Posts Tagged ‘The Netherlands’
Former Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Louis van Gaal has been named as the new manager of The Netherlands national football team, a statement from KNVB, the football association of the country announced on its official website. The 60 year old will take over the reins of The Oranje from Bert van Marwijk, who stepped down from his role as the manager of the national team after a disappointing Euro 2012 campaign where the Dutch failed to manage a single win and were knocked out of the group stages, finishing bottom of their group.
The Netherlands arrived in Poland and Ukraine for the European Championships as one of the favorites for the title after they finished as runners up to all conquering Spain in the final of FIFA World Cup held in South Africa in 2010 and even though they were placed in the Group of Death with Portugal, Denmark and arch rivals Germany, were favorites to reach the next round along with the Germans. But they finished bottom of the group, with 5 goals conceded, 2 scored and 0 points on the board. The Netherlands were defeated by Denmark 1-0 in their opening fixture, followed by a 2-1 loss to eternal enemies Germany and another 2-1 defeat at the hands of Portugal in a match they were completely outplayed by Cristiano Ronaldo and his men.