Dutch told to take charge

Robben debate
Advocaat held a tense press briefing yesterday where he tried to explain why he had substituted the influential Arjen Robben after 59 minutes of the 3-2 defeat by the Czech Republic on Saturday.

Spirit good
Van Hanegem said today: "Advocaat said a lot yesterday and asked me to come here to speak with you today. But that has nothing to do with the game against the Czechs. He had already asked me before the tournament if I would be able to do a press conference so do not worry, he is still full of fighting spirit."

Last chance
The former Dutch international continued by saying the team were desperate to prove their doubters wrong against Latvia on Wednesday. "We have put ourselves in this position so now we have to get out of it," he said. "We need to win so we are not going to think too much about the other result [between Germany and the Czech Republic]. It would be strange if we were not ready to play Latvia, everyone knows that this is our last chance and how important it is that we take it."

Third place
The Netherlands are third in Group D and will qualify for the quarter-finals if they beat Latvia and Germany lose or draw against the Czechs. They could even go through if they draw against Latvia and Germany lose against the Czechs, depending on goal difference and goals scored.

Joke
Inevitably, there were some questions regarding the Robben change. Van Hanegem was asked what he would do if the Dutch were leading against Latvia and Advocaat wanted to take off Robben again. "I would punch him," Van Hanegem answered, before adding that his comment was, of course, a joke. He also said that he found it strange that a team full of seasoned internationals could be so affected by a substitution.

Experienced internationals
"The fact we replaced one 19-year-old should not confuse a whole team of experienced internationals," he said. "I can't really understand that. [Clarence] Seedorf was busier with his own team-mates than with the opponents at one stage. That really did surprise me."

Underperforming
Finally, Van Hanegem said that he could understand the disappointment of the Dutch fans who have seen their side take one point from two games. "I can understand that they are disappointed with the results after such a long trip. But maybe the Dutch national team is just not as good as people think. I have watched tournaments in the past and wondered why some players perform below their best."