Cillessen’s Questionable move to Barça.

Many were surprised when Barça decided to sign Jasper Cillessen from Ajax Amsterdam this most recent summer transfer window. The Oranje keeper went from a team that recently struggled to achieve success both on the domestic and European stage, to a team that is expected to win every possible trophy. Although Cillessen is upgrading the quality of his team, is this move a downgrade for his career?

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
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When FC Barcelona was forced to decide between keeping the Chilean Claudio Bravo or the German Marc-André ter Stegen, the club decided to bank on the German as their keeper for the future. Bravo was in his thirties while ter Stegen is still a young pup in his early twenties. It was the right move for the club to cash in on Bravo by selling him to Manchester City since they had their goalkeeper of the future. However, eyebrows were raised when Jasper Cillessen was rumored to be Bravo’s replacement instead of some aging veteran.

Barça have a history of signing Dutch players from the days of Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens back in the mid 70’s to the vast number of players in the 90’s and this century. One of the players signed during the 90’s was Dutch goalkeeper Ruud Hesp. He was the starting goalkeeper when Louis van Gaal was in charge as Barça captured back to back league titles. So it is not unchartered territory for Cillessen as he begins a new chapter in his career as a Barça goalkeeper.

Sadly, the contrast of quality between Ajax Amsterdam and FC Barcelona is not debatable. Cillessen leaves a club that is going through tough times as they usher in a new era now that Frank de Boer is no longer the manager. Furthermore, Cillessen also endured two disappointing years for both club and country where his performances left a lot to be desired. Of course, an argument could be made that the supporting players in front of him were not blameless either.

Nonetheless, when Cillessen joins his new Barça teammates for a training session at Ciutat Esportiva, he will undoubtedly be surrounded by a better supporting class consisting of world-class players. Unlike Ajax, he will have better defenders playing in front of him and other players that are game changers. His usual training session will consist of facing superb players such as Iniesta, Rakitic, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suárez that will no doubt test him and, hopefully, help him become a better player.

However, this move seems puzzling since Cillessen is signed to be ter Stegen’s backup. In Spain, the backup mainly features in the Spanish cup, Copa del Rey. The only way the backup goalkeeper will play in the league or the Champions League will be if the starter is injured or is performing poorly. Right now, ter Stegen is the starting goalkeeper for Barça in both the Spanish league and the Champions League. Therefore, Cillessen is expected to start the Copa del Rey matches, which amounts to 9 matches a year if Barça reach the final.

It is doubtful that Barça manager Luis Enrique will repeat what he did the last two seasons when Bravo featured strictly in the Spanish league while ter Stegen featured in Copa del Rey and Champions League. This time around, the manager plans on using ter Stegen for the Spanish league and Champions League, which is why Bravo asked to be sold. Both goalkeepers wanted to be the league starters, and the club opted for youth.

Cillessen was the starting goalkeeper for the Oranje during World Cup 2014, but it is hard to believe that this move to Barcelona will ensure he remains first choice. Oranje manager Danny Blind recently relegated Cillessen to the bench and started Jeroen Zoet in Holland’s most recent matches against Greece and Sweden. Was the decision made because of Cillessen’s recent poor form or with an eye to the future? Ultimately, Cillessen’s chances of being the Oranje starting goalkeeper seem slim if he is going to be sitting on the Barça bench for the majority of the season.

The last three seasons, Cillessen made 33, 42, and 44 appearances for Ajax in the Eredivisie and in European Competition. He will be lucky if he manages to make 10-15 appearances for Barça this season. Perhaps Luis Enrique will surprise us and use Cillessen more but for the moment, Cillessen is there in case of an emergency. As this is being published, ter Stegen has suffered a knee injury that will see him miss two weeks. Thus, Cillessen will now get to start in two league matches and one Champions League match.

Barça did the right thing in signing Cillessen as a security blanket for ter Stegen. He has the right pedigree for the position. However, Cillessen is too young to be a security blanket when he can be a starter elsewhere. Time will tell how this move works for Cillessen and his future. He should make the most of this recent opportunity, and also his time with Barça. Yet, he should also keep his options open for his future and seek an exit if a better opportunity presents itself.

The Barça Transfers That Almost Happened – Andrea Pirlo & Lorenzo Amoruso

When Pep almost brought the Italian star and how luck separated the club from player from Rangers.

It's that time of the year when we are bombarded with gossip that this player or that player is rumored to be pursued by Barça. Summer transfer window gives us, the Blaugrana faithful, something to discuss and ponder as we wait to see what moves our club will do. The number of players rumored to be joining Barça every summer could be enough to field three additional lineups. In the end, only a few of the rumors became reality while most dissipate into the wind. This series though will look back on the possible Barça transfers that almost happened. This chapter deals with the pursuit of the Italian players Andrea Pirlo and Lorenzo Amoruso.

The 2010 Joan Gamper Trophy match saw the return of Ronaldinho to the Camp Nou, as a member of the Milan team that played Barça that night. Obviously, it was special for the Camp Nou faithful to pay tribute to one of the biggest stars to ever play for the club. However, it was also a difficult night for the club as they were finalizing a deal to offload Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Milan. David Villa had been signed by Barça and they were in need to offload the Swede after he was deemed surplus to requirements by then manager Pep Guardiola.

While the media and the fans were wondering if Ibrahimovic had made his final appearance in the Blaugrana kit that night, another development was taking place elsewhere at the Camp Nou involving Guardiola and a certain Milan player. Rossoneri legend Andrea Pirlo had just finished changing, after witnessing his “Panenka” penalty effort thwarted by Barça keeper Pinto during the penalty shootout, when he was requested to meet with Guardiola. The meeting in in Guardiola’s office was a private recruiting pitch.

This ocurrence was so private that the rest of the world did not learn of this encounter till four years had passed, after Pirlo published his autobiography “I Think Therefore I Play.” This meeting lasted half an hour with Pirlo being greeted with red wine and Pep uttering “We need you here, Andrea.” Pep explained that he considered Pirlo the proper world class midfielder to rotate with Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets. Pep also indicated that the club wanted to buy him now and had spoken to Milan but Barça’s offer was declined. Pep was also shrewd suggesting to Pirlo to apply some pressure on Milan by “forcing their hand as well."

Pep’s interest in Pirlo was not unexpected since they are midfielders that shared similar traits. Pep admired Pirlo and Pirlo idolized Pep. Both also played for Italian side Brescia, albeit not at the same time, along with Roberto Baggio, and when Carlo Mazzone was the manager. Pirlo could have been a superb choice to rotate with the likes of Xavi. Pirlo even admitted in his book that he would have crawled on all fours to join Barça. However, the deal failed to materialize and the club signed Javier Mascherano instead. Not a bad outcome in the slightest considering the Argentine's success at the club.

Barça were not his only suitors as Pirlo almost joined Chelsea in 2009, but Milan demanded too much in return, and there was also interest from Real Madrid. Yet, Milan were not interested in selling Pirlo to Barça and kept him for the 2010/2011 season while Barça would go on to win another Champions League. Ironically, that would be Pirlo’s final season with Milan as he only made 25 appearances for the club, the fewest since his first season with Milan in 2001/2002. The Italians decided not to renew his contract and he joined Juventus on a free transfer. One wonders why Barça also did not make a move for him back then.

