By Samindra Kunti
October 22 – The Dutch FA KNVB have appointed Henk Ten Cate as a special advisor to consider the future of Dutch football after a disastrous EURO2016 qualifying campaign that saw them fail to qualify for UEFA’s continental flagship event in France. They secured neither a top two finish or a play-off spot in their qualifying group.
The abject failure is a far cry from Holland’s semi-final run at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, when Louis Van Gaal made a modest squad perform to the best of their abilities.
The KNVB have reacted by appointing Ten Cate, who in the past worked for FC Barcelona, Chelsea and Ajax among others, as a special advisor, tasked with rethinking Dutch football. He will be joined by Lennard van Ruiven, KNVB coordinator of football development, and Edwin Petersen, KNVB U16 coach, and three other yet to be selected consultants.
“Henk Ten Cate has a decent track record, including as a youth coach,” said KNVB technical manager Jelle Goes. “He has worked at big clubs and knows what is required to get from the youth academies into a top [professional] dressing room. Henk has a clear vision.”
The Dutch football congress in December founded the Ten-Cate-led working group. At the time the congress dealt with the future of Dutch football and it projected the drafting of a new and conclusive report ‘The Dutch School 2.0.’
What this new Dutch school is supposed to look like, is subject of debate in The Netherlands among football administrators, former players, media, pundits and fans.
Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels decided that football was about the pass, other elements, such as dribbling, application and fitness were of secondary consideration. But Dutch football has taken the focus on a passing game too far, degenerating into a harmless play around its own box by both Eredivisie clubs and the national team, according to statistical research by journalist Michiel de Hoog and data analyst Sander IJtsma.
The Dutch style has become “sterile domination”, a term coined by Arsenal Wenger, referring to a situation where a team has ball possession, but doesn’t threaten. “Holland is world champion [of] passing sideways and back,” commented Cruyff. “The buildup is currently the weakest aspect of our game.”
The working group will present their conclusions next year in May.
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