Heitinga knows how good Forlan is
Monday, 5 July 2010
John Heitinga and
Diego Forlan know each other well. The Dutch defender
and the Uruguayan forward played together at Atletico
Madrid. They are still in touch. "Because Forlan
is not just a great forward, he is also a great guy,"
says the former Ajax-player.
"Both at Atletico
Madrid and with Uruguay Forlan is the man. Last season
he showed just how good he is in the Europa League.
He scored one in the semis against Liverpool and he
bagged two in the final against Fulham. Forlan doesn't
like to be challenged and he can shoot with both his
left and his right foot. He is particularly dangerous
from a distance."
Heitinga thinks it's
a big advantage that Forlan has to do without his regular
partner up front during the semifinal against Holland.
Luis Suarez is suspended.
"Those two complete
each other. Suarez is a very opportunistic player and
even creates chances from a scrimmage. Uruguay will
certainly miss him. But even now he is their hero. Without
that handball we would have been playing Ghana."
Heitinga can write
history in the coming week. "Two more victories
and I can lift the World Cup. I know. But we're not
yet occupied with the final. And I believe the same
goes for the entire team. Everyone knows it's got to
happen now. We might never get a chance like this again.
We can win this tournament if we take it one game at
a time. That is why all that matters now is that semifinal
against Uruguay."
It's the fourth finals
of a big tournament for the 26-year old Everton player.
"We don't have an old, yet a very experienced team.
That's yet anther reason we have to strike now. It will
not be easy. Uruguay will adapt to our style. They'll
be counting on a quick counter and they will be waiting
for that one mistake we make. We have shown during this
World Cup that we can play simple, solid and patiently.
It's not easy to win five straight games at a tournament
like this. We're close, but still a long way. When we
keep on playing like we have been this could be a historic
week."
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