Poor display food for thought for De Haan

FC Update
Friday 11 July 2008

The poor display of the Dutch Olympic team yesterday against Belgium (1-0 win) was food for thought for Olympic coach Foppe de Haan.

The 65-year-old Friesian says he's a long way from making up his mind about the starting lineup for Holland's first game against Nigeria on 7 August.

"It isn't good yet," De Haan said Thursday.

"But in the past two years we have always managed to work things out and in the end win two European Championships. So I am not overly concerned. Still it's no guarantee."

Among other things De Haan was unhappy about the interaction of his two strikers Gerald Sibon and Roy Makaay.

"The Belgians closed down the path to Sibon very well. Gerald is a player who needs moving players around him. The idea is to start with Sibon and Makaay, but that could also be Makaay and Babel. I still have some time to see what's best."

But it's too early to write off Sibon, De Haan says.

"Sibon is a player who needs some time to settle. So you must give him that time. But when we get this team to play football, it will go with a swing."

De Haan was surprised by the poor physical health of some players.

"Most have done their bit during their holidays, but others have been flat on their backs for a few weeks. That was the outcome of the tests we did with the players, they weren't all positive results. I partly based my selection policy on those results," said the coach.

"For this tournament you must be totally fit and healthy, otherwise you'll fall through after five seconds," says the man who thinks Nigeria will be their toughest opponent in the group.

"Nigeria are very strong physically. We must arms ourselves against that. That's why it's good that we first play Cameroon and Ivory Coast in Hongkong. However I would have liked to play as South American team as well."