Here we are at last.
The opening-day defeat in the blazing heat in Macedonia and our subsequent 2-0 win in the return fixture on Saturday neatly bookends a campaign that started almost a year ago to the day, and which boils down to a single game at Hampden Park tomorrow night.
Facing the Scots are The Netherlands, a team which qualified back in June and who sit top of the table with maximum points. On paper you’d think there’s nothing much for the Dutch to play for, but the feeling amongst the Dutch camp is that a perfect score – 8 wins out of 8 – will see them enter the draw for the World Cup group stage as one of the seeded teams.
For the Dutch this would be an added incentive to go for a victory against the Scots, as being seeded essentially means avoiding the other big teams in the competition, such as Germany, Spain and Brazil until at least the second round.
That the Dutch are taking this campaign – and the game against Scotland – seriously is evidenced by the fact that they played a friendly against Japan on Saturday. The Dutch won 3-0 with goals from Robin van Persie and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (who also scored against the Scotland in the 3-0 win in Amsterdam) with Wesley Sneijder also getting his name on the score sheet.
The game was not a vintage one however. Coach Bert van Marwijk was not happy with the performance, especially in the first half when the Dutch failed to break down a solid Japan defence. Van Marwijk later said that the game against Japan on Saturday was arguably the worst Dutch performance he’s ever seen, but it shows the strength and depth of the side when they recovered their form in the second half to secure a win.
It was certainly not the same performance that saw them go 2-0 up before half-time against a full-strength England side. Dirk Kuyt and Rafael van der Vaart pounced on defensive errors from Rio Ferdinand and Gareth Barry in the first half, but a spirited comeback from Fabio Capello’s side earned them a 2-2 draw – Jermaine Defoe getting both goals.
That Holland are capable of poor performances was shown during their game against Iceland. Following on from solid performances against Macedonia (4-0) and Scotland (3-0), a 2-1 win which saw the Dutch cruise into a 2-0 lead before half-time (with goals from Nigel de Jong and Marc Van Bommel) resulted in scathing articles in the Dutch press, critical of the lackluster display, especially in the second half when Holland failed to kill the game off, and which allowed Iceland to get on the score sheet with 2 minutes left to play. That result assured qualification, but that didn’t stop The Dutch from taking their foot of the pedal: in their next game, four days later against Norway, they recovered their form to win 2-0.
Compared to the Dutch, Scotland’s efforts to reach World Cup 2010 reads like the 12 Labours of Hercules. Slaying the Hydra, capturing the Cretan Bull or stealing the apples of the Hesperides sounds like a walk in the park compared to getting Scotland to South Africa.
A series of scandals and dressing-room bust-ups must make Burley lie awake at night wondering just what on earth he’s gotten himself in to. It’s a credit to the man that he’s lasted as long as he has, given the criticism he’s been receiving from all quarters. That criticism took a turn for the absurd last week when George Peat, president of the SFA, came out in the press with comments blaming Chris Iwelumo for the mess Scotland’s World Cup campaign is in, and that Burley’s job is on the line if Scotland do not finish second in the group.
Sheer stupidity or clever psychology? Who knows, but whichever it was, it worked. Burley and the troops got their act together to record a cracking 2-0 win over Macedonia at Hampden and which featured one of the greatest goals ever seen by a player in a Scotland shirt.
Somewhat predictably in these competitions, it’s not just the tactics board that determines qualification, but a calculator and a brain the size of Sutherland, because even if Scotland do accomplish the 13th Labour of Hercules, i.e., beat Holland, it still requires a series of results of byzantine proportions to see Scotland through to South Africa.
The win over Macedonia pushed Scotland back in 6th place in the table of ‘Best Second-placed Teams’. Should Scotland beat the Netherlands at Hampden tomorrow, it would need Northern Ireland to lose to Slovakia, and Slovenia and Poland to draw in Group 3. That series of results would basically ensure that no team from Group 3 (in which Northern Ireland are our biggest rivals) will qualify for the remaining play-off place.
One down, two to go…
Our other rivals for a coveted place in the play-offs in November are Bosnia/Herzegovina (who need four points from their remaining games against Spain, Turkey and Estonia to qualify), Sweden (who also need four points from their games against Denmark and Albania), and Hungary, who have games against Denmark and Portugal to come.
All of this speculation is moot of course unless Scotland does the hardest thing: beat Holland. Even if history has not always been on Scotland’s side in this fixture, we’ve done it before, so why not again? Now, more than ever, Scotland needs to show the world that they can compete against the best in the world. The game will not be easy, and the Dutch will not roll-over just because they’ve qualified; as we’ve seen, they have something to play for too.
In the cold light of day, with the exception of the goalkeeper, we’re outclassed in every department, but what we lack in skill, we make up for in determination and passion, especially on these big occasions. Scotland, as underdog, at Hampden, should make for a dangerous opponent.
Holland, beware.
