NETHERLANDS
The Netherlands were fresh from their 1988 European Championship success, and they would once again lock horns with their neighbours and great rivals West Germany. The ’88 semi-final in Hamburg had brought a remarkable performance where the Dutch had come from behind to snatch a 2-1 win courtesy of ace marksman van Basten’s late decider, and the same man had produced that stunning second goal in the eventual final, which had seen the Netherlands defeat the Soviet Union by 2-0. In the wake of that success, legendary manager Rinus Michels had stepped down, and attempting to fill his shoes was 47 year old Thijs Libregts who had just returned from a managerial spell in Greece, where he had been in charge of three clubs in four seasons. Prior to that, he had managed two of the domestic big three in PSV and Feyenoord. But could he bring the European champions to World Cup glory as well? Read more…
World Cup appearances:
1934, 1938, 1974, 1978.
Manager:
Thijs Libregts
RESULTS
The home side were perhaps not firing on all cylinders throughout, and it took a big effort to break down a resilient Welsh side whose intent was to sit back for a draw and perhaps hope that they could cause an upset on the counter. This was the Netherlands’ first match since the win in the European Championships, and they did at times appear a bit rusty. Important to get off to a winning start with the West Germans so convincing in their opening fixture in Finland.
Line-up (3-4-3): van Breukelen – van Tiggelen, R Koeman, Rijkaard – van Aerle, Wouters, Gullit (c), E Koeman – Vanenburg (Kieft 67), van Basten, Krüzen.
In a re-run of the European Championships semi-final only a few months earlier, the Dutch were satisfied with taking a point back home from Munich in a physical encounter. They had been dominated by the energetic hosts for large spells, particularly before the interval, but managed to hold on to a precious point despite Thon’s effort onto the crossbar early in the second half. The Netherlands created little; they were predominantly pleased to keep the home team away from van Breukelen’s goal. Their best effort fell to van Basten ten minutes from time, but he could not hit target when in good position.
Line-up (3-5-2): van Breukelen – Rijkaard, R Koeman (c), van Tiggelen – van Aerle (Winter 20), Vanenburg, Wouters, E Koeman, Silooy – Bosman, van Basten.
With a much-changed side including three starting debutants, the Netherlands had dominated the game for spells, and they had looked particularly threatening during the first half, in which rookie winger Huistra had enjoyed so much space down the left hand side. Van Basten had a point blank range header stopped by Tacconi, though they’d conceded late in the first half after a rare Italy chance. Key players were out, but they were still a force as a unit, even if Rijkaard had only seemed partially interested. It was an unfortunate loss.
Line-up (3-5-2): van Breukelen – Silooy, R Koeman (c), Koot – Suvrijn (Rutten 69), Vanenburg, Rijkaard, Eijkelkamp (van Loen 61), Reekers – van Basten, Huistra.
Friendly
04.01.1989
Israel
0–2
Netherlands
Wouters (9′)
Van Loen (10′)
Line-up: van Breukelen – Silooy (Reekers 82), R Koeman (c), van Tiggelen – van Aerle, Vanenburg (Ellerman h-t), Wouters, E Koeman, Huistra (Witschge 57) – van Loen, Bosman (Eijkelkamp 68).
Reserve friendly
15.02.1989
Stade de Costières, Nîmes
France B
1–0
Netherlands B
Rare outing for Nol de Ruiter’s men, in what was the inauguration of the new stadium in Nîmes (att.: 23,000!). Goalkeepers Snelers and Menzo were part of the original squad, but withdrew (due to club commitments and injury).
Line-up: Hesp – Sturing, Boerebach, Verkuijl (Lankhaar h-t), De Wolf – Suvrijn (Lammers h-t), Van Duren (Meijer h-t), Krüzen, Bergkamp – Van Loen (Viscaal 70), Cooke
Unused sub: Van der Gouw.
Excellent win in a replay of the 1988 European Championship final. The Netherlands had to weather a second half storm from the visitors, and capped win with late penalty goal.