Perhaps signing Cesc Fàbregas the following summer eliminated the need to sign Pirlo. Looking back at that move now, many would have preferred if Barça had signed Pirlo and not Cesc. Nonetheless, one has to wonder if signing Pirlo would have been a good move for Barça. Franco Colomba, Pirlo’s manager at Reggina, expressed his doubts to FourFourTwo that Pirlo would not have enjoyed sitting on the bench at Juventus if he could play elsewhere and that it would have created tension. Maybe Pep’s influence would have smoothed that issue.

Nevertheless, Pirlo still got to be admired by Barça fans, even though he was donning another team’s shirt. Following Barça’s Champions League final win over Juventus in 2015, the Barça fans in Berlin showed their appreciation towards the legendary player by chanting Pirlo’s name as he was in tears following his side’s loss. Perhaps he took some solace from that nice gesture that maybe also took some of the sting out of that defeat.

Coincidentally, Barça does not have a rich history of signing Italian players as the club only had three Italian players representing the club. All those players arrived in this century: Gianluca Zambrotta, who lasted two years, was signed in 2006; Francesco Coco, who joined the club on loan for the 2001/2002 season; and Demetrio Albertini, who joined the club on loan for the second half of the 2004/2005 season. All three would have forgettable spells with the club. Although Thiago Motta played for Barcelona’s first team from 2001 till 2007, he was a member of Brazil’s U-23 side before he got his first cap for Italy in 2011.

One Italian player that Barça allegedly were interested was Glasgow Rangers defender, Lorenzo Amoruso as he would captain his team to a domestic treble during the 1999/2000 season. At the time, there were reports that he was being pursued by Barça, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Amoruso even talked in an April 2000 interview with the Daily Record of Barça’s interest but was only willing to join if Rangers agreed to sell him. "It's true that these teams are behind me. Barcelona and Bayern Munich were looking for me, but I will only speak to them if Rangers say that Lorenzo is for sale.”

Back then, Josep Lluís Núñez was president of the club and the Blaugrana had just eliminated Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals. It was possible that the club, then managed by Louis van Gaal, were interested in signing the 29 year old Italian defender who likes to refer to himself in the third person. A month later, Barça were embarrassed by Valencia in the semifinals of the Champions League as both Josep Lluís Núñez and van Gaal left the club in the summer. A new president would have to be elected, and any rumors linked to the Italian disappeared. Amoruso would then claim that he turned down Barça to remain with Rangers.

Ultimately, one could say Pirlo would have been a superb addition that could have complemented this magnificent Barça midfield. He also could have been the first Italian signing that was not deemed a flop. Yet, the failed attempt in signing him did not hinder Barça as the club did go on to win two more Champions League titles since that Joan Gamper Trophy match. As for Amoruso, it’s probably for the best that he never joined just to be remembered as another member of the bad signings from the awful Gaspart era.

Oranje Heartbreaks – UEFA Euro 2012 & 2016.

Ever since I witnessed Holland win their first ever international title in 1988, being a fan of the Oranje has been nothing but heartbreaks and bitter disappointments. With the Oranje not being part of the 24 teams playing this summer in France for the European Championship, let’s revisit their previous disappointments in this tournament since 1988 and conclude this trip down memory lane with questions about the current state of the Oranje and their future.

The Lead-Up:

Two years after losing to Spain in the 2010 World Cup Final, the Oranje were back in the UEFA European Championship. Bert van Marwijk had coached the Oranje to the Final and his next mission was to win this Euro 2016. His first step was qualifying for this tournament.

Holland qualified for Euro 2012 after they battled Sweden to win their group. Their other opponents in the group were Finland, Hungary, Moldavia and San Marino. The Oranje won their first nine qualifiers before dropping their tenth and final one to Sweden. By then, they had already won the group and punched their ticket to play in their seventh consecutive UEFA European Championship. The Oranje scored 37 goals and conceded 8 in their 10 qualifiers, with Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scoring 12 goals.

Poland and Ukraine were the co-hosts for the 2012 edition. Holland were grouped in Group B with their arch rivals, Germany, their recent foe Portugal, and Denmark. Group A consisted of Czech Republic, Greece, Russia, the team that eliminated the Oranje in 2008, and Poland. Group C consisted of defending World and European Champions, Spain, Italy, Croatia and Ireland. Group D consisted of England, France, Ukraine and Sweden. Without a doubt, the Oranje got the group of death. The Oranje’s Nike kit for this tournament saw them use the orange color for the home kit, and the black color for the away kit.

Euro 2012 team consisted of all the Oranje stars who played a big part in reaching the World Cup Final with the lone exception of Giovanni van Bronckhorst. The veteran defender, and captain of the World Cup finalists, retired from football altogether after that painful loss. The new captain was Mark van Bommel, van Marwijk’s son-in-law and the usual stars of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Dirk Kuyt, Rafael van der Vaart, Robin van Persie, Maarten Stekelenburg, Ibrahim Afellay and Huntelaar were to be relied on for this tournament. This was the European tournament debut for the likes of Gregory van der Wiel, Ron Vlaar, Jetro Willems, while Luciano Narsingh, Luuk de Jong, Kevin Strootman, Stijn Schaars, Michel Vorm, and Tim Krul were called up but did not get to play.

The Heartbreak:

Holland kicked off their Group with a shock 1-0 loss to Denmark after Michael Krohn-Dehli scored in the 24th minute. The Oranje performed well, but their poor finishing cost them. This loss was a sucker-punch to the Oranje and their fans. The team already had a bad taste in their mouth before playing a single minute in this tournament when their black players received racist jeers during a training session from some Polish fans in attendance. It didn’t help matters that UEFA initially denied such incidents had occurred. This defeat just made things sourer.

Nevertheless, this loss should have served as a wake-up call ahead of their clash Germany. Instead, the Oranje found themselves down 2-0 after Germany’s Mario Gomez scored in the 24th and 38th minute. Van Persie scored one for the Oranje in the 73rd minute but the team fell short of grabbing an equalizer, not for the lack of trying, and suffered their second consecutive loss in this tournament.

Just two years removed from an amazing run to a World Cup Final, the Oranje were no longer basking in the sun; they were flying too close to it like Icarus. The disappointing performance against Germany coupled with some of players bickering among each other, was not well received by the fans. The accolades in the past were now in the past and the team had their hands full trying to win over their fans again, which they could start by trying to win a game.

Even though they lost their first two matches, the Oranje still had a shot at finishing second, behind Germany, if they defeated Portugal in their final group match, and if Germany also defeated Denmark. For this crucial match, van Marwijk gambled and made changes to the lineup. For the first time in this tournament, Huntelaar started a game after finding himself on the bench against Denmark and Germany. He had watched van Persie start in his place but now they were on the pitch together with van Persie placed behind him.

