Before the match against Portugal, Bert van Marwijk, head coach of Dutch national team, and captain Mark van Bommel participated in the press conference from the Dutch side.

Bert van Marwijk: “The next match is like final for us. It got cool and it will be easier for players to play. I am sure if we score one goal then we will score another one. It will be a tense match. I do not exclude that many yellow and red cards will be in this match”.

-         Will there be changes in lineup? Will van Bommel play? Are you going to put Huntelaar in the lineup?

-         There will be no changes. We want to win 2:0 and will choose tactic. I think van Bommel will play. Perhaps, Huntelaar will show up in the lineup.

-         What do you think about Portuguese team and Cristiano Ronaldo?

-         Portugal has a good team. They have their own trumps on wings where Ronaldo and Nani play. Though, they have some weak points which we must use. History shows that Portugal is not an easy opponent for us. Germany will beat Denmark and we must defeat Portugal with two balls difference.

-         What happened in the match against Germany?

-         We had goal moments but unfortunately, we could not use them. After the first goal, the team was frightened. We had problems and made mistakes in defense. It gave free zones to our opponent.

-         What conclusions did you make from the previous two matches?

-         We were preparing for this tournament for weeks. Players know well what we demand from them. Though, when players lose self-confidence, coaches are dealing with one of the most difficult problems in football.

Mark van Bommel: “We do not think that Holland would compete in Euro-2012 such way. We did not expect to have zero point after two matches”.

-         What situation is in the team?

-         Despite two failures, there is a good atmosphere in the team. We have one chance and we will try to use it. It was said that a bad atmosphere was in the Spanish team but it defeated Ireland 4:0.

-         Did you contact Schweinsteiger in last two days?

-         I often talk to Bastian but we have not talked for last two days.

Before the start of the practicing, van Marwijk talked to Robin van Persie alone. Holland held practicing with the whole team and was in a good mood.
 

Lasha Tabagari, special correspondent of worldsport.ge from Kharkiv
Photos by the author