Line-up (4-5-1) Snelders – van Tiggelen, R Koeman, Rutjes, Hofkens – Winter, Vanenburg, Rijkaard, Gullit (c), Huistra (Bosman 72) – van Basten.
Qualifier 3
26.04.1989
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Netherlands
Van Basten (88′)
1–1
(Report)
West Germany
Riedle (69′)
Holland leave it late again, salvaging a point in the dying minutes. It was their time to take initiative now, but they couldn’t produce the same amount of chances as their opponents had done in Munich. Too little happening in the wide areas, too much wasted in the congested central areas, where Winter looked a bit lost as Gullit’s replacement.
Line-up (3-4-3): Hiele – Rijkaard, R. Koeman (c), van Tiggelen – van Aerle, Winter, Hofkens (Rutjes 85), E. Koeman – Vanenburg, van Basten, Huistra (Eijkelkamp 75). Res.: Roy, van Loen, Snelders.
Line-up (3-3-4): van Breukelen – Rutjes, R Koeman (c), van Tiggelen – van Aerle, Rijkaard, E Koeman – Vanenburg (Huistra 83), Kieft, van Basten, Ellerman (Gullit 56)
Friendly
06.09.1989
Netherlands
R. Koeman (33′)
Wouters (57′)
2–2
Denmark
Bartram (65′ pen.)
Heintze (67′)
Line-up: Hiele (Menzo h-t) – Rutjes, R Koeman (c), Fräser – Winter, Wouters (Reekers 65), Bosman, Krüzen – van’t Schip, Kieft (van Loen 78), Roy.
Qualifier 5
11.10.1989 Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
Wales
Bowen (89′)
1–2
(Report)
Netherlands
Rutjes (12′)
Bosman (70′)
Line-up (3-4-3): van Breukelen – Koot, R Koeman (c), Rutjes – van Aerle, Wouters, Rijkaard (Bosman h-t), Hofkens – van’t Schip, Kieft, Witschge (van Basten 70).
Qualifier 6
15.11.1989
De Kuip, Rotterdam
Netherlands
Bosman (58′)
E. Koeman (62′)
R. Koeman (70′ pen.)
3–0
(Report)
Finland
Conclusion
The Netherlands qualify for Italia’90 as winners of UEFA group 4, one point ahead of West Germany. Thus, they maintained the upper hand over their arch rivals, which they had got after winning that famous semi final in the 1988 European Championships. But the group win didn’t come easily, and the Netherlands were largely performing somewhat below the standard they had set in summer 1988. The Netherlands were notorious late goal scorers in this qualification, several times being saved by a goal in the dying minutes of the game.
One important reason was no doubt the lengthy injury absence of Ruud Gullit, who hardly featured in these qualifiers at all. Libregts tried a number players in his position as an attacking midfielder, but never quite found an adept replacement, and the team suffered whenever he couldn’t make it in the match day squad. Holland with and without Gullit are unquestionably two very different teams. Libregts moreover tried out players who can’t be described as attacking midfielders in this position, and more often than not hard-working, tigerish players like Winter and Rijkaard. Bosman is perhaps the player most similar to Gullit (attacking midfielder), but saw only some playing time in this position toward the end of the campaign.
Libregts maintained his 3-4-3 formation during all the six qualifiers, with minor variations. It’s a formation with much width, and with Ronald Koeman as a deep playmaker and expert crosser, they were always looking to stretch the opposition. The right hand side was arguably the more interestig one, with van Aerle and Vanenburg (replaced by van ‘t Schip in the two last games). On the left hand side, Libregts never managed to settle who would be his preferred left winger, and competition looked quite open between Ellerman, Huistra and perhaps Rob Witschge. Even at the end of the qualification, Libregts admitted that he probably hadn’t found the left winger he was looking for.
The key to the group win was of course the double encounter with West Germany. As expected, these were two tense affairs providing little if any goalmouth action, but a flurry of fouls.