Holland started off well and scored in the 11th minute through van der Vaart, who was also making his first start of the tournament and his 99th cap for the Oranje. He would then strike the post soon afterwards. Although Holland started off on the right foot, they played the remainder of the match as if they were dancing with two left feet. Their defending left much to be desired and an equalizer from Portugal was inevitable, which then came to fruition in the 28th minute through Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo would score the game winner in the 78th minute and for the first time since winning Euro 88, Holland were eliminated in the group stage of a major tournament. Dressed in their black kit, the attire was most appropriate for this moment.

Overall, this tournament was a nightmare. There were no positives from this tournament that saw this talented group of players fail to build on the momentum of their World Cup run in 2010. This tournament also served as a red flag that things were heading in the wrong direction.

The Aftermath:

Spain repeated as European Champions by getting past France, Portugal and Italy to celebrate their third ever European championship. The fallout from this disappointment saw both the manager and the players receive justified criticism. Bert van Marwijk stepped down as manager of the Oranje after this tournament. He was contracted to remain with the Oranje until 2016 but this showing by the Oranje caused him to resign.

Following that Portugal defeat, it did not take long for reports to emerge that the team was divided thanks to egos. Perhaps the 2010 World Cup caused some egos to swell big enough to drive a wedge between teammates. There was talk that there was a lack of respect between players and manager and between the players themselves. Supposedly, there were two camps involved in this mess consisting of a van Persie camp and a Sneijder camp where one camp allegedly wanted to play football a certain style of football while the other camp wanted to play a different style of football. An example of how toxic the Oranje camp had become was when a story came out that alleged a member of the Oranje coaching staff told Huntelaar to zip it or face getting thrown out of the team’s hotel.

It didn’t help matters when a sad and disappointed Gregory van Der Weil spoke to the media following Holland’s elimination. He mentioned how his teammates shunned him on the pitch and did not allow him to play to his strengths. He also claimed that his relationship with his teammates was disastrous. If the performances of the Oranje on the pitch were disastrous, then the off the pitch issues turned this into a dumpster fire. This brought back memories of the lack of team unity in Euro 96, and what was one positive step forward in World Cup 2010 followed with two steps backwards after Euro 2012.

Of course van Marwijk shouldered some of the blame for this debacle. He fouled things up with his tactics and lineups. I personally never considered van Persie an important player for the Oranje, especially in 2012. He never really got to shine for the Oranje at the big stage. I was also a firm believer that Huntelaar should have started ahead of van Persie in Euro 2012. Huntelaar started the majority of the qualifiers and did a superb job on scoring a huge tally of goals for the Oranje. It seemed like the team had a perfect system but van Marwijk decided to bench Huntelaar for van Persie for this tournament.

More importantly, van Marwijk dropped the ball in a major way when he obviously lost control and respect of some of his players. That happens to some of the best of coaches. However, he could have taken control and made all the players see the errors of their ways. For example, Spain’s manager, Vicente Del Bosque had no problem making the Spanish Barça and Real Madrid players patch things up for the good of the team and their country in this tournament which they won.

Surprisingly, the KNVB hired Louis van Gaal again as the next Oranje manager. Two years later, he helped the team reach the World Cup and make it all the way to the Semi-Finals before suffering another penalty shootout loss to Argentina. Unfortunately, van Gaal copied van Marwijk’s strategy of playing not to lose by the time they reached the knock out stage and Holland went home with a 3rd place medal. The tenure of van Gaal was limited to just the World Cup, so a new successor was needed. That successor also turned out to be someone from the Oranje past; Guus Hiddink.

With the likes of Frank de Boer and Ronald Koeman as possible coaching options, the KNVB opted to hire Guus Hiddink as the next Oranje manager to guide them to Euro 2016. Perhaps they were hopeful of this hiring after van Gaal second’s chance turned out so well. The only problem was that Hiddink’s magic had died after eliminating Holland in Euro 2008. He helped guide Chelsea to the 2008-2009 Champions League Semi-Finals and ever since that Iniesta goal, Hiddink’s career has regressed. He failed to guide Russia to the World Cup in 2010 and then failed to guide Turkey to Euro 2012. Hiddink then had a short stint afterwards with Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala before resigning in July 2013.

Hiddink’s second era as Oranje manager, with former Oranje players Danny Blind and Ruud van Nistelrooy as his assistants was a disaster. Their Euro 2016 Qualifier group consisted of familiar foe, Czech Republic, Turkey, Iceland, Latvia and Kazakhstan. On paper, this seemed to be an easy group. Also, UEFA expanded the 2016 European Championship to 24 nations. Thus, it was possible for the group winners, the runners-up, and the third-placed team in the group to directly qualify for the finals. So what was there to fear? Plenty it seems.

After a forgettable loss to Italy in a friendly, Holland lost the opening qualifier match to the Czechs 2-1 in Prague. It was not that big of a surprise to lose to the Czechs and it was too soon to hit the panic button. Holland rebounded and defeated Kazakhstan 3-1 in Amsterdam by scoring three unanswered goals in the second half after going down a goal in the first half. The bright scare of going down early was forgotten but should have served as a warning sign of things to come.

Their third match was away against Iceland. If anyone thought this was one for the win column were in for a major surprise as the hosts defeated the Oranje 2-0. Hiddink was suddenly feeling the heat and a 6-0 win over Latvia did not do much in his favor. The Czech Republic and Iceland were the top two teams in the group, which meant Holland and Turkey were fighting for the third spot. That is why the fifth qualifier in Amsterdam between those two nations was important. Sadly, the same issues that plagued Holland in the other matches continued. The Oranje were shaky defending and were flat and unconvincing with the ball. Turkey scored in the first half and that seemed likely to be the only goal scored in this game until Huntelaar scored in stoppage time to salvage a draw.

That draw halfway through the qualifying stage meant one thing; the Oranje were in trouble. They had failed to defeat their tougher opponents in the group and their performances were uninspiring. KNVB decided to make a change and Hiddink was fired. The man who was supposed to succeed him after Euro 2016, Danny Blind, was now in charge and responsible for getting the team back on track.

Blind’s first match in charge saw the Oranje defeat Latvia in a dull manner. The big test came in the rematch against Iceland at Amsterdam. It was a test that they failed with a 1-0 loss. New management could not change the lethargic displays by the Oranje and a 3-0 loss a few days later in Turkey confirmed fears that the Oranje might miss out on Euro 2016. Reality set in that the Oranje would not be going to France for Euro 2016, even after Oranje defeated Kazakhstan 2-1, since Turkey defeated the Czechs 2-0.

That result meant that Turkey were in 3rd place and controlled its destiny while the Oranje had to defeat the Czechs and hope Iceland could also defeat Turkey. Well, the opposite happened and the Oranje were going to be watching Euro 2016 from their sofas. After ten matches, the Oranje won four matches, had one draw and suffered five losses. By no means did the Oranje deserve to qualify, let alone participate in a playoffs to qualify for Euro 2016.

