Why THIS is the worst Netherlands team ever
Louis van Gaal had left the national team in good spirits, rescuing them from the group phase exit of a European Championship and taking them to a podium finish in the World Cup.
The Euros were expanded from 16 to 24, the Netherlands were a shoe-in for qualification, right? Wrong. Not even Guus Hiddink could qualify them for it.
As the name of their caretaker manager in the summer of 2017 suggested, it was very Grim, Fred Grim.
Dick Advocaat was tasked with rescuing qualification, three points adrift and immediately lost 4-0 to France. Luckily, Sweden lost too, retaining the 3-point gap to at least a play-off place. The next two matchdays saw Netherlands match Sweden for stride in approach to an Amsterdam showdown on the final matchday.
Had this qualification campaign been carried out under the UEFA banner, the Netherlands would have secured a play-off berth by defeating Sweden 2-0 and defeating their head-to-head record. Unfortunately: FIFA work on goal difference, and the Netherlands, despite the win, trailed by 8 goals.
#FIFAWorldCup #Netherlands
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Voice: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Words: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
Edit: Jake Doyle (@jakedoyle93)
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