Dutch coach van Marwijk cuts three from World Cup squad
Posted Sunday, May 16, 2010 by BBC.com
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has trimmed his provisional World Cup squad from 30 to 27 players.
PSV Eindhoven forward Otman Bakkal and midfielders Wout Brama (FC Twente) and David Mendes Da Silva (AZ Alkmaar) were all omitted.
Van Marwijk made the decision ahead of a training camp in Austria.
The travelling party is missing Champions League finalists Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich) and Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan).
The coach said that he believed the balance in his squad was now better.
Vurnon Anita survived the cull with Van Marwijk talking up the chances of the Ajax left-back.
"He is versatile, fast, aggressive and dares to attack," he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
"He can play right-back as well for example.
"We have some problems in certain positions. [Giovanni] van Bronckhorst is not yet fit while [Khalid] Boulahrouz and [Edson] Braafheid have had little playing time and are lacking rhythm."
Earlier in the week, van Marwijk omitted former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from his 30-man squad admitting he had doubts over his injuries.
The striker, 33, hoped he had done enough to prove his fitness during a loan spell with Hamburg this season.
Netherlands coach Bert van Marwijk has trimmed his provisional World Cup squad from 30 to 27 players.
PSV Eindhoven forward Otman Bakkal and midfielders Wout Brama (FC Twente) and David Mendes Da Silva (AZ Alkmaar) were all omitted.
Van Marwijk made the decision ahead of a training camp in Austria.
The travelling party is missing Champions League finalists Arjen Robben and Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich) and Wesley Sneijder (Inter Milan).
The coach said that he believed the balance in his squad was now better.
Vurnon Anita survived the cull with Van Marwijk talking up the chances of the Ajax left-back.
"He is versatile, fast, aggressive and dares to attack," he told Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.
"He can play right-back as well for example.
"We have some problems in certain positions. [Giovanni] van Bronckhorst is not yet fit while [Khalid] Boulahrouz and [Edson] Braafheid have had little playing time and are lacking rhythm."
Earlier in the week, van Marwijk omitted former Manchester United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy from his 30-man squad admitting he had doubts over his injuries.
The striker, 33, hoped he had done enough to prove his fitness during a loan spell with Hamburg this season.
- Tag:
Photos
More»
Rhian Sugden's sexiest pictures
Saturday April 20 2024
Fans love Apollonia as she poses in tiny denim shirts
Saturday April 20 2024
Eugenie Bouchard sends fans wild in barely-there bikini
Friday April 19 2024
Your Say