ROBBEN'S PLAY-ACTING IS AS UNDIGNIFIED AS BITING

D. Ray Morton, 30th June 2014.

Arjen Robben, with nowhere to go, dives his way to last ditch glory for the Dutch

The Netherlands saw off Mexico in yesterday's World Cup last sixteen fixture thanks to a last minute 2-1 victory, the result of a penalty slotted away by substitute striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The penalty, of course, was "won" by none other than the flimsy-footed Arjen Robben. The winger, isolated on the right-hand side of the penalty area, took a heavy touch backwards in an attempt to make space. Despite clearly ceding possession to Diego Reyes, Robben spotted Rafael Marquez's boot and used it to simulate a late challenge. The contact was no more than a rub of boots, not enough to knock over a toddler, let alone a fully-grown man weighing 80 kg. In his trademark fashion, the Bayern Munich attacker feigned a heavy collision, hit the ground and deceived the referee to hand Louis van Gaal's side a quarter-final spot.

Mexico put on a brave performance but Robben's constant diving was the real theme of the game. Throughout the first half, he kept going down in the penalty area. Some claims may have even been legitimate but perhaps his reputation preceded him, filling the officials' minds with doubts. By the time the Dutchman had actually earned his penalty, the referee had come full circle. Seeing Robben go down so many times, he finally assumed one of the incidents must have been a foul. Weak refereeing, as you should never call something you are not certain about, but understandable considering Robben's constant deception.

Another angle on Robben's flop as Marquez looks on in astonishment

The real point here is that play-acting is every bit as unacceptable as the Luis Suárez bite that everyone has been so caught up in. The Suárez incident was downright bizarre but did not alter the result of the match as directly as a dive to win a penalty does. There is no dignity in it and Robben's reputation suffers as a result. Here is a player with all the tools to be legend of the game but rather than actually concentrating on beating defenders one-on-one, he looks for the snakey option of diving. This is something Lionel Messi never does and something that Cristiano Ronaldo has removed from his game realising that with his ability, diving can be ultimately detrimental. That is why Robben will never challenge that pair as the best two players in the world.

The Netherlands captured the people's imagination with their 5-1 triumph in their opening game against a flat-looking Spanish side. They played devastating counter-attacking football and looked like a team that could take this World Cup by storm. Since then, however, they have become an ugly sight. At times, they have played something closer to anti-football, stomach-churning stuff compared to the beautiful Dutch football of old. Their path to the a semi-final against either Brazil or Colombia is a simple one. Costa Rica should not be too much of an obstacle. It would be nice if they got there without any more cheating.

DUTCH, ITALIANS AND GERMANS MOST IMPRESSIVE SO FAR

D. Ray Morton, 18th June 2014.

Germany's Thomas Müller's hat-trick against Portugal makes him top goalscorer and brings his total World Cup goals to eight, now level with the legendary Diego Maradona

Since our last post about Italy's victory over a game but predictable England, we have seen every World Cup team in action now. We have seen Belgium, many peoples' "dark horses" to go far in tournament. We watched as Germany impressed against a self-destructive Portuguese side unable to get the best out of Cristiano Ronaldo. France and Karim Benzema strutted their stuff against violent minnows Honduras and Argentina, thanks to a moment of magic from none other than Lionel Messi, put away a resolute Bosnia & Herzegovina side. Mexico and Brazil were the first two teams to play their second match yesterday and the hosts/favourites failed to impress in a nil-all draw.

Having seen everyone, the three most impressive teams have been Italy, the Netherlands (who thrashed champions Spain) and Germany with Thomas Müller in top poaching form. Italy deserve credit in that they took care of England despite missing Gianluigi Buffon in goal and having to field a back four that had question marks hanging over it. The likes of Matteo Darmian and Gabriel Paletta have been steady, however. There is no doubt that the Netherlands' hammering of Spain has been the stand-out performance of the competition and Germany, though Portugal really were masters of their own undoing, were firm and incisive.

Brazil are a team that should be worrying at this point. Mexico managed to hold them to a scoreless draw thanks to a fine performance from goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa but the seleção were hardly unlucky in their stalemate. Fred had another poor performance and this time there was no cheap award of a penalty. A matter of concern is that the only real back-up for him is former Manchester City flop, Jô. Provided a team can keep Neymar occupied out left, Brazil are offering very little in attack at the moment and must be counting their lucky stars that they were handed such an easy victory in their opening match thanks to some shady refereeing. Things will have to be shaken up and serious consideration must be given to starting the likes of Willian and Fernandinho, players who could offer more creativity than Paulinho, Luiz Gustavo or Ramires.

