It is a Monday morning 55 miles north of Rotterdam and a few hundred supporters package their way into the Netherlands Zeist coaching campus for a glimpse of the personalities.
Lion and music mascot is charted by upbeatDutchy add to the open-day texture but until the training session can begin media duties are enthusiastically fulfilled by the gamers .
Georginio Wijnaldum and european Champions Virgil van Dijk, new from watching Leicester City to expand Liverpools lead at the top of the Premier League, make their way on to the Sky Sports News camera.
They are accommodating and considerate, like security staff and the media, who leave them to it.
Nearby another lovers favorite Frenkie de Jong, astonishingly lively after arriving on two hours following his match for Barcelona the night ahead, smiles as he answers questions to get a journalist.
There is something in the atmosphere that indicates this group of players know they are just about to finish the finals hiatus with this football state as the 2014 World Cup.
The last hurdle is Northern Ireland, a vastly experienced international group with 726 caps involving 23 players in contrast to 585 for the Dutch, but Ronald Koemans side is filled with some of the best players on earth.
Its a far cry from the times of beats to Turkey and Bulgaria. Really it is a universe Wesley Sneijder informed the press that he had gone from getting understanding theyd win 3-0 into a sense of dread.
In third spot in Group C theyre still not there however, as lovers in the start day speak of their pride in the team in the aftermath of the magnificent triumph in Germany, Sky Sports News requested Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Koeman as well as skilled Dutch journalist Maarten Wijffels in Algemeen Dagblad whats prompted the turnaround…
Ronald Koeman:First of all, its the caliber of the players. We are always producing in Holland abilities that are good and they take more hours than people expect. We understood its a situation that was tricky because we didnt qualify for the two tournaments.
It is like golf! It goes up, it goes down, up, down [gestures down and up movement with hand]. Maybe it was the exact same for Holland but at the moment we are enjoying the soccer.
Virgil van Dijk:We have a new manager [Koeman], we have got some players who left some huge transfers so that its obviously excellent for their development and I think everything is falling into place
Georginio Wijnaldum:The director changed and we also shifted lodging to proceed from Amsterdam to Zeist. It turned out to be a new group, players of around exactly the same age and a lot of friends
Maarten Wijffels:In 2017 in the lowest point players like De Jong and De Ligt were not old enough. Blind was the coach when De Ligt created his debut. Blind, who was sacked after that game, stated that De Ligt are an amazing talent although he had a poor game. Koeman came in to work with the newest generation of players.
Koeman:Yeah, it was hard naturally. We have a small country but we expect a whole lot of big things in football.
Wijffels:There was actual panic because 2014 was the last tournament we qualified to get. There was. He refused although Van Gaal was tried by them. They talked about hiring a foreign coach like Arsene Wenger or a trainer but finally Koeman came in later leaving Everton.
They got rid of mature players such as Sneijder, Van Persie and Robben. Depayd lost his strategy but he was just 21 or 22. People like Wijnaldum and Van Dijk took on obligation of senior players.
Wijnaldum:There was lots of hurt. In Holland, they are not utilised to it (failure to qualify). It was strange. Everyone was disappointed and it was a tough time but we learned a lot from the experience.
Wijffels:They wanted someone to perform it for four decades and they made several modifications to theTotal Football model the group was known for. It was old fashioned. Clubs like Ajax changed. The teams played 4-3-3 but nowadays attackers play each place and therefore are lively. The contemporary strikers have speed and are more direct and fluid.
Koeman:Its not always ordinary you will be eligible for a large tournament. We are back. Were still accountable to get to the upcoming big tournament and its going be a demanding and hard match Northern Ireland.
Wijnaldum:The major thing for each of us is to return to some tournament and the only thing we can do today is attempt to win the game tonight and then do this. We want to be at a championship a lot.
Wijffels:Back then it was hard to locate faces to get a billboard or poster since the general public was fed up . Currently with Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Depay, De Jong & De Ligt the public likes the national team again.
Koeman:We all know we have a fantastic strong squad with leading players in Europe performing in big clubs. It is a really fantastic example for those players in Holland playing soccer. The outcomes we achieve in the past couple of months are really optimistic. That makes the players convinced and the team more powerful. The ambition is essential for this squad right now because they are showing incredible belief and terrific soul at the moment.
Team information: The Netherlands doesnt possess Jeroen Zoet (groin) and Davy Propper (hamstring) accessible.
Northern Ireland will be without Norwich City defender Jamal Lewis, who has retreated with a knee injury. Conor Washington was already an absentee using a hamstring injury, along with Rangers winger Jordan Jones.
After switching his international allegiance into Northern Ireland former Scotland U21 winger Matty Kennedy will make his debut.
How to watch: Coverage begins on Sky Sports Main Event in 7pm; kick-off is at 7.45pm.
Whats the state of play in Group C? Last time was ripped apart by Germany out but Michael ONeills side still have their fate in their own hands. A visit to the Netherlands, whove been straight back with a bang within the previous 12 months, expects on Thursday even though it could be a blow, but defeat because wouldnt be fatal.
Leaders Germany might find themselves leapfrogged by Netherlands at the conclusion of the worldwide break, especially if they are held by Estonia on Sunday, while Belarus must conquer Estonia to stand any outside opportunity.
Coming up: October 10 – Netherlands v Northern Ireland, Belarus v Estonia; October 13 – Estonia v Germany, Belarus v Netherlands
CHARLIE PREDICTS: 4-0 (17/2 with Sky Bet)Charlie Nicholas prediction:I think Northern Ireland have been punching above their weight for a while. Steven Davis has held it together. It is a team that is but. Whereas Ryan Babel, Georginio Wijnaldum and Memphis Depay have now shrunk the youngsters are coming for the Netherlands. We all know all about Matthijs de Ligt and Virgil van Dijk at the Center of the Dutch Treaty. It will be a night for those hosts. Northern Ireland dont generally lose many objectives but I believe they will be put into the sword here.
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