Cruyff backing Oranje to rise again

Dutch legend Johan Cruyff has told euro2008.com the Netherlands' time will come again, because many of the squad have their best years ahead of them.

Exciting football
After impressing in the group stage with an attacking brand of football that accounted for Italy, France and Romania, the Oranje were expected to carry that form into the knockout rounds. However, Russia, led by their own Dutchman Guus Hiddink, had not read the script and defeated Marco van Basten's team 3-1 after extra time in Basel. This brought an abrupt end to what many neutrals and partisans had predicted could be the Netherlands' first UEFA European Championship-winning campaign since 1988.

'Opportunity'
However, with the core of the squad arguably still to reach their prime – Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Nigel de Jong, John Heitinga, Ibrahim Afellay, Rafael van der Vaart, Robin van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar are all under 25 – Cruyff sees clear hope for the future. "They are between 22 and 26 years old, not at the peak of their careers, but not young – they are somewhere in the middle," he said. "They have the opportunity and now the question is: can they take it to the next level?"

Sad news
For whatever reason, things did not go to plan in the St. Jakob-Park quarter-final. The week started with the sad news that defender Khalid Boulahrouz's prematurely-born baby daughter had died in a Lausanne hospital. Maybe Van Basten's ploy of resting so many players for the final group game against Romania, when qualification was already secured, upset the rhythm and momentum of the opening two matches. Or perhaps it was because of facing a familiar face in Hiddink, who as Mario Melchiot admitted, "maybe knew us better then we knew ourselves".  

Positives
The abiding memories, though, will be of the new brand of total football displayed in the early stage of the tournament, of the huge crowds at training in Lausanne, of the Oranje parties in Berne, of victories celebrated on the pitch with players' wives and children, and of the estimated 100,000 supporters turning Basel into the Oranje capital. Positive memories indeed despite a disappointing end to the championship.