Betfair: World Cup 2010 Team Profile: Brilliant orange?

Today’s update from Betfair:

Holland are the only European team to have already secured their place in next summer’s World Cup and appear to have found a formation which suits their players. Feizal Rahman profiles three player who will be key if 2010 is to be the year for a long overdue Dutch tournament win…

Given the eternal flow of world class players produced in the Netherlands, the national team must surely be considered one of football’s perennial underachievers. Bar the Euro ‘88 success with Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten - and two consecutive World Cup finals during the Johan Cruyff era - the Dutch have clearly failed to fulfil their potential on the international stage.

Now led by head coach, Bert van Marwijk, Holland have cruised their World Cup 2010 qualifying group with seven straight wins and are the only European team to have already secured a place in the finals next summer. Whilst some major nations still have work to do, van Marwijk can now afford to test some tactical options for the remaining group games and hone his preferred set-up.

Currently operating a 4-2-3-1 formation with two holding midfielders shielding the defence and a trident of attacking midfielders supporting a lone striker, the Dutch appear to have found a harmonious balance. But if they are to finally make a long overdue World Cup breakthrough in South Africa - Netherlands [14.5] to win 2010 tournament - then it will require several key players in that framework to hit collective form in the coming season.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

The latest in a long line of lethal Dutch strikers, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar has seamlessly taken over the role once held by the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Patrick Kluivert and Marco Van Basten before him. Like many frontmen who are simply too good for the Dutch league, his scoring rate in the Eredivisie was eye-popping with 33 goals in 46 appearances for Heerenveen and 76 in 92 for Ajax - and with only 21 international caps, the 25-year-old has already scored 13 times for his country.

It was no surprise that a major European club came calling in January 2009, when Real Madrid signed the forward for around €20m. Despite making only 20 appearances for Los Merengues, Huntelaar still found the net eight times but with the recent purchase of forwards Karim Benzema, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, he has been told he is surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu.

A proposed move to Stuttgart ([30.0] to win Bundesliga 2009/10) broke down last week with Huntelaar’s wage demands believed to be too high for the German club. Having been a goalscoring goldmine for compatriot Van Nistelrooy, the Premier League would now seem the obvious option for the striker with Arsenal and Tottenham both reported to be interested.

In a position to offer much-desired Champions League football (Arsenal [18.0] to win Champions League 2009/10), the Emirates would appear the most attractive destination for the striker and with the Gunners having parted with Emmanuel Adebayor for an estimated £25m, they should be able to match both Real Madrid’s asking price and the contract terms of the player himself.

In desperate need of a goal poacher since the departure of Thierry Henry, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger may find Huntelaar to be the missing piece of his jigsaw and given the number of chances created by the North London side, the striker could be confident of maintaining his impressive goals-to-games ratio and cementing his position as his national side’s number one hitman. Should he end up at Arsenal, where he would form an attacking partnership with national team-mate Robin Van Persie ([25.0] to be Premier League Top Goalscorer 2009/10), then both club and country may be reaping the rewards at the climax of next season.

Nigel de Jong

When Nigel de Jong signed for Manchester City for around £18m in January 2009, many raised eyebrows at the fee, believing it was merely a case of the billionaire club paying over the odds for a relatively unheralded name. Yet, it may well be that this was manager Mark Hughes’ shrewdest acquisition and the player could prove a bargain.

In the mould of former Dutch international Edgar Davids, de Jong is a tenacious and energetic midfielder, constantly snapping at the heels of the opposition, looking to break up play, win the ball and feed it to his forwards. Originally an attacker himself at Ajax, de Jong was converted to a more defensive role when he moved to Hamburg and it is in this position that he has gone onto flourish for both club and country.

With Manchester City now looking heavily attack-orientated, with several big name strikers in the squad, the team will be looking to the likes of de Jong - set to be partnered by England’s Gareth Barry - to protect the defence. City may likely start out with a formation similar to the Dutch national side and should they do so, this will be of obvious benefit to the midfielder.

The Eastlands club had an appalling away record last season and if they have designs on breaking the Premier League ‘Big 4′ monopoly next season ([2.74] to finish Top 4), they will need to tighten up at the rear and de Jong will be key to this. Now a regular in midfield for Holland, the 24-year-old will also have a vital role to play if the Oranje are to progress in South Africa next year.

John Heitinga

Another to have emerged from the famous Ajax youth academy, John Heitinga is a versatile defender, comfortable in any position across the backline. Tough in the tackle, dominant in the air and composed on the ball with accurate distribution, the 25-year-old has all the attributes needed in a top class defender.

Inevitably linked with numerous clubs while at Ajax, Heitinga opted for a move to Atletico Madrid last summer and he enjoyed a relatively successful first season in La Liga with Atleti securing fourth spot and unlucky to exit at the first knockout stage of the Champions League ([110.00] to win competition next season).

Primarily taking up a centre-back role for his club, Heitinga is a regular at right-back for his country, with Andre Ooijer and Joris Mathijsen in the central positions and national captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst at left-back. With 6 international goals to his name though, Heitinga enjoys pushing forward and presents a constant threat from set-pieces.

No stranger to the referee’s black book, Heitinga often finds his desire to win get him in trouble. However, the vocal leadership he consistently shows on the field suggests he is destined to captain his country one day and in South Africa, his team-mates will need only look to him for motivation.

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