Can they avoid stumbling in the end again?

The Netherlands rallied through qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with a perfect record, winning all eight of its qualifiers whilst scoring 17 goals and conceding only two. They finished 2009 ranked third in the FIFA World Rankings, but the concern is that this is a side that some times suffers inexplicable defeats.

In Euro 2008, for example, Netherlands looked almost unstoppable after winning their group games by scores of 3-0 over Italy, 4-1 over France and 2-0 over Romania. Yet in the quarterfinals they suffered a shock 3-1 loss to Russia after extra time. In 2009, there were no losses for the Dutch, however. They won six matches and drew four, scoring 18 and conceding only four goals.

The Netherlands are traditionally among the most technically proficient teams in the game and their passing can be a thing of beauty, but it’s the cutting edge they will be looking for in South African in 2010.

Assistant coach Frank de Boer, their second most capped player of all time, told the FIFA website: “We have a mission: that mission is to be champions of the world.” They have the players to do it. What they will need in South Africa will be consistency throughout the month-long tournament.

If there’s one clear advantage that the Netherlands has…

2010 WORLD CUP TEAMS
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Can they avoid stumbling in the end again?
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