So what is next for the Oranje? The KNVB still believe in Danny Blind as the manager even though he failed to impress as Ajax Amsterdam’s manager and the Oranje did not show any signs of improvement under him when he took over from Hiddink. It’s hard for me to see how things will improve under him as Holland prepares for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Frank de Boer just left Ajax Amsterdam and until he finds a new club to manage, he will be on everyone’s minds if the Oranje struggle in their upcoming qualifiers. Frank de Boer was one of van Marwijk’s assistants during the 2010 World Cup and perhaps it was no coincidence that Holland struggled in Euro 2012 without him assisting van Marwijk. Would the KNVB be willing to dump Blind and hire de Boer now or will they wait till they see signs of an upcoming derailment?

The other issue with the Oranje is that they seem to have abandoned their tradition and values in pursuit of success. That 2010 World Cup Final is a perfect example of the team discarding their identity by playing defensive. That tactic backfired and Holland only had to live with regret. The same could be said in the 2014 World Cup, where van Gaal played five at the back and became counter attacking and then extremely defensive in the knockout stages. One has to wonder what would have happened if Holland did not wait till extra time to attack Argentina in the Semi-Finals. What happened to the Total Football style? Some might argue, it didn’t lead to much success so a change was needed, but based on what we have seen in recent tournaments, the other styles didn’t result in any success either.

The KNVB needs to use this disappointment of not qualifying for Euro 2016 as a wake-up call to change what’s wrong with Dutch football. The absence of Robben through injury is not a justifiable excuse to finish fourth in their qualifying group. This has never been about one man, but about a unified team on and off the pitch. What is the Oranje’s identity? Where is the style that many fell in love with in the past and why can’t it be brought back?

Also, someone needs to make the difficult decision, either the KNVB or Blind, and decide if the time has come to drop the old guard and stick with the youth? How much longer can the likes of van Persie, Sneijder, and Robben start or feature for the Oranje when they are either out of form or injured? Also, are the next Stam, Davids, Gullit, Overmars, and Bergkamp being developed or is it just whoever is good enough to play for Ajax, PSV and Feyernoord before those clubs can cash in on them quickly?

Some believe the Bosman ruling hurt Holland when the likes of Ajax and PSV could not hold on to their best players in the 90’s. Yet, the Oranje still produced enough new talent to reach a World Cup Final in 2010. One idea that would be beneficial for the Oranje and that is if the starlets can remain in Holland with their clubs and not leave as soon as a big club shows interest. Just look at the careers of 22 year old Memphis Depay, who he has struggled since leaving PSV for Manchester United while 23 year old Marco van Ginkel has played for four different clubs since moving to Chelsea in 2013.

Time will tell if the young players such as Memphis, van Ginkel, Riechedly Bazoer, Davy Klaassen, Anwar El Ghazi, and Vincent Janssen can click with the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Kevin Strootman (if he can remain injury free), Daley Blind, and Jordy Clasie, along with the old guard such as Robben, van Persie, Sneijder and Huntelaar, presuming they are to be still relied upon. The talent is there but what they lack is a good manager to mold them into contenders. Ultimately, the KNVB needs to stop with short term solutions and plan for a brighter future.

Dutch FA chairman Bert van Oostveen unveiled a 10-year plan to ensure that the Netherlands are back alongside the world football elite by the year 2026. If that is the case, then hopefully the part of that plan is to look ahead and make sure that the talent is being taken care of properly and that the right coaches are in charge of the entire structure. This should not be a radical plan seeing as the president of the KNVB is Michael van Praag, who was also the chairman of Ajax from 1989 till 2003. That era is considered one of the most successful eras in club history since the late 60’s – early 70’s era. That success came from superb scouting and great coaching which benefited the Oranje for many years.

Something has to be done to nurture the team and make them become contenders again. The longer they wait to take the proper measures, the longer it may take to overcome this problem. Just look at how long it took Belgium to recover. Despite their differences when it comes to financial health of the clubs and the pool of, perhaps the KNVB can learn from their German counterparts in how to build for the future. Failure to do so will only mean more disappointments as time passes them by.

THE BARÇA TRANSFERS THAT ALMOST HAPPENED - SHEARER & GINOLA

The summer of 1996 brought a new coach to Barcelona that wanted to sign two of the Premier League best players

It’s that time of the year when we are bombarded with gossip that this player or that player is rumored to be pursued by Barça. Summer transfer window gives us, the Blaugrana faithful, something to discuss and ponder as we wait to see what moves our club will do. The number of players rumored to be joining Barça every summer could be enough to field three additional lineups. In the end, only a few of the rumors became reality while most dissipate into the wind. This series though will look back on the possible Barça transfers that almost happened. The second part deals with the near capture of Alan Shearer and David Ginola.

The summer of 1996 was a strange one for Barça and their fans. For the first time in eight years, Johan Cruyff was no longer in charge. His successor was the legendary manager, Sir Bobby Robson, who left Portuguese club Porto to join Barça in July 1996. The era of the “Dream Team” was over and the club was looking into starting a new era.

Upon Robson’s arrival, many players were signed to strengthen the team following two seasons without any silverware. He signed players he was familiar with from his Porto days, Vítor Baia and Fernando Couto. Nonetheless, two players who Robson wanted were plying their craft in the Premier League. Those players were David Ginola and Alan Shearer.

20 years ago, Alan Shearer was the one of the most recognized strikers on the summer market. Most of that interest though was limited to just to England. After shining at Euro 96, there was interest from Manchester United and Newcastle in getting England’s dangerous goal scorer. However, there was also interest from overseas as Robson was interested in signing Shearer. Robson stated that he spoke to Blackburn Rover’s manager, Ray Harford, on three separate occasions about getting Shearer, only to be told each time that Shearer was not for sale. Robson never got to directly talk to Shearer but he was also plotting on convincing the Barça board to sign a 19 year old Brazilian from PSV Eindhoven, Ronaldo. In the end, Shearer ended up going to his boyhood club, Newcastle, while Barça broke the bank to sign Ronaldo.

David Ginola was another player that Robson wanted. Ginola had shined for France and Paris Saint-Germain in the mid 90’s. Rocking the long hair look that would make him a well-known popular shampoo spokesperson, the French winger possessed the right amount of talent and flair to be either loved or hated by fans. La Liga fans were aware of him after shining against Real Madrid in the 1992/1993 UEFA Cup and the 1993/1994 UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup, and also against Barça in the 1994/1995 Champions League when his PSG side eliminated Barça in the quarterfinals. Ginola then made the jump from the French league to the English league when he joined Newcastle in the summer of 1995. With Robson himself a former Geordie, it was no surprise he was aware of Ginola's performance for Newcastle as they finished runner-ups in the Premier League in his first season there.

After Bobby Robson was hired as Barça’s new manager, he personally called Ginola to inform him that he wanted the player to be part of his team. In an interview with Talksport, Ginola said he received a phone call from Bobby Robson expressing his interest in signing him. Ginola then claims that Newcastle were not interested in selling Ginola to Barça or anyone. However, Bobby Robson stated that Newcastle were willing to sell the 29 year old Ginola but the Barça board rejected the idea because Newcastle were asking too much for a player at his age. Ginola probably wished he had been sold since the manager who signed him, Kevin Keegan, quit halfway through his second season with Newcastle, which coincidentally was the same season Alan Shearer joined Newcastle. Ginola ended up leaving Newcastle at the end of that season, his only one with Shearer, and joined Spurs. Meanwhile, Barça moved on from Ginola and decided to bring back Hristo Stoichkov to the club from Parma.

