DURBAN // Holland have been more substance than style so far at the World Cup and Bert van Marwijk's team are happy to stay that way to beat the giant killers Slovakia and secure a spot in the quarter-finals. Slovakia boast one of the tournament's leading scorers in Robert Vittek, who has three goals, but despite his scoring record, Van Marwijk yesterday called them "a very tough team without real stars."
There were signs in the last group game, a 2-1 victory against Cameroon, that the Dutch attacking style of quick passing and running off the ball is finally starting to click. Even so, Van Marwijk sees a lot of room for improvement. "We can play better and more beautifully," he said. Van Marwijk's method has served the Netherlands well; the team is on a record 22-match unbeaten run dating back to September 2008.
Against Cameroon, Holland gave the ball away often, he said, and will have to improve against Slovakia. "If we are as concentrated as during the first two games and look for space with direct moves, then we are at our best," he said. "Then we have patience, we have speed we can score. But you cannot afford to play that nonchalantly for 20 minutes." Slovakia have already exceeded expectations and are ready to do so again.
"We came here as newcomers and outsiders," Vittek said after his two goals helped seal the upset of Italy. "But we have already surprised once and we want to do it again. "Against the Netherlands, we'll do everything within our power to repeat the kind of performance we put in against Italy. What started out as a new page in Slovakian football could yet end up resembling an encyclopaedia." * AP
