall game?). After he missed the penalty against Dortmund in Bundesliga (which he created himself) he got critique from Beckenbauer and reacted by being very smart not to take the second in the penalty shootout against Madrid (where he also provided that excellent opportunity for Gomez right before extra time and made the penalty). Ronaldo did take his second and missed. So he is listening IMO. The critique on him also was that he was selfish. Yesterday he was almost the highest passer of the team and the game: Passes in the CL final. He is responding again. I am not going to shift through all his goals, but in any case he secured

win in German Cup against Bochum with a goal.
2 points against Nurnberg where he was the only goal scorer. That's 2 points.
He was also great against Bremen (4-1- with 2 goals)
Wolfsburg (2-0- with 1 goal),
Hoffenheim (7-0- with 2 goals, 2 assist),
Hertha (0-6- with 3 goals),
Hannover (2-1- with an assist for a win ( securing 2 points)),
Augsburg (2-1- with an assist for a win (securing 2 points))
and in CL he very important against Marseille away (0-2- with 1 goal, 1 assist).

He was pure magic against Hamburg. He also scored the vital penalty against Madrid and played overall a good game. This final he actually had to deal with double marking often and Cole instead of Botswinga. Despite that he was constantly initiating through one-two's, shots, passes, corners. His field game was good IMO.

Overall I think he had a good season as he also added in huge fashion with his key passes to the teams intelligence (highest of the team). This last point is important as Bayern has to start answering Dortmund (now beaten 5 straight times?). Dortmund is looking better and better against Bayern it seems and also more dynamic. Bayern must answer with more intelligence themselves. Robben also provides in this area.

nextman6515 · 3 days

You say Ribery has been beast this season. If we start to compare both players: Goals and assist per minute according to Transfermarkt -> This season we actually see that per minute they have done quite similar.

2822/31 goals+assists = 1 goal involvement every 91 minutes for Robben
4142/43 goals+assists = 1 goal involvement every 96 minutes for Ribery

Per minute Robben scores here better than Ribery who was a beast according to you. If you consider Robben was injured half the season and how he started his comeback games (not good) then it's quite amazing.

If we look at a more objective rating site as Whoscored we see that he is rated as one of the best in Bundesliga: Bundesliga player ratings.
Even in vision an creativity he can rival this year again with the best in the team. If we look at key passes per game he leads the team in Bundesliga:Pic. Also in CL: Pic.
Robben has also been vital in games for Bayern this season. Look at this article from a quality journalist like Jonathan Wilson: Arjen Robben key to Bayern success .

nextman6515 · 3 days

You think a Bundesliga championship is lost in one game? You think he didn't add value towards reaching the events Bayern found themselves in the first place? You think it is normal a team has to defend 1 corner in a whole match and they allow the goal to happen after van Buyten is subbed on? I mean of all things you expect not to happen with that giant on, is a team conceding from a corner. What was the sub for then anyway?

My problem with Bayern is, that if they don't want him, then don't offer an extension that makes him (one of) the best payed player(s). There is all this critique on the guy (also involving his game style as being to selfish), but then they do offer him a contract extension involving a lot of money. That does not make sense to me.

mdh5083 · 3 days

All 8 teams that were in the CL had a very strong Dutch core of players. Also who can deny Cruyff was the biggest player at Ajax in the seventies? Van Hanegem at Feyenoord in that same period? Rijkaard at Ajax 1995? I have seen that last game myself and it was a goal of Kluivert that sealed the deal after they beat Milan for a second or third time in that year.

mdh5083 · 4 days

Actually: CL's per country.

From 8 played finals in the CL, Dutch clubs have won 6. That is a 75% conversion rate, which is by quite a margin the highest of any country in Europe.

haifischsandiwch · 4 days

How is Muller still on in extra time?

mdh5083 · 4 days

I don't even remember if he played in the German cup final.

He did and scored the penalty in the 25th minute.

mdh5083 · 4 days

It's like I have been watching another final or something than everyone else. Robben stood at the basis of every attack. Gave key passes, one-two's, Bayern had like 15 or 20 corners most on his side. He had that solo with the ball on the post. He had that throw in where Gomez could pass it in front of goal. In the other CL final (2009-2010) he was the best man from Bayern. I also thought he was one of the best against Madrid in Bernabeu and scored a penalty there. Pretty clutch I would say.

I missed Gomez today. What the hell was he doing?

db82 · 4 days

I actually think he was one of the best. Key pass after key pass. Constantly a threat. Hit the post with that solo. Constantly making one-two's. Could have had several assists if somebody would just shoot it in. He also had to deal with Cole, while Ribery had the on paper the easier Botswinga. Since that Inguinal Hernia injury his shot power has decreased. Other than that he was one of the main reasons of Bayern being so dominant in this game.

waylonz · 7 days

This means nothing if the Dutch senior team can't harvest from this generation. Holland also won the U21 back to back a while ago and not much came through from that generation in the outlier category (except Huntelaar). Who do people deem capable to grow into exceptional players from this generation?

Lurvs2spooge16 · 16 days

After the successes of the seventies, the early eighties were known as crisis years for Dutch NT football. Rinus Michels implemented significant chances through the whole Dutch football setup and since then, this is the Dutch group advancement record:

1988 advanced from group stage
1990 advanced from group stage
1992 advanced from group stage
1994 advanced from group stage
1996 advanced from group stage
1998 advanced from group stage
2000 advanced from group stage
2002 did not qualify
2004 advanced from group stage
2006 advanced from group stage
2008 advanced from group stage
2010 advanced from group stage
2012 in any case qualified for Euro 2012

Over this period only Germany can rival Netherlands in Europe, but they didn't advanced from group stage in 2000 and 2004, making Netherlands have the strongest group advancing record of any European country over more than 20 years now.

Viscaelcule · 16 days

The funny thing about this article is that the writer paints a picture of a movement in Ajax that has been kicked out by Cruyff recently. Olde Riekerink is replaced by Jonk and the whole set up it changed. This movement is not responsible for the Ajax talent output, but responsible for it's drought of recent years. What top players have been there after VDV and Sneijder? Now with Bergkamp, De Boer brothers, Stam, Overmars, Brian Roy and more old stars, they have started to focus again on excellent personal technique, personal attention and yes even warmth.

Lurvs2spooge16 · 16 days

The list you posted is wrong. This is the List from today. Please provide your source or just copy paste from Dumdude. His list is correct and even includes Buttner that was called up for Pieters today.

Bennie300 · 18 days

The 3 strikers for the Netherlands are RVP, Huntelaar and Luuk de Jong. Luuk de Jong is work in process. The other two are the ones competing for the single job. 4-4-2 is not going to happen. I don't see BvM bend. He will stick to what he has done over the past years and that's the same system over and over again. 4-2-3-1.

rtrip · 18 days

Why?

Bennie300 · 18 days

He also tops the ranking of goals and assists combined:

Scores 35 goals + assists

edit:

He has also become the historical top scorer (In Germany the name for goals+assists) in the Kicker data bank, that started in 1988/1989.

42 points

I_like_globes · 20 days

Exactly this. All Guru's thump their chest with dropping names of people that have come to them. That's their thing. For me it's another alarm bell going off instead off making me impressed.

Bennie300

TROPHY CASE

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