Now, those two near signings were not going to haunt the club. Even though Barça lost out on Shearer and Ginola, Barça still signed other players that summer such as Antonio Pizzi, Giovanni, Luis Enrique, and Ronaldo while bringing back the legendary Stoichkov. Under Robson, Barça would go on to win three titles that season, the Spanish Super Cup, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup.

Yet, we can only imagine what would have happened if those transfers did take place. It would have been interesting to see Shearer and Ginola don the Blaugrana kit. Barça had signed Gary Lineker in the 80s and we would not see another big name English scorer join the Spanish League until the arrival of Michael Owen in 2005. In the end, many would agree that Barça signed the better player in Ronaldo, but how would have Barça done with Shearer instead? Would he have left the club after one season like Ronaldo did? Better yet, had Barça signed him, would that have meant Rivaldo would not been signed as a deadline day transfer the following season because of Ronaldo’s sale to Inter? As for Ginola, the club already possessed a superb winger in Luis Figo, who would excel under Robson and become one of the best wingers in the world for the next few years until his departure to Real Madrid.

Ultimately, Barça did not regret missing out on those players 20 years ago. The club went on to have three successful seasons under Robson and Louis van Gaal. Nonetheless, one has to wonder what if.

Oranje Heartbreaks – UEFA Euro 2008.

Ever since I witnessed Holland win their first ever international title in 1988, being a fan of the Oranje has been nothing but heartbreaks and bitter disappointments. With the Oranje not being part of the 24 teams playing this summer in France for the European Championship, let’s revisit their previous disappointments in this tournament since 1988.

The Lead-Up:

Two years after losing to Portugal in the Round of 16 of the 2006 World Cup, the Oranje were back in the UEFA European Championship. This was their second consecutive elimination by Portugal in four years after losing to them in the Semi-Finals of Euro 2004. It was a truly awful game that saw more fouls than beautiful football. Marco van Basten was the manager of the 2006 team and this was his chance to redeem himself following a forgettable showing by the Orange at the World Cup.

Holland qualified after finishing second in their group. For this tournament, UEFA decided to change the qualifying format by having seven groups, with the top two teams automatically qualifying for Euro 2008. Holland battled Romania and Bulgaria for a top two finish that saw them come in second place. Their other opponents in the group featured Belarus, Albania, Slovenia and Luxembourg. Holland had been grouped with Belarus and Luxembourg in 1996 and once again, the Oranje would up losing a game in Belarus. They also failed to beat Romania in both matches, a draw and a loss, but did draw in Bulgaria before defeating them 2-0 in Amsterdam. Thus, Romania finished in first place with 29 points, while the Oranje finished second with 26, just one point ahead of Bulgaria. Holland had assured qualification with a game in hand, thanks to their victory over Bulgaria, so their loss against Belarus in the final qualifying match did not impact them.

This also meant that the Oranje were going to be playing in their sixth consecutive UEFA European Championship. That summer also marked the twenty year anniversary of the 88 Euro Oranje team winning their first and only European Championship. Could fate repeat itself with the star of that 1988 tournament now managing the side?

Austria and Switzerland were co-hosts for the 2008 edition. Holland were grouped in Group C with the defending World Cup champions, Italy, the other World Cup finalists, France, and the team that topped their qualifying group, Romania. 

Group A consisted of Portugal, the side who eliminated Holland in Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006, Turkey, Czech Republic and Switzerland. Group B consisted of Germany, Croatia, Austria and Poland. Group D consisted of Spain, Russia, coached by former Oranje manager Guus Hiddink, Sweden and defending European champions, Greece.

Euro 2008 saw the return of the familiar faces from the past such as Edwin van der Sar and Giovanni van Bronckhorst along with the new faces from Euro 2004 such as Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Rafael van der Vaart, John Heitinga, and Wilfred Bouma. There had been a falling out between Marco and Ruud during World Cup 2006, but they were able to patch things up in time for Euro 2008. However, the same could not be said regarding Marco and Mark van Bommel who stated he would not play for the Oranje as long as Marco was in charge, thereby ensuring he was not going to be a member of this team. The rest of the team consisted of those who made their Oranje debut in an international tournament at the World Cup two years ago or this European championship.

This was the first European championship for the likes of André Ooijer, Joris Mathijsen, Demy de Zeeuw, Robin van Persie, Orlando Engelaar, Mario Melchiot, GK Henk Timmer, Tim de Cler, Maarten Stekelenburg, Nigel de Jong, Dirk Kuyt, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ibrahim Afellay, Khalid Boulahrouz, and Jan Vennegoor of Hesslink. Boulahrouz’s call up came at the last second after Ryan Babel suffered an injury during training which caused him to miss the tournament. That injury would turn out to be a blessing in disguise thanks to Boulahrouz’s performance.

Holland kicked off their Group with a resounding 3-0 victory over the World Cup champions Italy. Holland got their revenge for their Euro 2000 exit at the hands of the Italians by displaying superb counter attacking football that saw van Nistelrooy and Sneijder give the Orange a 2-0 after 30 minutes with van Bronckhorst scoring the third in the 79th minute. Their next match was against France, and the Oranje crushed them 4-1. Kuyt gave the Oranje the lead after nine minutes for the only goal of the first half. Oranje then doubled their lead at the hour mark through Van Persie but France managed to pull one back through Thierry Henry in the 71st minute.

However, the Oranje responded a minute later after Robben scored an extraordinary goal to make it 3-1 before Sneijder scored the fourth in stoppage time. After two matches, Holland had qualified to the knockout stages and ensured they would remain victorious after defeating, and eliminating, Romania 2-0 through goals from Huntelaar in the 54th minute and van Persie in the 87th minute. Marco van Basten opted to rest most of his starters so this allowed for Stekelenburg to make his first ever start for the Oranje at a tournament while Huntelaar scored his first ever goal in a tournament. Italy went on to defeat France to finish second.

Holland were just unstoppable as they scored 9 goals through 7 different players in the group stage. The team was on a roll and showed they were dangerous with or without the ball. There had been concerns about their defending leading up to this tournament but the last minute addition of Boulahrouz proved to be rewarding as the team seemed solid at the back. Marco van Basten had just managed his team to impressive victories over both World Cup 2006 finalists and many felt that they were the favorites to reach the Final.

Holland’s opponents in the Quarter-Finals would be Russia. Defending champions Greece exited in the group stage so a new champion was going to be crowned. Germany would meet Portugal, Croatia would meet Turkey, and Spain would face Italy. Could the Oranje celebrate the 20 year anniversary of their Euro 88 triumph with another title?

The Heartbreak:

It was strange watching Guus Hiddink sit in the dugout of Russia and not Holland. Just ten years ago, he was coaching the Oranje at the World Cup and now, he was coaching the Russians, the team Holland defeated to capture Euro 88. Marco van Basten, who just two years ago was thought to be inexperienced, had his team playing well with confidence and, for once, there was team harmony.

