Oranje World Cup Exit Continues Tradition of What Ifs.

Another World Cup has come to an end, and once again, it ends in disappointment for the Oranje. There is no moral victory when it comes to the World Cup. It’s either win or bust, and for the Oranje, it was another tournament that ended in disappointment and left many wondering with what ifs.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
• Follow Ibrahim on Twitter

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of our Football-Oranje followers. On behalf of everyone from Football-Oranje.com, we wish you a joyous holiday season!

The 2022 World Cup came and went, and once again, the Oranje came up empty-handed. There is no moral victory when it comes to the World Cup. It’s either win or bust, and for the Oranje, it was another tournament that ended in disappointment and what-ifs. That has been something that has plagued them after every World Cup exit.

Heads up, boys. 🧡#NothingLikeOranje pic.twitter.com/dn0YYkyzat

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) December 10, 2022

What if the Oranje weren’t distracted by calling their significant others to debunk false German stories about them the night before the 1974 World Cup Final?

What if the Oranje had Johan Cruyff with them for the 1978 World Cup?

What if Johan Cruyff, and not Leo Beenhakker, coached the Oranje at the 1990 World Cup? What if Frank Rijkaard kept his cool against Germany, and Marco van Basten was fit during that summer?

What if Johan Cruyff, and not Dick Advocaat, coached the Oranje at the 1994 World Cup? What if Ruud Gullit decided not to retire from the Oranje right before the World Cup? What if the referee had blown the whistle on the foul that Brazil’s Branco committed on Marc Overmars seconds before he was felled by Wim Jonk, before scoring from the ensuing free kick?

What if the referee had awarded a penalty to the Oranje in the 1998 World Cup Semi-Final against Brazil after Pierre van Hooijdonk had his shirt pulled by Brazil’s Junior Baiano? What if Phillip Cocu was the last penalty taker instead one of the first five in a penalty shootout?

What if Holland versus Portugal during the 2006 World Cup Round of 16 clash didn’t turn into an audition for Cobra Kai?

What if Arjen Robben had chipped the ball over Iker Casillas and Bert van Marwijk opted not to go defensive against Spain in the 2010 World Cup Final?

What if Louis van Gaal didn’t get it wrong against Argentina by setting his team up to defend in the 2014 World Cup Semi-Final against a tired Argentina before falling to them in a penalty shoot-out?

After the 2022 World Cup, what if Louis van Gaal didn’t get it wrong against Argentina yet again with his lineups and approach? Why did he opt to start with Memphis and Steven Bergwijn instead of Wout Weghorst or Luuk de Jong who are 6′ 6″ and 6’2” against the Argentina backline whose tallest player was Cristian Romero (6’1)? It was no surprise that Weghorst scored a header against the 5′ 9″ Lisandro Martinez. Why did he opt to have the team sit back and defend in extra time, when the momentum had completely shifted after Weghorst scored that last gasp equalize? The pressure was always on Argentina, so the Oranje had the upper hand. Yet, the Oranje sat back and defended and were lucky not to concede during those extra thirty minutes.

When the referee blew the final whistle, I dreaded the upcoming penalty shootout. A brief word about the referee Antonio Miguel Mateu Lahoz. I have never been a fan of his and look forward to the day he hangs up his whistle for good. He is more interested in being the center of attention and will ignore the most obvious bookable offenses. However, he shows no hesitation to book you if you dare to open your mouth and say something he will not like. The fact he didn’t send off Leandro Paredes after his reckless challenge and for subsequently blasting the ball at the Dutch bench is not surprising. Yet, all that time he spent trying to defuse tension, resulted in ten minutes of stoppage time that helped the Oranje grab the equalizer.

If van Gaal was planning for penalties, then why didn’t he call up Jasper Cillessen? Surely, if you’re going to face Argentina in the World Cup, then why not call up someone who trained with Messi for years? It’s well known that Cillessen isn’t great at stopping penalties, but wouldn’t you prefer he be the one giving Andries Noppert advice on facing Messi instead of Frenkie de Jong? Speaking of penalties, seeing Virgil van Dijk step up and take the first penalty was admirable. Leaders lead by example but seeing him step up to take a penalty brought back bad memories of Frank de Boer, Jaap Stam, and Paul Bosvelt taking penalties for the Oranje. I prefer not to see defenders take penalties for the Oranje unless their name is Ronald Koeman.

Speaking of Ronald Koeman, he returns to the bench that he vacated a few years ago. Hopefully, the transition from van Gaal to Koeman is a smooth one. We are already had to go through with what if Dennis Bergkamp hadn’t retired and Louis van Gaal didn’t get it wrong during the 2002 World Cup Qualifiers? Also, what if the KNVB didn’t try to go back in time with the hiring of Guus Hiddink and Dick Advocaat during the disastrous 2018 World Cup Qualifiers? Here’s hoping the Oranje will qualify for the 2026 World Cup and maybe, just maybe, we won’t be left asking what if anymore.

Happy Holidays, fans! 🎄🎅🧡#NothingLikeOranje pic.twitter.com/h7bZds4jm8

— OnsOranje (@OnsOranje) December 24, 2022

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
• Follow Ibrahim on Twitter

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.