Tonight's games see Louis van Gaal's Netherlands against Australia (5pm GMT), Spain with a chance to bounce back against Chile (8pm GMT) and Croatia's chance of redemption against a dull Cameroon side (11pm GMT). Vicente del Bosque's defending champions are hanging in there and need a massive performance against Chile. Though many have them written off after their embarrassing opening defeat, they have the quality within their squad to fight back and they could still take that second place position. Assuming Brazil win their group, a repeat of the 2013 Confederations Cup final of Brazil versus Spain would be a mouth-watering second round prospect. Many expected they would not meet until the tournament decider on July 13th but now it is looking like neither team are good enough to win this thing outright.

DAY TWO SEES THE NETHERLANDS CRUSH SPAIN

D. Ray Morton, 14th June 2014.

Louis van Gaal and Robin van Persie high-five after punishing Spain

The World Cup provided its first major shock yesterday with the Netherlands hammering defending champions Spain 5-1 thanks to a pair of braces from Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben. When we think of shocks before an international tournament, we think of underdogs knocking out big name teams. The Dutch were always capable of turning in a performance against Spain but no-one expected Salvador to be the scene of such a trouncing.

Manchester United fans will certainly be excited about Louis van Gaal demonstration of tactical nous. The Netherlands started in an unusual 5-3-2 formation which saw Spain's Diego Costa isolated up front on his own. The plan was to stifle the world champions and it worked to an extent, that is until the 27th minute when Xabi Alonso slotted home a penalty after Costa's dubiously won spot-kick. The Atlético Madrid target man went down in the area under the slightest bit of contact. Clear simulation and another example of poor officiating.

The Dutch did not flinch, however, and they managed to level things up just before the interval. Daley Blind struck a terrific cross from the left as van Persie, having remained onside, headed powerfully over an exposed Iker Casillas to score emphatically. Blind looked like a quality threat down the left and Manchester United must surely be thinking of recruiting him after the Luke Shaw deal went down the pan. Van Gaal's involvement should make it a simple deal.

Spain looked like a shadow of their former selves in the second half. They were ripped apart mercilessly by the enthusiastic Dutch and it was Arjen Robben who made it 2-1, Blind instrumental again down the wing, then the ex-Real Madrid winger outsmarting Gerard Piqué to slip past the hapless Casillas.

The third Dutch goal was a real kick in the teeth. Wesley Sneijder struck a powerful free-kick from the left which looped over everyone, including Casillas, and on to the head of Stefan de Vrij who was able to nod home easily. Van Persie did well to block the goalkeeper though the Spanish players felt it was a foul. That moment buried them psychologically.

It got worse for the goalkeeper once considered the best in the world. With eighteen minutes remaining and Spain panicking, Casillas completely miscontrolled a simple back pass leaving van Persie with the almost embarrassingly easy task of sliding the ball into an empty net. Spain will genuinely have to consider dropping the Real Madrid goal-tender if they are to recover in their next two games.

More punishment followed. Robben was given space and time again in front of a defence that did not even seem to be trying anymore. His cool finish made it 5-1 to cap off an unbelievable result. Vicente del Bosque was simply fuming at pitchside.

A thoroughly shocking result which sees Spain pinned at the bottom of Group B after Chile brushed aside Australia in the other match. Chile were fun to watch playing an almost suicidal attacking line-up with midfielders and full-backs occupying traditional centre-back spots, everyone chipping in on the attack. They triumphed 3-1 thanks to goals from Alexis Sánchez, Jorge Valdivia and Jean Beausejour to nullify Tim Cahill's reply. They look a decent side despite being so vulnerable at the back and are capable of eliminating Spain as they meet next. The Netherlands should have no problem beating Australia and are in prime position to top the group.

In the day's other game, Mexico beat Cameroon 1-0 in Group A thanks to a strike from Oribe Peralta. Mexico will be pleased with the win, relieved considering they had two perfectly good goals from Giovani dos Santos ruled out for offside. The excitement continues now with matchday three, the pick of the bunch being England vs. Italy of course.

VAN GAAL WILL BRING NECESSARY EGO TO UNITED

D. Ray Morton, 16th May 2014.

Van Gaal will not join Manchester United to win a popularity contest

It has not been made official yet but Manchester United are set to announce outgoing Netherlands national manager Louis van Gaal as their next permanent boss. Interim manager Ryan Giggs is likely to be offered an assistant manager's role but is also likely to be a member of the playing staff for one last season. The move follows what has been a tumultuous season for the Manchester club having seen their status as defending Premier League champions ripped from their grasps and having to suffer the indignity of a seventh-place finish after David Moyes' disastrous reign in charge.

