Netherlands’ Amsterdam Nightmare Continues as France Show Deep Gulf in Class

AMSTERDAM ARENA, Netherlands — Sometimes a change of scenery can make all the difference. It worked for Turkey, decamping to Konya from Istanbul midway through their Euro 2016 qualification campaign and plotting an improbable course towards France.

Last week the Netherlands—the nation left (eventually vainly) clawing for scraps with Fatih Terim’s team in Group A behind Czech Republic and Iceland—took a leaf out of that particular book, seeing off the challenge of Belarus in Eredivisie leaders Feyenoord’s perpetually bouncing De Kuip home.

That win, topped off by a stunning strike by Tottenham Hotspur’s Vincent Janssen, was most welcome. Rotterdam, though, is Rotterdam, and Amsterdam is Amsterdam. Not forgetting, of course, that Belarus are Belarus and France are France.

The Dutch took the field in the capital against the losing Euro 2016 finalists having lost their last five matches straight in the Amsterdam Arena, a sorry and unprecedented sequence. The last time a Netherlands side avoided defeat here was in beating Spain in March last year.

One of the teams to beat them in that nightmare run were France back in March, in the days when Dimitri Payet was still a hopeful pushing for summer inclusion, before a stellar performance in this stadium helped the West Ham United midfielder to rocket up Didier Deschamps’ shortlist. A lot can change in six months, but for the Netherlands it can’t happen quickly enough.

Deschamps’ side were 3-2 winners seven months ago, but that scoreline was quite flattering to the home side; it reflected more the defensive caprices that would see Les Bleus mired in sticky disappointment just shy of the finishing line in the summer than any potential Dutch resurgence.  

As you take the escalators up the levels to the media area, large photos of national-team veterans light the way. There’s Johan Cruyff, of course, Ruud Gullit, Dennis Bergkamp, Arjen Robben (still with hair) and Robin van Persie. By the time you approach the summit, the faces are those of Jordy Clasie and Bruno Martins Indi. Good pros both but hardly as bright as the constellation that filled the sky before.

Much of the look of the squad available to coach Danny Blind is down to the tide of time. Van Persie, Nigel de Jong and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar are no longer part of the picture, and it’s time to let them go. With Robben’s injury difficulties in the past year, one wonders whether he might fall into the same category despite his brilliance.

The injury in the Belarus game to Wesley …

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