Libregts largely kept with the players of his predecessor, but some new talent was also unearthed. Graeme Rutjes and Wim Hofkens were hardly youngsters anymore, but the two KV Mechelen men did a solid impression when called upon. Yet, this was still very much the same squad that had become European Champions in 1988, and only the inevitable injuries, which they still did experience quite a bit of, led Libregts to introduce new players.
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netherlands | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 10 |
| 2 | West Germany | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 3 | 9 |
| 3 | Finland | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 16 | 3 |
| 4 | Wales | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
Player Statistics
Number of players used: 24
Number of players including unused substitutes: 29
Ever-presents (540 mins): 1 (Ronald Koeman)
Leading goalscorer: John Bosman (2)
Yellow/red cards: 6/0
– overview
| Player | Apps | XI | Sub | UnSub | Mins | Gls | Y/R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosman, John | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 225 | 2 | |
| Eijkelkamp, René | 1 | 1 | 1 | 15 | |||
| Ellerman, Juul | 2 | 2 | 1 | 146 | |||
| Gullit, Ruud | 2 | 1 | 1 | 124 | 1 | ||
| Hiele, Joop | 1 | 1 | 5 | 90 | 1/0 | ||
| Hofkens, Wim | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 194 | ||
| Huistra, Pieter | 2 | 1 | 1 | 82 | |||
| Kieft, Wim | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 203 | 1 | |
| Koeman, Erwin | 5 | 5 | 331 | 1 | |||
| Koeman, Ronald | 6 | 6 | 540 | 1 (1) | |||
| Koot, Adick | 1 | 1 | 90 | ||||
| Krüzen, Hendrie | 1 | 1 | 90 | ||||
| Rijkaard, Frank | 6 | 6 | 495 | 1/0 | |||
| Roy, Bryan | 1 | ||||||
| Rutjes, Graeme | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 185 | 1 | 1/0 |
| Rutten, Fred | 1 | ||||||
| Silooy, Sonny | 1 | 1 | 1 | 90 | 1/0 | ||
| Snelders, Theo | 1 | ||||||
| Suvrijn, Wilbert | 1 | ||||||
| van Aerle, Berry | 6 | 6 | 470 | ||||
| van Basten, Marco | 6 | 5 | 1 | 470 | 1 | ||
| van Breukelen, Hans | 5 | 5 | 450 | ||||
| van Loen, John | 1 | ||||||
| van Tiggelen, Adri | 5 | 5 | 450 | 2/0 | |||
| van’t Schip, John | 2 | 2 | 169 | ||||
| Vanenburg, Gerald | 4 | 4 | 330 | ||||
| Winter, Aron | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 160 | ||
| Witschge, Rob | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 81 | ||
| Wouters, Jan | 4 | 4 | 360 |
– game by game
| Player | Wal (h) | Frg (b) | Frg (h) | Fin (h) | Wal (b) | Fin (b) | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosman | R | 90 | 45 | 90 | 2+1 | 225 | ||
| Eijkelkamp | 15 | R | 0+1 | 15 | ||||
| Ellerman | 56 | R | 90 | 2 | 146 | |||
| Gullit | 90 | 34 | 1+1 | 124 | ||||
| Hiele | R | R | 90 | R | R | R | 1 | 90 |
| Hofkens | 85 | R | 90 | 19 | 2+1 | 194 | ||
| Huistra | 75 | 7 | 1+1 | 82 | ||||
| Kieft | 23 | R | 90 | 90 | 2+1 | 203 | ||
| Koeman, E | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 71 | 5 | 331 | |
| Koeman, R | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 6 | 540 |
| Koot | 90 | 1 | 90 | |||||
| Krüzen | 90 | 1 | 90 | |||||
| Rijkaard | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 45 | 90 | 6 | 495 |
| Roy | R | |||||||
| Rutjes | 5 | 90 | 90 | R | 2+1 | 185 | ||
| Rutten | R | |||||||
