Van Der Vaart Tips Oranje To Go All The Way
In spite of the internal turmoil caused by Clarence Seedorf’s decision to pull out, Rafael van der Vaart thinks that the Netherlands can go far in the European Championship – and even claim the trophy…
May 15, 2008 5:19:44 PM
“We will go there [to Austria and Switzerland] to win. Of course we’re capable of doing it. A well-performing Dutch national side can win any tournament,” he said in an interview with Algemeen Dagblad newspaper.
“Of course, each of the other teams will have this attitude. We need a little luck.” said the HSV superstar, whose 52 caps at just 25 years of age have earned him the eighth place among active footballers in the all-time Dutch list of internationals.
The Oranje, who’ll play all three of their last 16 games in the Swiss capital Berne, kick off the final stage against reigning World Cup champions Italy, before facing off with France and Romania.
“To me it’s an advantage that we have been pitted against top footballing countries. If we survive the group, we will already have played against those three opponents and we’ll stand a good chance.” Van der Vaart estimated.
The Dutch may have won the competition only once, back in 1988, but they have made it at least into the quarter-finals in each of the last five European Championships.
Panos Bletsos, Goal.com
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