Its a Monday morning 55 miles north of Rotterdam and a hundred excitable supporters pack their way into the Netherlands Zeist training campus to get a glimpse of their heroes.
Upbeat graph lion and music mascotDutchy add to the feel that is open-day but prior to the training session can begin the players meet media duties at the side of the pitch.
Georginio Wijnaldum and european Champions Virgil van Dijk, fresh from watching Leicester City to expand Liverpools lead at the Peak of the Premier League, make their way on.
They are accommodating and polite, much like the security and media staff, who leave it with them.
Nearby another lovers favorite Frenkie de Jong, after arriving sleep following his match for Barcelona the night ahead surprisingly lively, smiles as he answers questions for a local journalist.
Theres something in the atmosphere that indicates this group of gamers know they are about to finish the major finals hiatus with this football nation that is proud .
The last hurdle is Northern Ireland, a more experienced global group with 726 caps involving 23 players compared to 585 to the Dutch, but Ronald Koemans side is filled with some of the best players on the planet.
It is a far cry from the times of defeats to Turkey and Bulgaria. Truly its a world away from your time Wesley Sneijder told the press from getting on the team bus knowing theyd win 3-0 into a sense of dread that he had gone.
In third spot in Group C they are still not there but, as fans at the start day talk of the pride in the group in the aftermath of their stunning triumph in Germany, Sky Sports News asked Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Koeman and experienced Dutch journalist Maarten Wijffels by Algemeen Dagblad what has prompted the turnaround…
Ronald Koeman:First of all, its the quality of the players. Were always producing in Holland large abilities that are good than people anticipate and sometimes they take more hours. We understood because we didnt qualify for the two major tournaments it is a situation that was challenging.
It is like golf! It moves up, it goes down, up, down [gestures down and up motion with hand]. Perhaps it was the same for Holland but at the moment we are enjoying the soccer.
Virgil van Dijk:We have a new supervisor [Koeman], we have got some players that left some huge transfers so that its obviously fantastic due to their advancement and I think whats falling into place.
Georginio Wijnaldum:The manager changed and we also shifted lodging to move from Amsterdam to Zeist. It turned out to be a brand new group, players around precisely exactly the identical age and a great deal of friends
Maarten Wijffels:At 2017 at the lowest point players like De Jong and De Ligt werent old enough. Blind was the coach when De Ligt made his debut at 17 v Bulgaria. Blind, who was sacked after this match, said that De Ligt are an incredible talent although he had a poor game. Koeman came in to work with the new generation of players.
Koeman:Yes, it had been difficult naturally. Weve got a small country but we expect a great deal of big things in soccer.
Wijffels:There was real panic because 2014 was that the last tournament we qualified to get. There was not any plan what trainer to take. Van Gaal tried but he refused. They talked about hiring a coach like Arsene Wenger or a coach that was German but finally Koeman came in later leaving Everton.
They got rid of mature players like Sneijder, Van Persie and Robben. Depay had lost his strategy at United but he was only 21 or 22. Individuals such as Wijnaldum and Van Dijk took on obligation of mature players.
Wijnaldum:There has been lots of hurt. In Holland, they are not utilised to it (failure to qualify). It was strange. Everyone was disappointed and it was a challenging time but we heard a great deal from the encounter.
Wijffels:They wanted someone to perform it for four decades and they made several adjustments to thisTotal Football version the group was known for. It had been too old fashioned. Clubs like Ajax changed. The top teams and 4-3-3 no longer played with but nowadays attackers play every place and are lively. The modern strikers have pace and are more direct and fluid.
Koeman:It is not always ordinary that you will qualify for a huge tournament. In the moment we are back. We are still in charge to get to the next major tournament and itll be a tough and difficult match Northern Ireland.
Wijnaldum:The main thing for all of us would be to return to some tournament and the only thing we can do today is try to win the match tonight and then go for this. We want to be at a championship so much.
Wijffels:It was tricky to locate faces for a poster or billboard because the public was fed up with them. Now with Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Depay, De Jong & De Ligt the public likes the national team again.
Koeman:We all know we have a excellent strong squad with top players in Europe acting in large clubs. Its really a great example for the players in Holland playing football. The outcomes we achieve within the last few months are optimistic. This makes the players convinced and the team stronger. The ambition is key to this squad at the moment because they are showing incredible belief and great spirit at the moment.
Team news: The Netherlands doesnt possess Jeroen Zoet (groin) and Davy Propper (hamstring) available.
Northern Ireland will be. Conor Washington was an absentee with a hamstring injury, combined with Rangers winger Jordan Jones.
After switching his allegiance into Northern 18, former Scotland U21 winger Matty Kennedy could make his debut.
How to see: Coverage begins on Sky Sports Main Event in 7pm; kick-off reaches 7.45pm.
What is the state of play in Group C? Northern Irelands ideal beginning was torn apart from Germany last time . A visit to the Netherlands, whove been back with a bang within the past 12 months, awaits on Thursday night although it would be a bitter blow however defeat because wouldnt be deadly.
Although Belarus must beat Estonia too to stand any chance that is external leaders Germany might wind up leapfrogged at the conclusion of the break, especially if they are held by Estonia on Sunday.
Coming up: October 10 – Netherlands v Northern Ireland, Belarus v Estonia; October 13 – Belarus v Netherlands, Estonia v Germany
CHARLIE PREDICTS: 4-0 (17/2 with Sky Bet)Charlie Nicholas forecast:I believe Northern Ireland have been punching above their weight for a little while. Steven Davis has held it together for a long time. Its a team that is collectively but. Whereas Ryan Babel, Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay have now shrunk the kids are coming for the Netherlands. We all know all about Matthijs de Ligt and Virgil van Dijk in the Core of the Dutch Treaty. It will be a cozy night for those hosts. Northern Ireland dont generally lose many objectives but I think they will be put into the sword
Read more here: https://sukisather.com/?p=9975
