Stuivenberg delighted with Dutch progress

Albert Stuivenberg has been in charge of the Netherlands Under-17 squad for the last three years. And in all of those he has led them to the UEFA European U17 Championship.

Semi-final run
Their latest campaign starts in Germany on Wednesday, as they aim to go one better last year, when they lost to eventual champions Spain in extra time. But even getting to that stage will be far from straightforward, with England, Turkey and the hosts in their way.

Experience
"I am very pleased to be in the finals, for giving the players experience," Stuivenberg told uefa.com. "To play Germany, where we can expect a great crowd, that is a great experience for the players in their development as young professionals. But it is also nice to play England and Turkey. It would be fantastic to reach the final, but we are not thinking beyond the first game."

Strong opponents
The former Feyenoord academy chief does have some experience of their opposition. "Before the tournament we knew that we would be up against very strong teams, whether or not one group would end up tougher than the other," Stuivenberg said. "We played Germany in both teams' first match this season. We won, but many things have changed since then. They have had something like 52 team activities, and we cannot compare to that. I am certain they will have a strong side. We drew 2-2 against Turkey in La Manga, it was a very even game, and we haven't played England."

Success
Only a handful of coaches, including legendary Spain supremo Juan Santisteban, have achieved the feat of leading a nation into three final tournaments in as many years. Stuivenberg suggests that the recent of strength of the Netherlands, which surprisingly for a nation with so much talent has not always been reflected in international youth competition, is due to a number of factors. "It is hard for me to say," he mused. "I know we have a philosophy in developing players. The players make up a team, but the coach makes them into a team, gives them a way of playing. That is not easy, though it works both ways."