Sadly, just when things were going well, tragedy struck. During Euro 2008, Boulahrouz’s wife, Sabia had been attending Euro 2008 along with the other players’ spouses and girlfriends. Sabia was pregnant at the time, and a few days before the match against Russia, she had to be taken to the hospital because of pregnancy complications.
Sadly, she gave birth to a premature born baby daughter who passed away. This tragic news not only affected Boulahrouz and his wife, but the entire team as well. The KNVB stated, “Players and staff of the Dutch team are upset by the death of Anissa, the daughter of Khalid Boulahrouz and his wife Sabia, who was born prematurely.”

Mentally, the team was affected and this affected their training for the clash against Russia and van Basten gave his players some space to deal with this awful event. The team would also be affected on the pitch when Robben was ruled out of the Quarter-Finals against Russia because of a groin injury. Marco van Basten left it to Boulahrouz to decide if he wanted to play against Russia and the defender chose to play. When the teams lined up for the match, the Oranje players, with Boulahrouz in the starting lineup, donned black armbands in solidarity with their teammate.

Edwin van der Sar was in goal with van Bronckhorst and Boulahrouz as the starting fullbacks while Ooijer and Mathijsen played in the center of the defense. Up front was van Nistelrooy with Sniejder, van der Vaart and Kuyt supporting him while Engelaar and de Jong watched over their backs. Most of the starters had not played against Romania so they were rested for this match.

The Russians though started the match strong and threatened early against the well-rested, but distraught Oranje. In the 7th minute, van der Sar was forced into making a diving save to stop Yuri Zhirkov’s free kick effort. Two minutes later, Roman Pavlyuchenko headed Igor Semshov’s cross over the bar. Hiddink’s plan to have his team be aggressive and limit space for the Oranje was working.

Holland’s first real chance came in the 20th minute, after Sneijder managed to break into the box, only for his shot to be blocked by a Russian player. Ten minutes later, van der Vaart whipped in a cross that neither Van Nistelrooy nor De Jong could not put away, although replays showed their shirts were being tugged. Suddenly, Russia’s number 10, Andrei Arshavin, came alive in this game and curled a low shot towards the far post which forced van der Sar to fully extend himself to make a save. The veteran goalkeeper didn’t have much time to relax because on the ensuing corner, Denis Kolodin had an effort on goal which forced him into a coming up with a good stop for another corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick, the ball was cleared from the box and Kolodin struck a shot from near midfield that van der Sar managed to tip over the cross bar.

Holland would then reply with a few chances of their own. In the 37th minute, Boulahrouz sent van Nistelrooy through on goal but his effort was stopped by Igor Akinfeyev. A few minutes later, Sneijder sent a free kick over the bar. A minute before the interval, van der Vaart had a chance to give his side the lead, but his effort was right at Akinfeyev. The halftime whistle blew and this match was still up for grabs.

Kuyt’s night was over as van Basten opted to replace him with van Persie at the restart, who proceeded to waste a chance in the opening minutes. Russia were the better side after the restart while the Oranje could not generate anything. The Oranje would be forced into making a second substitution in the 54th minute when Boulahrouz picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Heitinga. In what was one of toughest weeks of his life, Boulahrouz seemed to have reached his breaking point mentally and physically with that injury. This substitution would also impact the Oranje as their backline had just been weakened.

Just when things couldn’t get any worse, Russia would strike first blood two minutes later when Sergei Semak’s cross from the left was volleyed in by Pavlyuchenko to give his side the lead. This was the first time that Holland were behind in Euro 2008. The Oranje were in shock after that goal and struggled to recover, and van Basten made his final substitution by taking off Engelaar for Afellay in the 62nd minute. In the 71st minute, Pavlyuchenko’s superb one touch chip over van Bronckhorst fell to Aleksandr Anyukov inside the box. Fortunately, van der Sar managed to fully extend his arm to get a hand on the ball and deny Anyukoy’s effort at the far post. The ball stopped upon impact and bounced down in front van der Sar.

The Oranje’s confidence was gone and they were struggling against the Russians. Even dead ball situations were being wasted. In the 72nd minute, Holland had a free kick at the edge of the box and both Sneijder and van Persie stood over the ball before van Persie blasted it over the wall, over the goal, and into the stands. Pavlyuchenko was denied by van der Sar in the 78th minute and a few minutes later, Sneijder had a shot from some distance that went over the bar.

It looked bleak. It looked hopeless. It looked like the Oranje were going to crash out. Yet, the Oranje somehow managed to equalize in the 86th minute. Holland were awarded a free kick from some distance. Sneijder swung in the free kick and somehow the ball fell perfectly to van Nistelrooy to head in the equalizer from close range. 1-1 and the Oranje just gave themselves a second chance.

Right before the final whistle, it seemed that the Oranje were going to face a shorthanded Russian side when the referee Ľuboš Micheľ showed Kolodin what appeared to be his second yellow for a foul Sneijder. However, Micheľ ran to the linesman who convinced him to change his mind, thereby allowing Kolodin to stay on the pitch. Some would say it was the wrong decision but both teams would have eleven players heading into Extra Time.

That equalizer should have been demoralizing for Russia and provided Holland with an extra boost momentum needed to claim victory. No one though told the Russians because it seemed to spur them on, especially Arshavin, and they were the better and dominant side for the remainder of the match. Seven minutes into Extra Time, Russia came close to scoring when Pavlyuchenko struck the crossbar, and three minutes later Arshavin caused havoc before finding substitute Dmtri Torbinski, whose shot was stopped by van der Sar.

The first half of Extra Time came to an end and the Oranje were listless but still not out of this game. Nonetheless, fatigue was setting in and it showed in the second half of Extra Time. In the 17th minute, Zhirkov went down inside the box, claiming he was fouled by Heitinga. Referee waved play on but it was obvious that there were some tired legs out there. Then the inevitable happened; Russia scored. In the 112th minute, Arshavin managed to get to the by-line and was given enough space by Ooijer to somehow loop the ball across the goal. Unfortunately, van der Sar misjudged the ball and allowed it to get behind him. That allowed Torbinski to sprint past van der Vaart and nudge the ball in for the go ahead goal.

You could tell that there was no coming back from that goal for the Oranje. Arshavin was playing like a player with an extra lung, which was not that astonishing since this was only his second match of Euro 2008 after serving a two-match suspension at the start of the tournament. It was no surprise that he scored the third and final goal of the match four minutes later. Arshavin managed to beat the off side trap and got the ball at the edge of the box, then fooled Ooijer before seeing his shot on goal take a slight deflection off of Heitinga, whose attempt at blocking the shot resulted in the ball going between van der Saar’s legs. 3-1 and any chance of another late equalizer had vanished.

In a matter of 120 minutes, Holland’s great run in this tournament came to a grinding halt. The Russians celebrated their surprising win while Holland would once again exit a tournament filled with regret and disappointment. Overall, this was a wonderful tournament for the Oranje until they played the Russians. The positives from this tournament was that we saw that the young talent from Euro 2004 and World Cup 2006 can deliver for the Oranje and are capable of greater things. No doubt this tournament served as a building block for the World Cup in two years’ time.

