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Dutch Coach De Haan Blasts Benitez
Liam Black
Goal.com
Friday 11 July 2008
Dutch U-23 boss Foppe De Haan is
sticking to his guns, shrugging off Rafael Benitez concerns
that Ryan Babel's Olympic participation could seriously
disrupt his plans for the injury-plagued starlet...
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zoom Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez must have been relieved
to see his Euro 2008 battlers arrive back on Merseyside
with a tough pre-season schedule looming for the Reds.
However, the wily Spaniard wasn't happy to learn that
Holland Olympics coach Foppe De Haan was eager to take
injury-plagued Ryan Babel to Beijing, with Javier Mascherano
also looking to join up with the Argentina squad.
De Haan previously admitted that crocked Babel was
a big loss to the Netherland's Euro 2008 squad, saying:
“His absence was a large blow to the national side.
He could have been our secret weapon.”
The 21-year-old, an £11.5m signing from Ajax,
last summer ruptured his Achilles’ tendon in training
ahead of the Austria and Switzerland showpiece and Benitez
was keen for him to rest up in order to enjoy a full
pre-season in order to hit the ground running.
The worried boss told the Liverpool Echo this week:
"This season is very important for him, so this
is a big problem. We prepare him and then he goes away
with the national team."
However, bullish De Haan has now hit back at Benitez,
insisting "As I understand it, coaches always think
about themselves first."
If Babel does indeed head for China, he'll miss a couple
of early Premiership matches and the third round or
Champions League qualifying.
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