Dutch national team captain Arjen Robben believes Netherlands can cause an upset when they face France in August.
- By James Rowe
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Netherlands beat Luxembourg 5-0 on Friday to leapfrog Bulgaria into third place in the qualifying group. However, they would have been second if France had beaten Sweden. Sadly, Sweden ran out 2-1 winners which leaves Netherlands three points behind them and France with only four games left.
Next up for Oranje is an away trip to France in Paris, and speaking to NOS, Netherlands captain Arjen Robben believes they can cause an upset.
“We had hoped that France would beat Sweden then we would still have things in our own hands but we must look at things positively we can still finish 1st in the group.
“Looking ahead to our game against France on August 31st we could have gone there with the intention of not having to win.
“We could be pessimistic but tonight we won 5-0 and that is fine. Maybe we can cause a little surprise in Paris “
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It’s going to be tough. They were totally outplayed in the midfield in the first match against France. They should consider playing with a back-5 against France with speedy forwards (Robben, Promes) to counterattack, the approach they used in Brazil. They’ve shown repeatedly over the past 4 years that they cannot handle the Tier 2 European teams (let alone elite teams like France) playing a 4-3-3. Not strong enough defensively nor in the defensive midfield role.