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Ibrahim Afellay: victim of Dutch quality
Sjoerd Mossou
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Wednesday 15 October 2008
A shot of Ibrahim Afellay sounds
like an explosion during Holland's training, one day
before the game against Norway.
It is as if a massive firecracker
goes of on the instep of his right foot.
With a loud bang the balls slams
into the net of the Ullevaal Stadium.
It's a remarkable difference to
last season, his manifest hunger for goals.
There is venom in every shot that
he unleashes, as if he hits more of the ball then he
used to do.
In the Eredivisie it led to four
goals in four games and that is more than his total
production of last season.
"I do indeed kick the ball
differently, better yes," Afellay confirms.
"It has been a matter of pure
practice, often after the regular training sessions.
I learned the technique some time ago at PSV, from Willy
van der Kuijlen. By repeating it over and over again
I have improved that particular way of hitting the ball.
Now I find that all that training is having an effect."
He started the season better than
ever.
On Saturday against Iceland he
came on as a substitute and had an immediate impact
on the game.
As soon as the PSV player received
the ball a wave of excitement rolled through the crowd.
"Yeah, it went pretty well,"
the midfielder thinks.
Chance of his performance leading
to a place in the starting lineup are slim though.
In fact Van Marwijk is the victim
of all the quality in the squad of Bert van Marwijk.
Because apart from Afellay there
are Rafael van der Vaart, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van
Persie, Ryan Babel, Dirk Kuyt and the now injured Arjen
Robben all looking for one of three positions in the
offensive midfield.
Being in fantastic shape, but still
being on the bench is something Afellay might have to
live with for now.
"Competition is very stiff,yes.
All I have to do is show myself when I come on as a
sub and during training."
In retrospect it makes his choice
for the Netherlands even braver.
With the national team of Morocco
the competition would have been a lot less fierce, but
it was a conscious decision to aim high.
Not even the pressure from the
Moroccan community in Holland could change his mind.
The question is when this courage
will be rewarded.
His competitors Van Persie, Sneijder
and Van der Vaart are all around 25.
Will he overtake those three or
will he have to live in their shadow for years to come?
And how will he deal with a role
as a sub when his status in Europe grows?
A transfer to a top side seems
only a matter of time.
"Coming off the bench demands
a different type of concentration than when you play
from the start," Afellay says.
"There already is a certain
rhythm in the game and you have to impose yourself in
a very short period of time. I tried that against Iceland
and I'll do the same against Norway if I come on. It
is different than it is at PSV, but every minute I spend
with Oranje is good for me. I'm learning every day."
Against Iceland the way in which
he rounded players seemed almost careless, but on Wednesday
in Oslo he expects a totally different game.
"Norway are a very straight-backed,
physical side. A teal with quality, you can tell from
names like Carew, Riise and Iversen. These guys are
no pushovers and from a different class than Iceland.
I hope I can be of value for the team. We'll see in
which way that will be."
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