How does this Dutch team stack up against the 74/78 teams?

Pisco Sour

Now that this current Dutch team has made it to the final I was wondering how would the squad of today compare against the 74 and 78 teams?

Looking through the 74 and 78 squads there are some seriously great players there:

Arie Haan
René van de Kerkhof
Willy van de Kerkhof
Ruud Krol
Johan Neeskens
Johan Cruyff
Rob Rensenbrink
Johnny Rep

Looking through the class of 2010, while there are some very good players in the team, they really dont have the players of the level of 74 and 78. Yet despite that, they have the chance on Sunday to do what those teams never did and become World Champions.

Same with the great French team of 82, 84 and 86. I feel that they were better than the 98 and 2000 teams, yet they also never achieved the ultimate.

Football can be a funny game like that!

prinz

Great individuals don't automatically make a great team!

redout

Seriously ?

They dont deserve to be mentioned in the same breath.

This team play pretty average ball - them teams played with class and style.

Pisco Sour

prinz wrote: »

Great individuals don't automatically make a great team!

But they were a great team throughout the 74 campaign. They bottled it in just one game.

In 78 they were again a great team (after a slow start) and were extremely unlucky to lose to Argentina in the final (hit the post in the dying seconds).

I get what you are saying but I think those Dutch teams weren't a case of a bunch of individuals to be honest. If they were a bunch of individuals they probably would never have reached the final. They played Total Football after all!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_football

JerryHandbag

I just cant see a Johan Cryuff in the current Dutch squad, although I'm a huge fan of Snjeider

x PyRo

redout wrote: »

This team play pretty average ball - them teams played with class and style.

It doesn't matter how they play, They win every game they compete in. What more could one want.

The old team were better as individuals, This team is a better all round unit.

I know what I'd rather have.

Ush1

x PyRo wrote: »

It doesn't matter how they play, They win every game they compete in. What more could one want.

The old team were better as individuals, This team is a better all round unit.

I know what I'd rather have.

Those teams have both got to finals, this team hasn't won anything yet either.

Quality of player wise not even close for me. You hear some people talk about how good Cruyff was but if you actually watch him, it's ridiculous how good he was.

Pepe LeFrits

x PyRo wrote: »

It doesn't matter how they play, They win every game they compete in. What more could one want.

The old team were better as individuals, This team is a better all round unit.

I know what I'd rather have.

There's still one more game for them to win.

I'll be very surprised if they don't get beaten in the final.

Pisco Sour

One could perhaps put forward a controversial theory that the quality of football isn't what it used to be. Theres no doubt that if this Dutch team can make the final in 2010, then the team of 74 and of 78 would blow away todays competition.

Eire-Dearg

In terms of entertaing football, this is the Republic of Ireland of Dutch teams.