FRANCE 98 – Match preview n°54

For the football purist, they don’t come much better than Monday’s second round clash between the pass masters of Holland and Yugoslavia.

Both teams can lay claim to the title of the ” Brazil of Europe “, the Dutch with their abiding commitment to Total Football, the Yugoslavs with their technical brilliance which for an hour at least made a mockery of no lesser team than Germany in the group stage. Bergkamp, Overmars, Seedorf, Stojkovic, Mihajlovic, Mijatovic-the players who will be on display in the Stade Municipal represent a mini who’s who of modern football greats.

The Dutch, who will have Patrick Kluivert available for selection again after his two-match suspension, will start as favourites, if only because of the greater firepower they have exhibited in their three games to date.

That suits the Yugoslavs, who relish the role of underdog. Like most central and east European sides, they were seemingly born to counter attack. And with star striker Predrag Mijatovic struggling to be fit for the match after being forced off with a knee injury in the 1-0 win over the United States, Slobodan Santrac’s men are happy to play down their chances. ” The Dutch are among the three or four best teams in the competition, “ said defender Zeljko Petrovic. ” We didn’t deserve such a difficult draw. “

With Real Sociedad striker Darko Kovacevic also doubtful with a hamstring injury and AC Milan’s Dejan Savicevic lacking match fitness, goals may once again be hard to come by for the Yugoslavs on Monday. Forward Savo Milosevic, who has endured a torrid season with Aston Villa and has as yet failed to impress in France, blames the formation the team uses. ” We’ve played 4-4-2 for a long time now, “ he said. ” Maybe that’s why, it’s certainly true we aren’t scoring enough goals at the moment. “

Despite the fact that young Red Star Belgrade duo Dejan Stankovic and Perica Ognjenovic have impressed as stand-in strikers, the Yugoslavs’ best hope of cracking the Dutch defence may be their Brazilian-style free-kick specialist Sinisa Mihajlovic. The Sampdoria star scored the winner against Iran with a typical dipping effort and the only goal against the Americans followed another free-kick from the 29-year-old. Mihajlovic even managed to score an own goal from a free-kick against Germany.

That 2-2 draw, after the Yugoslavs had led 2-0, provoked the old criticism that they lack self-belief on the biggest stage. A glance at their World Cup record certainly reveals a consistent record of under-achievement in view of the quality of their players down the years. Semi-final appearances in 1930 and 1962 are all they have to show.

The same criticism can be levelled at the Dutch. Twice losing finalists, in 1974 and 1978, their achievements have never quite matched the sum of their parts. The team which swept to a spectacular victory in the 1988 European Championships failed miserably at the World Cup in Italy in 1990 and since then disputes between the coach and players and reports of racial divides have hampered their progress.

Coach Guus Hiddink’s current crop of players is as talented as ever but critics say they lack a natural leader on the field and their schizophrenic tendency was never more apparent than in Thursday’s 2-2 draw with Mexico. Like the Yugoslavs, they too had led 2-0 at one stage. ” In the first half we played very well and we had a lot of chances, “ Arsenal winger Marc Overmars admitted. ” But in the second half they came back strongly and we took things too easy. “

When they get it right, as in the 5-0 destruction of South Korea which followed their opening 0-0 draw against Belgium, the Dutch are irresistible. With Overmars’ clubmate Dennis Bergkamp fit again, the likes of Ronald de Boer, Edgar Davids, Philip Cocu and Clarence Seedorf dictating the midfield and the giant Jaap Stam a rock at the back, they undoubtedly have the players to win this World Cup.

First, however, they must pick their way through the Yugoslav defensive web on Monday. It is a truly mouth-watering prospect and Petrovic speaks for everybody when he says: ” It’s a great pity that one of these two great teams will have to go home after this match. “