Home > Sports > Football > Euro 2004 > Reuters > Report

Kluivert defiant despite losing Dutch place

June 14, 2004 01:14 IST

Patrick Kluivert took a thinly-disguised swipe at his team mates on Sunday as he reflected on losing his place in the Dutch starting line-up for Tuesday's Group D opener against Germany.

Kluivert, the record scorer for the Netherlands with 40 goals in 79 matches, has had a torrid season, suffering long-term injury, being told by Barcelona to find a new club and now losing his international place to Ruud Van Nistelrooy.

Coach Dick Advocaat has opted for the Manchester United striker to lead the attack in a 4-3-3 line-up with two wide men.

"Ruud (van Nistelrooy) played the whole season at Manchester United, so if Advocaat starts with him because he is in better shape then it is his choice," Kluivert told reporters.

"It leaves me with no alternative but to prove the contrary.

"That Ruud and I didn't work out together is not only our failure. Together we had to cover too much space and made runs of 50 meters, while I think our midfielders were supposed to do that."

Advocaat invited four players to discuss the tactical switch last week, although Kluivert was not one of them.

"The two strikers were forced to work hard in defence and then we simply did not have the power to be decisive up front," added Kluivert, who said his season had been disrupted by a knee injury sustained against Real Zaragoza in January.

"I have had a tough year and especially because I have never had long lasting injuries like this season.," he said.

"The toughest part is to get fit because coming in from the bench is not really my speciality.

"But now I feel good compared to the start of the training camp, but it's obvious my match rhythm is insufficient."

Kluivert's miserable spell could still end on a high, however, if he believes in history repeating itself.

At the 1988 European Championship Marco van Basten started on the bench for the first game, began the second and finished the tournament as top scorer to lead the Dutch to their sole European title.


Article Tools
Email this article
Top emailed links
Print this article
Write us a letter
Discuss this article



Related Stories


Forever Man U, says Nistelrooy

Smith completes Man Utd move

Real lose again, Man Utd win Cup









© Copyright 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.











Copyright © 2004 rediff.com India Limited. All Rights Reserved.