Coach: Marco van Basten
Tactics: Potent in attack and strong in midfield.
Star Player: Arjen Robben - tricky Chelsea winger who has the talent to trouble any defence.
Verdict: Van Basten seems to have installed the organisation lacking in previous Dutch sides. Strong in all areas and with the backing of an enormous travelling support, Holland will be hard to stop if they get on a roll. In Ruud van Nistelrooy they have one of the best strikers in world football while midfielders Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart are supremely talented.
Ten things you didn’t know about Holland
1. The Dutch national anthem, Wilhelmus van Nassouwe (William of Nassau), is the oldest national anthem in the world. Estimates suggest it was written between 1568 and 1572.
2. Holland is historically associated with cattle farming and in one particular region ¬–Friesland - there are as many cows as there are people.
3. The Dutch are reported to be the tallest people in the world, with the average man’s height standing at approximately 6ft 1in.
4. The Dutch celebrate two Christmas days: the first day, Eerste Kerstdag, and the second, Tweede Kerstdag.
5. A popular and common Dutch delicacy is Haring, or, for the non-Dutch among you, raw herring with raw onions. Eaters apparently pick the fish up by the tail and let it slide into their mouths.
6. Holland is home to the world’s longest ice skating race, the Elfstedentocht (Tour of the Eleven Towns). It is held when the climate is cold enough to allow, most recently in 1997. An estimated 16,000 skaters took part in 1986.
7. Holland’s highest point is 321 metres above sea level, and its “lofty” status means it officially constitutes a mountain in the country.
8. In March this year the authorities revealed a new, slightly racy, film to test immigrants applying to live in Holland on their appreciation and attitude towards the liberal Dutch culture. The first of its kind in the world, it featured two gay men kissing and a topless woman on a crowded beach.
9. In the 19th century, Amsterdam became besieged by what has gone down in history as the “Eel Riots”. The people rallied against the authorities after they put a stop to a popular carnival game which involved two people in boats fighting over an eel suspended on a rope above them.
10. Holland boasts twice as many bicycles as cars.
