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Kluivert vs Nesta Dutch offensive threat faces Italian defensive menace
Posted: Thursday June 29, 2000 10:53 AM HOENDERLOO, Netherlands (AP) -- Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert has become one of the most dangerous men at the Euro 2000 Championship. But for Kluivert, the most dangerous man is Italian defender Alessandro Nesta. Both Kluivert and Nesta have emerged as two pivotal players at the tournament and Thursday's semifinal between the co-hosts and Italy will throw the two together in a highly anticipated showdown. Kluivert -- who tops the scoring table after scoring three goals during the co-hosts' 6-1 quarterfinal punishment of Yugoslavia -- has become the man to stop. And to neutralize him, Italy is counting on Nesta. Both players are aware that their respective performances could very well prove the difference between a near-miss and victory. It won't be the first time the two have faced-off and Kluivert is aware of how troublesome Nesta can be. During his disatrous season with AC Milan in 1997, Kluivert encountered Nesta three times without much success. Though he scored once during an Italian league atch against Roma, Kluivert's team won none of those matches. Nesta, a modern, versatile centerback who is comfortable moving out of defense and able to ward off threats from the flanks and the center, has been the anchor of the Italian back line, forming a flexible and athletic core that has largely controlled Italy's four wins. “I've played against him in the past and they were good challenges,” Kluivert said. “I remember they were always close battles. He's a very good defender.” The Italians, with their stingy defense surrendering just two goals in four matches, will prove a tough obstacle for the Netherlands' fluid, attacking style, and will make Kluivert's attempts at finishing a particular challenge. But Nesta is aware that to stop Kluivert, the Italians must also stop his supplier Dennis Bergkamp. “It won't just be a Nesta versus Kluivert contest,” Nesta warned. “Kluivert is good and he's scored a lot of goals but Bergkamp is tough, too. He's scored fewer goals but he creates chances for the others.” But Nesta is wary of the rest of the team, too. “They all have a forward mentality and we saw against Yugoslavia that if a hole opens up, their two midfielders join the attack too,” said the Lazio captain, who helped lead his Italian club to the Serie A title this season. While the Dutch plan to continue with their current strategy and playing their own game, they have been taking precautions. “The Italians are experts at defending and are getting better with every match. We know we have to find new ways to get through them,” said Dutch coach Frank Rijkaard. “But we can't be concerned about their game and we can't fall in the trap of playing their game. “We have to try to dominate the game and let them do the worrying about how to stop us.” The Netherlands, which ran away with the game against Yugoslavia, rode on a wave of momentum as the opposition crumbled. But they know that just as the Italians will have a much more secure defense than the Yugoslavs, the Azzurri have also shown they won't always lie down so easily. “We've witnessed how they can withstand enormous pressure and then suddenly break,” Rijkaard said. “And then on other occasions suddenly rally back after have struggled the whole way. You have to be so careful.”
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