|
The most disappointing thing about Holland going out for me is that, even with their lack of cohesion and rampant egos, I still think they had the quality to turn their tournament around. Not necessarily enough to win it but those missed opportunities in the first game put them on the back foot from the beginning, and to have to follow that with a game against Germany would always mean there'd be an air of desperation to the way they played tonight. And so it proved. I don't know if they'd have fared much better in any of the other groups but I can certainly think of two other teams that've already qualified that, even with Holland's problems, I'd still back them to beat on most days.
You can't make excuses, you have to beat the teams you're tied against, but nobody's gonna tell me Greece are a better team than Holland. Losing to Denmark in a game I still think they deserved to win was what ultimately ended Holland's tournament. I'm still not saying they weren't a disappointment but it's far easir covering over cracks (as I believe say Spain are) when you're facing a team like the Rep of Ireland than you are having to deal with the likes of Germany or Portugal.
|