Euro 2016 Qualifying: Czech Republic v Netherlands

Fourfourtwo

Euro 2016 Qualifying: Czech Republic v Netherlands"


Play all audios:

Loading...

With Arjen Robben, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart out injured, the Dutch lost 2-0 away to Italy on Thursday, hindered by an early red card for Bruno Martins Indi.


That set a disappointing tone for Hiddink, who took over a side buoyed by their unexpected third-place finish at the World Cup.


Yet Hiddink, who replaced new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, has plenty of experience and will be confident of steadying the ship.


He believes the key to his side's upcoming encounter is making a better start than against Italy.


"The evening was already over after eight minutes," Hiddink rued. "During the opening stages, we were naive in our defending.


"We were so easily overrun and that should not be the case. You cannot start a match so badly."


Hiddink was nonetheless pleased key striker Robin van Persie got some minutes under his belt.


"It's nice that Van Persie could play a little longer," he said. "He sacrificed himself for the team very well."


Hiddink's starting XI against Italy resembled the one that shone in Brazil. However, a number of youngsters are pushing for inclusion, such as in-form PSV pair Luciano Narsingh and Memphis


Depay and Ajax playmaker Davy Klaassen.


Depay in particular seems to have caught the boss' eye, with Hiddink waxing lyrical about the forward's potential.


He said: "Depay can be the best. He has more potential than I first thought. He is the man who could be dangerous."


Pavel Vrba has also had a testing time since filling the Czech Republic hotseat, having failed to win any of his four matches.


His woes were added to by a friendly defeat on Wednesday, Alejandro Bedoya grabbing the only goal to earn United States a victory.


And while goalkeeper Petr Cech and playmaker Tomas Rosicky decided against international retirement, they are no longer first-choice starters at Chelsea and Arsenal respectively.


Turkey, Latvia, Iceland and Kazakhstan also make up Group A.


Czech Republic and the Netherlands have won three of their nine meetings apiece.


Trending News

Reuters Sports News Summary

The son of longtime NFL coach Mike Shanahan, the Falcons coach knows firsthand about priorities and the emotional impact...

New lockdown guidance: What games will football fans be able to go to under new rules?

June 21: that's the date to stick in your diary at the day that the government are hoping to lift all restrictions conce...

Eli lilly shares are cratering after the fda rejected a $1 billion arthritis drug on safety concerns

Shares of Eli Lilly closed down more than 4 percent Monday after the Food and Drug Administration rejected its drug to t...

'soni' review: this film on netflix about two indian women cops is a must watch

Ivan Ayr shows remarkable depth, empathy and insight by exploring the various kinds of abuse - physical, mental and emot...

A Fat Tale - Los Angeles Times

In the Americas, Australia and Europe (and a few other places: West Africa, the Congo Basin, Tibet and southern India), ...

Latests News

Euro 2016 Qualifying: Czech Republic v Netherlands

With Arjen Robben, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Rafael van der Vaart out injured, the Dutch lost 2-0 away to Italy on Thursda...

Whenever He's Down, Angels' Doug Corbett Knows Where to Turn - Los Angeles Times

By Mike Downey June 4, 1986 12 AM PT Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit What...

The Region - News from Oct. 9, 1986

One man died and another was seriously injured when an arson fire swept through a vacant five-story commercial structure...

Nugget point wins hollypark feature

Nugget Point, ridden by Gary Stevens, held off favored Lofty through the final furlong Thursday to win by a head in the ...

Trevor Noah & Jimmy Kimmel Knock Trump’s “Really F**king Dumb” Decision To Pass On Additional Pfizer Vaccine Doses As UK Begins Rollout

While residents in U.K. are getting their shots for the Covid-19 vaccine, late night hosts Trevor Noah and Jimmy Kimmel ...

Top