Van Gaal's media handling style is very different to Moyes'. He will not be intimidated by hard questions and prefers to put the interviewer on the spot rather than fall victim like a deer in the headlights as Moyes looked last season. His arrogance is well known but his knowledge of the game is formidable and deserves respect. When he eventually walks into that Old Trafford dressing room for the first time, senior players will be well aware of the fact that van Gaal has swept up many trophies throughout his managerial career.

Though he has had success at Ajax, AZ Alkmaar, Bayern Munich and is in charge of the Dutch national team for a second spell, perhaps United fans will look at his two stints as Barcelona manager to see the best and worst of the man known as the "Iron Tulip". Taking charge of the Catalan club between 1997-2000, van Gaal brought about a return to beautiful possession football which had been lost under previous coach Bobby Robson.

Under his tenure, Barcelona stayed true to their aesthetic playing style although they, somewhat like rivals Real Madrid, decided to splash large amounts of cash at the same time. A drove of former Ajax players were hauled in as well as smart signings like Rivaldo and Luis Figo, two players who went on to win the Balon d'Or largely thanks to their blossoming under van Gaal. Young players were given a chance too. Perhaps the likes of Carles Puyol and Xavi Hernandez may never have become the world class players they became without van Gaal's guiding hand.

Luis Figo became a world renowned superstar under LVG at Barca

There were clashes with big personalities too, however, and do not be surprised if he falls out with a few stars next season. Van Gaal believes in the efforts of the collective, total football where everyone chips in with a shift. United will be expected to play 4-3-3, pressing high up the pitch maintaining a very sharp level of fitness, something Moyes struggled with. Anyone who does not put in the effort will be kicked to the curb. He had notorious clashes with Hristo Stoichkov early on in his Barca reign and later with Rivaldo who he felt had lost his positional discipline which, in turn, hurt the team.

Other, arguably more humble, players have great praise for van Gaal's methods, however, and realising his vision and what he demands are what will benefit United next season. Xavi and Andres Iniesta have nothing but compliments towards the towering Dutchman, two great players known for appreciating the value of teamwork.

Transfer targets have been identified. Luke Shaw is sure to come and van Gaal has named Roma's Kevin Strootman, Dortmund's Mats Hummels and Bayern's Toni Kroos as three players he would like to see the club approach as he takes care of the World Cup where the Netherlands find themselves in a tough group with defending champions Spain, dark horses Chile and, whipping boys but potential banana skin, Australia. Choosing a club captain could also be a conundrum. Van Gaal is a fan of Robin van Persie's and may snub the club's promise to make Wayne Rooney the on-field man in charge.

Roma's Kevin Strootman has been named as a key target for van Gaal's vision of United

So should van Gaal immediately command the respect of the dressing room and secure some key signings, there's no reason why United cannot shoot straight into a title challenge in the coming campaign. LVG, for the most part, dominated La Liga when he was in charge at Barca (apart from that badly-conceived second spell in 2002-03) routinely trumping Madrid to the league title with games to spare. Should United's squad gravitate towards his methods, it's not long before the Old Trafford faithful sees success again. City, Liverpool and Chelsea, watch out!

MESSI'S CALCULATED DIG AT ROBBEN

MESSI'S CALCULATED DIG AT ROBBEN

D. Ray Morton, 19th March 2014.

As Bayern Munich announced that Arjen Robben has extended his contract at the club until June 2017, Barcelona's Lionel Messi unleashed some calculated criticism in the direction of the Dutch winger in regards to Spain's World Cup triumph against the Oranje four years ago.

Messi was quoted as saying: "You need the luck of the champions in order to win the World Cup, just like Spain had in South Africa."

The Argentine continued: "Spain were the best team at the 2010 World Cup, but they were fortunate that Robben missed two huge chances in the final."

An interesting line considering the few months ahead for the two superstars. Messi and Barcelona are still hurting from the 7-0 aggregate thrashing they suffered at the hands of Die Bayern last season and considering both sides' recent form in the competition, they could very well meet again in the remaining rounds.

Robben enjoyed a sensational run of form late last term scoring the 89th minute winner that saw Bayern lift the Champions League crown in a 2-1 win over domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund. Before that, however, Robben had been labelled as something of a big game "bottler" having lost out to Chelsea in the 2011/12 final after missing an extra time penalty which should have won it for the Bavarians.

Perhaps Messi is shrewdly aiming his words at Robben in order to revive those creeping doubts that plagued the Dutch man before his return to big game form. It should be interesting to see how this rivalry unfolds should we see Barcelona face Bayern again this season or even if Argentina face the Netherlands at the World Cup.