Dutch to let football do the talking

Given Dennis Bergkamps fear of flying, Dutch coach Guus Hiddink must be thankful the 1998 World Cup is only a short hop across two borders to France. The Arsenal star, cruelly ruled out of his sides FA Cup final appearance due to injury, was unable to contribute to Hollands tie against Turkey because of his phobia. The result-a 1-0 defeat, the only loss suffered by the Dutch throughout the qualifying stages. Bergkamp, in flying form for his club side, served Holland well in the build-up to France 98, too, scoring seven goals, and he will have quality assistance up front with Arsenal teammate Marc Overmars pressing home his claims and the surprise recall of Edgar Davids. The talented midfielder was expelled from Euro 96 after claiming Hiddink had allowed racial prejudices to creep into his team selection. Back in the frame after two years out in the cold, the tigerish Juventus player has plenty to offer. In six previous World Cups, Holland have reached the final twice, finishing runners-up to Germany in 1974 and Argentina four years later. There is plenty of ability on the pitch and Hiddinks task will be to channel that into an effective match-winning machine with off-pitch tensions kept to a minimum. The commanding Wim Jonk, one of the Dutch stars in America but absent from Euro 96, is one of several PSV Eindhoven players in the squad-their presence not surprising in light of Hiddinks former links with the club. Impressive in their build-up to France, notably when beating neighbours Belgium 3-0 for a crucial win in Brussels, the orangemen had a convincing goals tally, scoring 26 and conceding only four. Against old rivals Belgium, Mexico and South Korea, they will fancy their chances of getting through to the knock out stages.

© - AFP - 1998