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Dutch blow it again Oranje tease, tantalize and then vanish vs. effective Italy
Posted: Thursday June 29, 2000 07:54 PM
They did it again. The most talented soccer team this side of Brazil squandered yet another chance at glory. You don't miss two penalties and get away with it. You don't play 87 minutes with a man advantage, fail to capitalize and get away with it. The purists will scoff at the fact that we won't get to see a France-Holland final. That would have been UEFA's choice and the perfect way to cap off one of the most exciting, open and attacking international competitions in recent memory. Instead, we'll witness Italy's defensive barricades against the vision of Zinedine Zidane, the strength of Marcel Desailly and the pace of Thierry Henry. The script has already been laid out: talented France vs. ultradefensive Italy. Those who love attacking soccer have already turned up their nose. This is not what they wanted to see. But take a closer look and perhaps a new picture will emerge. First of all, beyond the two penalty misses and the failure to take advantage of Gianluca Zambrotta's 33rd minute sending off, Holland actually created few chances. Dennis Bergkamp hit the post early on, Patrick Kluivert went close a few times, but beyond that there weren't too many occasions when Francesco Toldo was called to make a quality save.
Obviously this was partly because Alex Del Piero was called back to midfield and, apart from the lonely figure of Pippo Inzaghi, Italy ventured forward about as often as J.D. Salinger appears on television. But that alone does not explain Holland's inability to create chances. Great teams know how to score, or at least come close, even against massed defenses. Possession and neat passing are fun to watch, but if you don't make something of it, you don't get to shoot on goal. And if you don't get to shoot, you don't win. Italy's defending was picture-perfect, particularly Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro, yet they got a huge helping hand from Holland boss Frank Rijkaard's enigmatic substitutions. With Bergkamp drifting all along the frontline and back to midfield, Kluivert spent the afternoon valiantly battling singlehandedly against Italy's tight backline. When it came time for Bergkamp to be substituted, Rijkaard didn't bring on a striker like the physical and mobile Pierre Van Hooijdonk. No, he called upon the sulking Clarence Seedorf, a non-entity in the opener, but most of all a midfielder. Seedorf is a genuine talent, but it was obvious he wasn't at his best. Furthermore, all his presence did was give the Dutch an extra passer in midfield. True, they had more possession, but that was the last thing they needed. A physical presence alongside the increasingly isolated Kluivert would have made more sense. Replacing the electric (if, at times, chaotic) Boudewijn Zenden, with the robotic Peter Van Vossen was even more difficult to explain. Apart from trying (and failing) to dribble past Cannavaro, Van Vossen contributed nothing. It's ironic that in the dying stages, Italy, despite being down to ten men, had three strikers on the pitch (Marco Delvecchio, Del Piero and Francesco Totti), while Holland had one (Kluivert). Granted, by this point, the Azzurri's midfielders had turned into stoppers and Del Piero and Totti had become virtual holding players, but the point remains. Before this game, Johan Cruyff had said: "Italy can't beat Holland. But Holland can lose to Italy." That's pretty much what happened. Some may argue that Italy had no choice but to defend en masse after Zambrotta's red card. Maybe so, but its intentions were clear from the start. Even at full strength, you would have thought that Dino Zoff's men were defending the Alamo. Most people who love the game fall in love with passing, dribbling and shooting. To most of us, a well-timed tackle or a tactical flourish aren't exactly the stuff of dreams. But defending is also a part of the game and that is something the Azzurri did impeccably. They had no intention to take Holland on directly, and the facts proved them right. Forget the 3-2 win over France's B team in the first round. The one time the Dutch faced a tight, tactically sound team, they struggled, as evidenced by the lackluster 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic. The drubbing of Yugoslavia was a true gem, but achieving those heights against Italy was always going to be a different matter. Even then, Holland was good enough to beat Italy. It wouldn't have been pretty, but it would have been deserved, and the better team would have gone through to the finals. Except neither Kluivert nor Frank De Boer could convert from the spot. There simply is no excuse for that. Once again, the Oranje teased and tantalized, before vanishing into thin air. At least we'll always have the memory of that amazing 6-1 triumph over Yugoslavia. London-based Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com. To submit questions or comments to Gabriele Marcotti, click here.
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