It's Crowded Behind Van Nistlerooy

Oranje has six candidates for the position behind the striker. What are the pros and cons of the players who are queuing behind Van Nistelrooy?

Rafael van der Vaart
+ The best goal scorer of the six. When he started as a youngster at Ajax it was clear he had the feeling for the right position. He has the most goals behind his name, after Van Nistelrooy: 12 in 55 matches. But, the last really important one he scored was 2,5 years ago. He scored the 1-0 against the Czech Republic and helped Oranje qualify for the WC 2006.

- Van der Vaart isn’t really fast. In the warm up against Denmark he had a free run towards the Danish goal but was taken over by an opponent. Robben for instance, had no problems outrunning an opponent against Wales and score. Van der Vaart scores most from close up in the box or from set pieces. An important factor whenever Oranje needs to defend a lead and Van Basten considers replacing an offensive midfielder.

Wesley Sneijder
+ Sneijder’s unique asset is his perfect two-leggedness. It doesn’t matter for Wesley whether he kicks left or right and no one in the squad can simulate that. When the team needs a swift solution, Sneijder is the go to man. Quick feet and a quick brain. A typical situation in the Wales game: a loose ball from a corner kick came to Sneijder, who connected with his right and then shot on goal with his left, under pressure by two opponents. The ball just went over the goal.

- His effectiveness needs to improve. He had the ball 98 times against Wales, but lost it 38 times. Sneijder plays explosive and dominant, but sometimes he tries too hard. Sneijder’s achilles heel is his defensive discipline. Sneijder says he learned a lot at Madrid in terms of positional defending. Raul and the Madrid socios keep him sharp. “If you fail to do it twice, the fans will boo you,” he said. Which Oranje player will keep Sneijder sharp and aware in the Dutch team?

Robin van Persie
+ The most versatile player of the six, when judged on technique, speed, explosivity, versatility, length, power and vision. He can play on all positions on midfield and as a striker. Van Persie is able to create his own chances in every circumstance. It makes him independent of the form of the team or the way the match develops. This is a truly unique quality in modern football.

- Vsm Persie calls his weakness “overenthusiasm”. With his athletic body, Van Persie shouldn’t be injured that much. But he is. He apparently hasn’t learned to listen to his own body too well and Van Persie sometimes wants to do too much.

Arjen Robben
+ Rpbben’s biggest assets are his penetration and dribble skills. Most players in Oranje move towards the ball, Robben wants space. It’s a quality Oranje desperately needs. Van Basten has intensively kept an eye out for Robben and has also watched Otman Bakkal at PSV for this reason. With Babel gone, there is no other striker or midfielder with this quality. Every opponent will sacrifice two defenders if Robben plays.

-Robben seems to have put his physical problems behind him. His weakest spot is his talent. Also his strong point of course. He can make opponents crazy, but sometimes makes his team mates mad as hell too with his dribbles and egotistical play. That “all or nothing” aspect belongs with Robben. If he could improve that, he could grow out to the best player of the world.

Ibrahim Affelay
+ His big asset is his ability to take on opponents. A beautiful skill, the fastest way to create a “man-more” situation. With the spaces on the pitch getting smaller and smaller, players like Afellay are rare and sought after. A team without these types will have to play exceptional positioning play or count on a set piece specialist. At PSV, Afellay won matches with his “snake-man” actions.

- For an offensive midfielder, Afellay should score more. He scored two goals in 24 matches for PSV. Not enough. He always claims his trough pass allows others to score, and that is true, but still he should score 12 goals per season.

Dirk Kuyt
+ Dirk’s real strength is his mental power. He re-invents himself whenever the going gets tough. He moved from the striker’s position at Liverpool to the right channel. He has the lungs to control the channel and come into the box to score important goals. His working ethics and positive attitude are unparalleled. He is also a strong header and will always step up to the plate if the team is in dire straits.

- Kuyt has functional technique but misses the exceptional skills of Van der Vaart or Van Persie. If the space is limited, he is unmasked as a mediocre player. Sometimes, his abundant energy is his biggest enemy. He misses the sharpness in the box to score, then. Kuyt also lacks real speed.