| Silooy | R | 90 | 1 | 90 | ||||
| Snelders | R | |||||||
| Suvrijn | R | |||||||
| van ‘t Schip | 90 | 79 | 2 | 169 | ||||
| van Aerle | 90 | 20 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 6 | 470 |
| van Basten | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 20 | 90 | 5+1 | 470 |
| van Breukelen | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 5 | 450 | |
| van Loen | R | |||||||
| van Tiggelen | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 5 | 450 | |
| Vanenburg | 67 | 90 | 90 | 83 | 4 | 330 | ||
| Winter | 70 | 90 | R | R | 1+1 | 160 | ||
| Witschge | R | 70 | 11 | 1+1 | 81 | |||
| Wouters | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 4 | 360 |
– ratings
| Pos | Player | Average rating | Number of rated games |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koeman, R. | 7,21 | 6 |
| 2 | van Tiggelen | 7,10 | 5 |
| 3 | Rijkaard | 7,06 | 6 |
| 4 | Bosman | 7,06 | 3 |
| 5 | van Basten | 7,02 | 5 |
| 6 | van Aerle | 6,98 | 5 |
| 7 | Wouters | 6,97 | 4 |
| 8 | Koeman, E. | 6,90 | 5 |
| 9 | van Breukelen | 6,78 | 5 |
| 10 | Vanenburg | 6,77 | 4 |
Post-qualification
Friendly: Netherlands 0-1 Brazil
20.12.1989
Line-up (3-4-3): van Breukelen – van Tiggelen, R Koeman (c) (Laamers h-t), van Aerle – Sturing, Wouters (Blind 69), Ellerman (Winter 21), Reekers – Latuheru, Kieft (van Loen 78), Berghuis (van’t Schip 58)
Libregts had to field a much weakened side due to some major absentees, and they were second best for much of the game against the Copa América winners. Three players saw libero action and three players carried the captain’s armband. The manager might have found out that a few of these were scarcely candidates for a World Cup squad.
Friendly
21.02.1990 Netherlands 0-0 Italy
Line-up: van Breukelen – Rijkaard (Sturing h-t), R Koeman (c), van Tiggelen – van Aerle, Wouters, Bosman, E Koeman – Vanenburg, van Basten (Kieft 68), Witschge
Friendly
28.03.1990 Soviet Union 2-1 Netherlands
Goal: R Koeman (pen.)
Line-up: van Breukelen – Sturing, R Koeman (c), Rutjes – Fräser, Wouters, Bosman (van Loen 55), Peeper (Eijkelkamp 24) – van’t Schip (Laamers 81), Kieft, Witschge
Friendly
30.05.1990 Austria 3-2 Netherlands
Goals: R Koeman, van Basten
Line-up: van Breukelen – Rijkaard, R Koeman, van Tiggelen – van Aerle, Wouters, Gullit (c) (Kieft 73), E Koeman (Roy 65) – Vanenburg, van Basten, Witschge
Friendly
03.06.1990 Yugoslavia 0-2 Netherlands
Goals: Rijkaard, van Basten
Line-up: van Breukelen – van Tiggelen, R Koeman, Rutjes – van Aerle (Blind 68), Rijkaard, Wouters, Gullit (c), E Koeman (Witschge 78) – Kieft, van Basten
great, thank you really on this site. great indeed! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻🎯
Hey Bojan!
Thank you for your generous feedback. We are pleased to hear you are enjoying our website so far.
We will continue to improve it little by little, so please make sure you come by every now and then.
-kaltz
22.03.1989 Netherlands 2-0 Soviet Union
Netherlands Reserves
Edward Metgod
Verkuyl
Rutten
Bosman
Van Loen
https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten
Many thanks, simon, for providing us with that very useful link. Newspaper archives are a valuable source for knowledge about the past, and something we wish to look further into in the future. Dutch substitutes have been updated. Thanks again!