The Class of 2007: How Holland's Youngsters Lost Their Way | Nouse
Nouse Web Archives The class of 2007: How Holland’s youngsters lost their way Page 1 of 4 News Comment MUSE. Politics Business Science Sport Roses Freshers Sport › News & Features Comment Varsity Roses College Cup Fantasy Football The class of 2007: How Holland’s youngsters lost their way Sean Cole examines the waning fortunes of the Dutch players that looked set for stardom after winning the U21 European Championships in 2007 Monday 4 June 2012 The Dutch side celebrating winning the U21 European Championships in 2007, Image: Antoon's Foobar via flickr Creative Commons Five years on from winning the under-21 edition of the European Championships, the Netherlands’ crop of promising young players, who took that tournament by storm, should be coming towards their peak. Instead, a mere eight have been capped, Ryan Babel, Erik Pieters and Hedwiges Maduro being the only ones to make it into double figures. Furthermore, with Euro 2012 fast approaching, just two of that winning squad have made the cut this time around, former under-21 captain Ron Vlaar travelling as backup centre half and Tim Krul as third choice keeper. The intention of age group football, and particularly the biennial under-21 European Championships, is to prepare future internationals for the rigours of tournament football. That the step up hasn’t been made by the majority of the Netherlands’ victorious class of 2007 is, in some senses, hardly surprising. The unpredictable nature of adolescent progression and the difficulties in making the transition to senior level mean a select few ever make it to the top.
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