Dutch Coach: We're On World Cup Mission

Sports | July 7, 2010, Wednesday // 08:00
Bulgaria: Dutch Coach: We're On World Cup Mission Coach Bert van Marwijk of the Dutch national soccer team is pointing the way to the World Cup. Photo by EPA/BGNES

The coach of the Dutch football team, who set up an all-European final against Spain or Germany on Sunday after seeing off Uruguay, has said they have come with a mission to South Africa and there are not there yet.

"Our first final since 1974 and 1978 - that came up in my mind in the second half. "It's so very special and, as a small country, we can be so very proud. We have a mission and we have almost succeeded but we are not there yet,” Bert van Marwijk said following the close victory on Tuesday night.

Holland looked comfortable at 3-1 up, though Uruguay made them sweat by pulling back a goal in the second minute of stoppage time.

Van Marwijk admitted: "After the second and third goals, we should have scored a fourth. That would have prevented that final phase.

"But this is a World Cup. It doesn't matter how you do it, it's all about the result. I love attacking football, beautiful football. But you have to work together when the opponent has the ball and then you can go a long way.

"I always make the comparison with Barcelona.

"They play my kind of football but look at what happens when Barca lose the ball. Messi, Ibrahimovic, Iniesta and Xavi are prepared to pressurise the ball and win it back.

"If you can get that mentality in the team, you're on the right path. That's what we've managed to do so far.

"Often in the past, when we have started winning, we have become overly confident and ended up going home quite quickly.

"These players started believing differently and we cultivated this new mentality in the team. We have banished any complacency."

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Tags: Germany, Spain, Uruguay, Netherlands, Dutch, Bert van Marwijk, Van Marwijk

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