Louis van Gaal has coached his last game as the Oranje manager and he left with a win. He led the transition from the generation that reached the final in 2010, to the bright youngsters that have graced us with their talent throughout this tournament. He stayed true to his style and his much criticized tactical choices, but he ended up as the 3rd best team of the World Cup.
Having lost 1-7 to Germany, Brazil’s morale was at an all-time low and it showed today. The Dutch took advantage of this and played comfortably without really being threatened and without being overly dominant. On top of that, van Gaal had the chance to make a nice thing and send in Michel Vorm in order to be the first team in World Cup history to use all of their 23 men. Let’s take a look at the final ratings from the Dutch:
GK, Jasper Cillesen: 7/10
Not a lot of work throughout the game. Whenever he was approached he was very secure. He was taken out to give Vorm some playtime.
DEF, Dirk Kuyt: 7/10
Good second half of the tournament for him, he became a regular and was a true wild card, helping out in different positions. He was good in defense and in attack.
DEF, Ron Vlaar: 7.5/10
Solid today and solid tournament overall. He could be of great help to any big club that is looking for a quality defender.
DEF, Stefan de Vrij: 7.5/10
One of the standout young players. Precise, strong and even threatening in attack, a complete package.
DEF, Bruno Martins Indi: 7/10
Good game from the Feyenoord player, he will be de Vrij’s partner for years to come.
DEF, Daley Blind: 7/10
Found a ball inside the box that David Luiz cleared poorly and scored the 2nd goal. Good World Cup from the AFC Ajax star. Had to leave the game because of an injury.
MID, Georginio Wijnaldum: 8/10
He increased in quality, involvement, creativity and leadership as the tournament went along. Once de Jong quits the team, the Oranje have a great replacement in him. He scored the last goal of the game after a great play.
MID, Jordy Clasie: 7/10
A good distributor. He knew exactly who to pass the ball to and set the tempo of the game. It was a welcome surprise to see him in the last two matches, as he gave us a sneak peek of his talent. He was also taken out because of an injury.
MID, Jonathan de Guzmán: 7/10
He put the ball inside the box that caused the 2nd goal. Very active overall and helped the team forget about Sneijder’s injury.
ATT, Arjen Robben: 7/10
Lethal in one of the very first plays of the game and caused a penalty that was actually outside the box. However, this isn’t his fault, but the referee’s choice. It wasn’t his greatest game, but it’s only fair for a player that gave everything for this team. He will be truly missed if he can’t make it to the next World Cup.
ATT, Robin van Persie: 6.5/10
Scored a penalty very early and gave the team a boost of confidence and brought Brazil down. Decent game from the Manchester United striker. He will also be missed, he was a part of a great generation.
Substitutes:
DEF, Daryl Janmaat: 6.5/10
Only had 20 minutes to help out the team, but he was secure in defense and even provided the assist to the last goal.
DEF, Joël Veltman: N/A
Very little playtime, but he will be a regular member of the Oranje.
GK, Michel Vorm: N/A
He played a few minutes because of van Gaal’s sweet gesture.
