DIRK KUYT has accused Germany of playing with fear in their semi-final defeat by Spain and insists the Dutch will not make the same mistake when the sides collide in Sunday’s World Cup final.
The Liverpool forward suggested the Germans had been intimidated by the European champions on Wednesday, with the Dutch convinced there are weaknesses in the Spanish set-up which can be exploited as they attempt to secure the trophy for the first time. The Netherlands go into the final unbeaten in 25 matches and bolstered by 14 successive wins.
“We are not afraid at all,” said Kuyt. “You could see the Germans were afraid of Spain. They didn’t try to attack. We are going to attack and then you will see weaknesses coming to the surface. If you play like the Germans you are definitely going to lose. We don’t have players who are afraid and we don’t have players who feel small against the big opponents. There is respect, but not fear.”
The Germans struggled to impose themselves on Spain, who monopolised possession for long periods before finally chiselling out the game’s only goal 17 minutes from time. The Dutch will not allow themselves to become as becalmed while the Spanish enjoy the ball and will draw inspiration from their recovery in the quarter-final win over the much fancied Brazilians as they seek to succeed where the celebrated sides of 1974 and 1978 could not.
“Dutch football is always very strong and, in every tournament we play, we show we have quality,” said Kuyt. “But, in this tournament, we have shown we have more than just quality. We also have belief. We believe we can beat every opponent in front of us. We have the patience to do that. Against Brazil we were 1-0 down, but we still had the conviction that we could win.”
The Dutch coach, Bert van Marwijk, has sought advice from the likes of Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit over the course of the tournament, and Rudi Krol has been among his coaching staff, but he is adamant his side are capable of making their own history with victory on Sunday.
“This is the third time we have reached the final but we live in another time,” said the Netherlands manager. “I thought about that during the semi-final when we scored our third goal and were close to returning to the final again. The sides of ’74 and ’78 are an inspiration. But you cannot compare this team with one of 36 or 32 years ago. We just play for everybody in Holland. Spain have been the best team in the world in the last few years, but they hold no secrets for us, and we are not afraid to be playing them.”
Guardian Service
