The Dutch were eliminated from Euro 2012 a couple days ago, and I've now watched the game twice; once emotionally, pulling for the Oranje to win, and once critically, breaking down what went wrong.
The Dutch came out strong and looked like they were ready to play. They understood their role and how their style was going to play out. The midfielders knew that they had to maintain possession because they were playing with 5-6 attack-minded players, and leaving their defense susceptible to the counter. For the first 15 minutes, the midfielders did just that. I thought Van der Vaart (VDV) and Robben played spectacularly together early on.
I was speaking with my cousin before the game and I told him what I hoped to see. I wanted Robben to take an outside shot that hit the target early in the game. That would establish him as an outside shooter, and require the defense to account for his long shot and push up their line. That would allow space for Robin van Persie (RVP) or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar to make runs through the back. Robben apparently was a party to our phone call, because he did just that.
The other thing I wanted Robben to do was to use his options, or "use what you see" as I like to say. Robben is a left-footed player who plays on the right wing. As a result, he has a tendency to cut inside and create plays that way. If the defense plays a high line, he can play a cutting striker. If the defense lays off, he can take the shot or lay it off to the attacking midfielder, usually Wesley Sneider, but in this case it was VDV, to take the shot. That's how the Dutch scored--Robben brought the ball inside, met a defender, played the ball off to VDV who fired a shot in far post. It was a play of beauty.
What happened after that was tragic. Portugal began to dominate possession. The Dutch central defense played dumb balls, leaving Gregory van der Wiel and the young Jetro Willems to overwork themselves to generate any attack or possession. VDV failed to come deep enough to help the Dutch hold the ball, and the Dutch failed to put together more than five passes in the attacking third.
The display was not Total Soccer. The formation was too structured, and players did not put in the effort to make runs to open themselves up to passes. Not once did Sneider and VDV switch spots to see if Sneider would have more success generating an attack or holding the ball and creating space. Even though Sneider naturally plays as an attacking midfielder, he never requested a switch to see what he could do in that role.
In the second half, Coach van Marwijk switched Robben to the left wing. That's when the Dutch attack became predictable. You no longer had the threat of Robben cutting inside for a shot, and thus the Portugese defense could play a lower line and prevent the two big-bodied strikers (Huntelaar and RVP) from making runs to goal. Huntelaar excels near the goal--he cannot come out to the 18 with his back to the goal and make a play. RVP can, but when he did he either misplayed the ball, had a bad touch, or was forced to shoot with his weak foot.
Had the Dutch maintained proper movement, including constantly switching Sneider and VDV between attacking midfield and the left wing, I think the Dutch would have had much more success. What I explain to people is that even though a defender might be paired with an opposing position, putting a different player in that position requires the defender to react differently. For example, Sneider and VDV are much different players. VDV is a threat to shoot on target with either foot from anywhere inside 30-35 yards. Sneider is more of a creative playmaker who would rather play a through ball to a breaking striker. Therefore, VDV is a player that can force a defense to play a higher line. If the defense becomes tired, they may be slow to get back to their lower line. When that happens, VDV can play a square ball to Sneider, who can find the through ball to Huntelaar or RVP. That is a simple way to create space by using the different talents of players who can play the same position.
Alas, that didn't happen. Had the Dutch played structured, but defensive, they might have been OK. But instead, they played structured but let 30+ yards between their attacking players and the defense. That was too much space, and Portugal exposed it.
It's back to the drawing board for van Marwijk. Maybe he'll listen to some of Cruijff's criticism and return to more free-flowing play.
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