The Aftermath:

Spain eliminated Italy, then Russia before facing Germany, who eliminated Portugal and Turkey, and defeated them too, to celebrate their second ever European championship. Marco van Basten stepped down as manager of the Oranje after this tournament. His successor would be Bert van Marwijk, Mark van Bommel’s father in law.
Two years later, most of these players, would finally reach the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa. There, they would suffer a painful loss to Spain in Extra Time. It seems that the Oranje traded exits through penalty shootouts with exits after Extra Time.

Sadly, this tournament marked the end of an era as Edwin van der Sar retired from the national team after Euro 2008. He had been the Oranje’s starting goalkeeper since Euro 96 that saw him start in four European Championships and two World Cups. Ruud van Nistelrooy also played in his final major tournament for the Oranje. Under van Marwijk, Ruud would not feature for the Oranje until after the World Cup where he appeared in a few Euro 2012 Qualifiers. He was also ignored for that tournament. Nonetheless, this core of players marked a new era for the Oranje that would be remembered down the road for the highs and the lows.

THE BARÇA SIGNINGS THAT ALMOST HAPPENED - MORIENTES AND RONALDO.

The summer of 2002 was an interesting one as Barça targeted a Real Madrid player and the one who would become their next Galáctico signing.

It’s that time of the year when we are bombarded with gossip that this player or that player is rumored to be pursued by Barça. Summer transfer window gives us, the Blaugrana faithful, something to discuss and ponder as we wait to see what moves our club will do. The number of players rumored to be joining Barça every summer could be enough to field three additional lineups. In the end, only a few of the rumors became reality while most dissipate into the wind. This series though will look back on the possible Barça transfers that almost happened. The first part deals with the near capture of Ronaldo and Fernando Morientes.

Believe it or not, Barça were presented with the opportunity to get Ronaldo or Fernando Morientes in August of 2002. At the time, Ronaldo shocked the football world when he demanded that his club, Inter, sell him to Real Madrid shortly after he had helped Brazil win the World Cup. This started a back and forth game between Inter and Real Madrid about how to negotiate this transfer.

Inter, angry with what had transpired, supposedly offered Ronaldo to Barça to play for them for one season on a loan basis. Ronaldo had played for Barça during the 1996-1997 season before being sold to Inter. During that 1996-1997 season, the club won four trophies under the helm of Bobby Robson, with Ronaldo scoring an astonishing 47 goals in 49 games.

Though his goals were memorable, he did not leave a lasting favorable impression with the fans due to his absence from the club to participate at Carnaval during the season, and also for having left the club, down the stretch, in order to join up with Brazil for the 1997 Copa America. Without Ronaldo, Barça lost the league title but managed to defeat Real Bétis to win the Copa del Rey. I am not so sure the Blaugrana faithful were going to be welcoming Ronaldo back with open arms either, especially since he wanted to join Real Madrid.

Nevertheless, on August 26, 2002, Inter reportedly offered “Il Fenomeno” to Barça in a season-long loan, but then manager Luis van Gaal vetoed that deal. Just imagine for a second, Barça could have had a chance to bring back Ronaldo to Barcelona, even if it was just for one season, where he would be reunited with his Seleção teammate Rivaldo. Who knows what entertainment and damage those two could have created on the pitch. I can also imagine how this loan would have not helped matters regarding the finances of the club thanks to its poor financial state at the time. Ultimately, Rivaldo left the club because of van Gaal’s appointment, Ronaldo went to Madrid, and the Dutchman was out of a job before the season was over.

When the Ronaldo loan deal fell through, there was talk that Inter wanted a Real Madrid player, Morientes, to be part of the Ronaldo transfer. Inter though had no intention of keeping Morientes as they had lined up a deal with Barça to sign the player. Supposedly, Barça president, Joan Gaspart was ready to give Inter between €22-24 million for Morientes. However, on the eve of the European summer transfer window, Barça pulled out of that deal. One of the reasons the deal fell through was supposedly the wage demands of Morientes. Others claim that Barça were never interested in signing Morientes, and that their sole intention was to sabotage Ronaldo’s transfer to Madrid deal by pulling out of the Morientes transfer at the last minute. In the end, Morientes remained with Real Madrid for another season and Madrid had to pay more money to Inter in order to get Ronaldo.

However, the Morientes coup would have been something remarkable, especially after the Figo scandal following his transfer from Barça to Madrid just two years prior. Morientes joining Barça, after winning three Champions League titles, with a chip on his shoulder would have been interesting. Morientes even declared that he grew up as a Barça fan. The last player to directly join Barça from Madrid was current manager Luis Enrique. Morientes was being ignored for Ronaldo even though he started in all triumphant Champions League finals for Real Madrid. It would have been interesting to see what he would have done for Barça, especially against his former club. Morientes would haunt Madrid in 2003/2004 Champions League season when he scored against them in the quarterfinals, while playing for Monaco on-loan, thereby knocking them out.

We can only ponder what would have happened if either of those players were part of the club. Could have made an impact on the pitch? Probably. Would it have improved the club’s long term future? Doubtful. With the way Barça was being run back then, it would have been throwing money at a problem that required more than just transfers and on-loan players to resolve. Nonetheless, that was one interesting final month of the summer transfer window back in 2002 where Barça could have obtained one of the world’s greatest scorers.

Oranje Heartbreaks – UEFA Euro 2004.

Ever since I witnessed Holland win their first ever international title in 1988, being a fan of the Oranje has been nothing but heartbreaks and bitter disappointments. With the Oranje not being part of the 24 teams playing this summer in France for the European Championship, let’s revisit their previous disappointments in this tournament since 1988.

The Lead-Up:

Fresh from missing the 2002 World Cup, the Oranje made sure to qualify for the 2004 UEFA European Championship. Louis van Gaal was at the helm when the Oranje failed to qualify for the World Cup and stepped down. His successor was Dick Advocaat, who last coached the Oranje ten years prior at the 1994 World Cup, and was not a popular choice among the fans.

Holland qualified for Euro 2004 through the playoffs after finishing second in their group. They battled Czech Republic for first place but came up just short. Their other opponents in the group were Austria, Moldova and Belarus. Holland finished in second place, behind the Czech Republic with the difference being the Czech’s 3-1 victory over the Oranje in the penultimate group match which allowed the Czechs to win their group by just three points.

Therefore, Holland and Scotland would meet in the playoffs. Fears about missing a second consecutive international tournament reared its ugly head after Holland stumbled in the first leg in Scotland with a 1-0 loss. Fortunately, those fears were put to rest following a crushing 6-0 Oranje victory in Holland thanks to a hat-trick from Ruud van Nistelrooy along with goals from Sneijder, Ooijer, and Frank de Boer. It was one hell of a way for the Oranje to punch their ticket to Euro 2004.

