Euro 2008

Nations

Holland

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In his first managerial job, Marco van Basten has plunged himself firmly into the deep end. The Dutch national side has a history of ego-clashes and in-fighting. Will Euro 2008 be any different? Don't count on it.

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Group 7 always seemed to be a case of two teams from three to qualify and so it proved. Bulgaria in third place finished only a point behind Holland in second, and twelve clear of Belarus in fourth. Holland showed frailties in their qualifying campaign which makes them very hard to fancy in the toughest group in Euro 2008. They were beaten twice, away in Romania and in Belarus on the final match-day, but sketchy wins in Luxembourg, at home against Albania, in Slovenia and then away in Albania were deeply unimpressive. A consistent theme was the inability to break down well organised defences (just two goals in two games against Luxembourg) although games against more attack-minded opposition in the tournament proper may end up suiting their style. They did have one of the best defensive records in qualifying (their five goals conceded was matched only by France and the Czech Republic) but whether that holds up against a better standard of opposition is a big question that the Dutch must answer.

COACH: Marco VAN BASTEN

Do prospective Dutch coaches have to go into a job interview and prove that they have the ability to fall out with big name players? Marco Van Basten certainly passes that part of the test with flying colours. Both Mark Van Bommel and Clarence Seedorf have refused to play in Euro 2008, and yet both have said that they will be happy to return under Van Basten's successor, Bert Van Maarwijk. Van Basten has a tricky juggling act to perform with those that remain, especially Ruud Van Nistelrooy, whose starting place is under threat from the Ajax goal machine Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Van Basten knows what it takes to win a European Championship, having been the star of Euro 88, and he has finally changed the Dutch system to use the multitude of attacking players at his disposal. He will leave at the end of the tournament to take over at his beloved Ajax.

KEY PLAYERS

Wesley SNEIJDER

For those of us eager to write off the Dutch, it's a sharp reminder that three of their key attacking players have just won La Liga with Real Madrid. Sneijder will play in a more defensive role with the national team than he does at the Bernabeu, using his wonderful range of passing from deeper lying positions in the absence of a Gago, a Guti or a Diarra to protect him. He is one of the only genuinely two footed players in Europe, and can score goals from either side. His goalscoring mustn't be underestimated, he got 9 in 27 starts for Real this season, but got 18 for Ajax the year before.

Ruud VAN NISTELROOY

Van Nistelrooy has had numerous fallings out with Van Basten, but he must still be doing something right to be selected ahead of the Ajax goal machine Klaas Jan Huntelaar. The difference between the two players is experience. Huntelaar is all about raw promise and a question mark still hangs over his ability to score regularly at a level which is higher than the Eredivisie. No such doubts surround Van Nistelrooy. His goalscoring record is consistently impressive, and he is the one proven world-class performer (with the possible exception of Van Der Sar) that Holland has. After 25 goals in his first La Liga season, he scored 16 in only 22 starts in the season just gone, and averages a goal every two games for the national side.

Jon HEITINGA

The only member of the Dutch backline who can actually defend, Heitinga will not be at Ajax next season, he has signed for Atletico Madrid and you can understand what they see in him. Not because he is the best defender in the world, but because, for all of his frailties, he seems to be listening and improving. He also made an unexpected contribution to Ajax's unsuccessful push for a Champions League place - six goals, all in the last eleven games of the season, and 5 in just over 30 games for the Oranje. Watch the "to score" markets with relation to Heitinga. There may be a bit of value there.

VERDICT

Holland, not Romania, is the weakest team in Group C, and should be backed accordingly. If you like, you can lay them to qualify around even money, but I would advocate being bolder and backing them to finish bottom of the Group at 5, or slightly bigger. This is a huge price - France and Italy are simply stronger than the Dutch, and Romania took four points from Van Basten's team in qualifying, and possess a style of play which is more likely than Holland's to snatch a point from one of the big two. Holland normally provide us with a major tournament tale of infighting, but this year the falling out has happened before Euro 2008 even gets underway. Both Clarence Seedorf and Mark Van Bommel see the writing on the wall, and so should you.

Note to readers: http://betting.betfair.com/football/euro-2008/ will be introducing a new nation guide to its pages every day until the start of the tournament. Tomorrow's team will be: Romania.