FRANCE 98 – MatchQuotes

“We came against a very efficient team and this match was particularly difficult for us. The NETHERLANDS team (Group E) has some great individual players. If they continue to play like this, they could win the title.

We want to win a match in this first round. We’ll have to beat BELGIUM (Group E), 25 June at the Parc des Princes. For this match, I intend to bring in some new players.

For the first match against MEXICO, 13 June in Lyon, we were the weaker team.

Today, we let five goals through. At the third goal I would have liked to build up morale. It’s for this reason I gave priority to the attack. My team played the game as was planned, but the NETHERLANDS team were invincible.

For 2002, we are the joint-organisers for the next World Cup with Japan. I will line up a more impressive team.”

“I’m delighted because of the result, although in the first 25 minutes, we didn’t make the pace we are used to, partly because of the field. That’s no big excuse, but we like to have the field a little bit wet so we can play a higher pace and there was a little bit of tension before making the first goal… but we knew, playing like this, sooner or later we would score a goal. It was a game of the first goal, and after that, you can wait and you know that you’ll score some more.

It’s always good not to depend on one player who can make a goal. I was very happy that the first goal was made by Philip COCU (11), he had my full confidence.

Our next match, with MEXICO, will be totally different, and in different circumstances, because we’ll be playing in the afternoon, when it will be rather hot. I think the game will be more complicated than this one, because I consider MEXICO as a very experienced team.”