Portugal were the hosts for the 2004 edition. Holland were in Group D with the Czech Republic yet again after facing them in the qualifying stages and the Euro 2000 group stage. Their other opponents would be their arch rival, Germany, and Latvia, who were making their first ever international tournament appearance. Group A consisted of hosts Portugal, Spain, Greece and Russia. Group B consisted of defending European Champions France, England, Croatia and Switzerland. Group C consisted of Denmark, Sweden, Bulgaria, and Italy, the team that eliminated Holland in Euro 2000. 

The Nike kit for that tournament was nice but ruined with the decision of having the shirt number inside a circle, thus resembling billiards balls.

Many players from previous Oranje teams such as Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Michael Reiziger, Jaap Stam, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Phillip Cocu, Edgar Davids, Frank de Boer, Clarence Seedorf, Edwin van der Sar, Boudewijn Zenden, Paul Bosvelt, Roy Makaay, and Pierre van Hooijdonk were still representing the Oranje. However, this tournament would mark the debut of many new Oranje players, with some who still represent the Oranje to this day.

After missing Euro 2000 because of injury and the subsequent failure of not qualifying for the 2002 World Cup, Ruud van Nistelrooy was now going to get his chance to represent the Oranje at the international tournament and be their new scoring threat. The new crop of players making their debut for the Oranje in this tournament were Wilfred Bouma, Andy van der Meyde, Rafael van der Vaart, John Heitinga, Arjen Robben, and Wesley Sneijder.

Holland kicked off their Group D with a 1-1 draw against Germany. Torsten Frings scored an early goal for the Germany but van Nistelrooy grabbed a late equalizer to salvage a draw in what was a rather disappointing showing by the Oranje. The Oranje’s next match was against the Czech Republic that saw the Oranje take an early two goal lead courtesy of goals from Bouma and van Nistelrooy after just 19 minutes. However, the Oranje allowed two unanswered goals from Jan Koller and Milan Baros before Vladimir Smicer scored the game winner two minutes from the final whistle.

Oranje fans were outraged by this result and blamed Advocaat for taking off the best player on the pitch that night, Robben, in the 58th minute. Holland never looked the same without Robben and the Oranje suffered a bitter loss while the Czechs celebrated winning the group with this result. Some fans were so outraged that they even bought Advocaat a plane ticket and left it with the front desk of the team’s hotel, so he could fly back to Holland. Even the assistant manager, Willem van Hanegem, when asked about the substitution in a news conference, his response was that if Advocaat tried to make any bad substitutions, “I will beat him down then.” Fortunately, Latvia surprised everyone when they held Germany scoreless and gave the Oranje some hope of making it to the knock out stage.

The final group match would see the Oranje face Latvia while the Czechs would meet the Germans. Germany and Holland had to win their respective matches, and also hope the other stumbles in order to advance. At first, it looked bleak for the Oranje when Michael Ballack gave Germany an early 1-0 lead after 21 minutes. Holland took the lead through a van Nistelrooy penalty in the 27th minute and things began to turn their way when Marek Heinz scored the Czechs’ equalizer. Ruud scored in the 35th minute and substitute Makaay scored in the 84th minute to give Holland a 3-0 lead. Milan Baros helped ensure the Oranje would advance to the knockout stage by scoring the game winning goal and thereby eliminating Germany from Euro 2004.

Holland’s second place finish meant their opponents in the Quarter-Finals would be Sweden. The Czechs would meet Denmark, Portugal would meet England, and defending European Champions France would meet Greece. Holland and Sweden played to a scoreless, and dull, draw which meant one thing; a penalty shootout would have to decide this. Holland had yet to win a penalty shootout and had exited four of their last five tournaments through a shootout.

Fortunately, the Oranje finally ended their penalty jinx with a 5-4 penalty shootout win. Cocu was the fourth penalty taker and the only one to miss for Holland. Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed his shot for Sweden and after Olof Mellberg missed the sixth shot, Robben stepped up and scored the decisive winner. That was one long overdue celebration as Holland finally got that monkey off their back and released a huge sigh of relief. Finally, they had won a penalty shootout. Once again, the Oranje were back in the Semi-Finals of a major tournament and their opponents would be the hosts, Portugal.

The Heartbreak:

Holland v Portugal was perhaps the most forgettable performance by the Oranje at this stage of a tournament. It was not a classic by any means. A young Cristiano Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead in the 26th minute when he was left unmarked to head in Deco’s corner kick for the opening goal. Holland almost struck back immediately when a minute later, Overmars struck a volley narrowly over the crossbar from a tight angle inside the box. That was the only chance Holland would see in that half as Portugal caused two big scares with van der Saar making an amazing stop to deny Pauleta from close range in the 35th minute and a few minutes later, Luis Figo’s effort struck the post.

Advocaat took off Overmars for Makaay at the start of the second half. However, Portugal came close to scoring a second in the 54th minute, when Pauleta was one-on-one with van der Sar at the edge of the box. Fortunately the veteran goalkeeper stopped Pauleta’s effort with his legs. Advocaat made his second substitution by taking off Bouma and bringing in van der Vaart in the 56th minute.

Sadly, any hopes of Holland getting back into the game were dashed after Maniche scored an amazing thunderous goal in the 58th minute to double Portugal’s lead. A Jorge Andrade own goal in the 63rd minute, when he flicked van Bronckhorst’s cross over his goalkeeper Ricardo, restored some hope. Holland’s final substitution was van Hooijdonk for Robben in the 81st minute. Holland’s other best chance of the half was a free kick whipped in by Seedorf that fell to the far post of Ricardo’s goal but sadly van Nistelrooy tripped over his own feet and failed to react in time to volley the ball on target.

The final whistle blew and Holland came up short yet again in a Semi-Finals. It was a dreadful performance with only five shots on goal and only one on target. Portugal did a superb job in stifling the Oranje but the Oranje also came out flat and lacked any sort of creativity. Overall, this team provided us with more frustration than joy during Euro 2004. The few positives was that some of the younger players gave us hope for a bright future for the Oranje, and that the penalty jinx had finally come to an end.

The Aftermath:

Greece surprised the world when they eliminated France and then the favored Czechs to reach the final before pulling off one last surprise by defeating Portugal in the Final. This tournament was the end for some of the Oranje legends. Although Kluivert was called up, he never got to play for Holland in this tournament and would not feature for Holland again at major tournament. His Oranje career ended with him by being the all-time Dutch scorer with 40 goals until that record would be surpassed in 2013 by Robin van Persie.

Overmars would retire from football altogether after this tournament, with a brief return in 2008 to play for Go Ahead Eagles for one season. Meanwhile, most of the old guard, excluding Cocu, van Bronckhorst and van der Sar, would not represent the Oranje in the World Cup two years later. Reiziger, Stam, Davids, de Boer, Seedorf, Zenden, Bosvelt, Makaay, and van Hooijdonk had played their final Oranje tournament. Young star van der Meyde would not represent the Oranje in another tournament, unlike his Ajax alums Sneijder and van der Vaart.

Fortunately, Dick Advocaat was not going to manage the Oranje in their World Cup qualifiers. That responsibility fell upon Oranje legend, Marco van Basten. There was hope that he could guide the Oranje to success while possessing the dangerous scorer in van Nistelrooy along with the revelation of the tournament, Robben, and the rising stars Sneijder and van der Vaart.