Netherlands' Gregory van der Wiel reacts at the end of their Group B Euro 2012 soccer match against Germany at the Metalist stadium in Kharkiv, June 13, 2012.MICHAEL BUHOLZER/Reuters
Coming into any tournament involving the Netherlands, the first question is always: Which Dutch team will show up?
Following Wednesday's 2-1 loss to Germany that, barring a miracle, will condemn Bert van Marwijk's team to a stunningly early ouster, the answer has become all too readily apparent.
In many ways, the Netherlands are not a team at all, just a fantastically talented, and opinionated, set of individuals, arguably the best in the tournament, but at the sharp end of soccer – and the European championship is exactly that – that recipe is not one that leads to success.
Wesley Sneijder said it all before the game when he slammed his team's "pathetic egos," and it didn't take long for one of his teammates to visibly demonstrate what he was talking about. Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rafael van der Vaart took to the media to express his disappointment that he hasn't been in the starting lineup so far. There have also been grumblings about the inclusion of captain Mark van Bommel, with some factions claiming that the only reason he has been in the starting lineup is because he just so happens to be Van Marwijk's son-in-law.
The brewing storm of discontent made for a predictable outcome in the biggest match of the tournament so far. Germany came in as it always does: prepared, relaxed, and ready to go about its business as normal.
The Netherlands, especially in the wake of the disappointment of last Saturday's 1-0 loss to Denmark, was just the opposite: anxious, hesitant and all too aware of the perils of defeat.
Robin van Persie, as he did last Saturday, had some clear-cut chances to open the scoring, and had he been wearing the red of Arsenal he probably would have done. Clad in the brilliant orange of his homeland though, Van Persie continued to snatch at the ball and the opportunities went begging.
At the other end, forward Mario Gomez continued to rehabilitate his image from a big-game no-show to one of Germany's most feared weapons, linking up twice with Bastian Schweinsteiger to put the three-time European champions into what appeared to be an unassailable half-time lead.
It was, despite Van Persie finally finding his way through the German wall with 17 minutes to go. The Germans held firm and Arjen Robben summed up the entire Dutch tournament when he was subbed for Dirk Kuyt with seven minutes remaining.
Instead of heading toward the bench to slap hands with his teammate as he took the pitch, Robben simply walked off at the far side, jumping over the adverstising hoarding and taking the long way back to the dugout, letting the world know he was distinctly unimpressed with the move, and removing his shirt for added gusto.
To be fair to Robben, it hasn't exactly been his year – missing penalties in both Bayern Munich's title-deciding tilt against Borussia Dortmund and again in extra time of the Champions League final defeat against Chelsea – but such a fit of pique after flopping again in the European championship was unwarranted.
Nine of the 11 that started the World Cup final two years ago were again in the starting lineup against Germany. Although the captain of that team – left-back Giovanni van Brockhorst – retired following the defeat to Spain, there was more than enough veteran experience and leadership to expect similarly impactful run at Euro 2012 – except with a better ending – but the players and their "pathetic egos" apparently thought otherwise.
Dutch players, or any players for that matter, thinking they know best is nothing new – remember Euro 88-winning captain Ruud Gullit walking out on his teammates on the eve of the 1994 World Cup following a disagreement with the coach? But the current crop of Dutch players, arguably the country's most gifted collection of talent since that 1988 team, is fast running out of time to match the achievements of its predecessors.
Paul Attfield