Dutch to put the record straight

Giovanni van Bronckhorst admits that the weight of expectation rests heavily on the shoulders of the Netherlands as they enter the final stages of their UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign.

No room for error
Victory in today's Group 3 qualifier against Austria in Rotterdam will assure the Dutch, at the very least, of a play-off spot, but with the failure to qualify for the 2002 FIFA World Cup still hanging over the side Van Bronckhorst is acutely aware that there is no room for error.

'A bitter blow'
"Everyone sees EURO 2004 as an opportunity to set the record straight, and prove the last World Cup was an isolated mistake," said the Arsenal FC player, who is currently on loan at FC Barcelona. "It was a bitter blow not to make it to the World Cup and we have to prove ourselves now to the fans and to the wider football public. We have the names in our team, now we must produce the results to match.

'No pushovers'
"Of course, in Holland the people want to see you win every game with fantastic football and by four or five goals. I wish that were possible, but the simple fact is that these days there are no international pushovers. Top footballers from every nation play in the best leagues in the world, so that even the smallest countries have guys in Spain, England, Italy, Germany, France and Holland. There are no guaranteed wins, and you have to treat every team with respect."

Czech challenge
After a convincing 3-0 success against Austria in Vienna last October, the Dutch are hot favourites to win in Rotterdam but they will face a sterner test in Prague next Wednesday when they take on the Czech Republic who are currently above them on goal difference.

Crucial qualifier
"We know how important these two games are as they could see us through to Portugal," Van Bronckhorst said. "I'm sure Austria will put up a tough fight, but it is a game we will be expected to win. The Czech Republic is possibly the crucial game. We only managed to draw against them at home, so we know what they are capable of. They have a lot of gifted players and play well as a unit."

Excellent form
Excellent recent form under coach Dick Advocaat has seen the Dutch climb to fourth in the most recent FIFA rankings and Van Bronckhorst said the statistic was a measure of the progress the country has made of late. "There have been a lot of changes in the national set-up in Holland since the World Cup," said the 28-year-old. "Dick Advocaat has come in and really given us a new impetus and of course I am delighted that the new boss has called me back to the squad after my long-term knee injury. We are very confident at the moment.

Aiming high
"It's essential that we do well in this competition. We want to avoid the play-offs so we need to finish top of the group. That is our aim, and we know that two wins in our next two games can book that passage."

Giovanni van Bronckhorst's personal website is at www.icons.com