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With the Dutch, things are never straightforward. Before Wednesday’s Euro 2004 game against Latvia, one squad member rated their chance...

With the Dutch, things are never straightforward. Before Wednesday’s Euro 2004 game against Latvia, one squad member rated their chances of reaching the quarter-finals as one in five. Following their 3-0 victory, the Netherlands were installed as second favourites to win the tournament.

Coach Dick Advocaat was jeered by the vast Orange Army of fans inside Braga’s stadium before the match against Latvia and a first round exit would almost certainly have cost him his job. But the evening had a happy ending as the team finally clicked. Now the question is: Will the Dutch be sufficiently galvanised to land the country’s second

European title?

Or will this thoroughbred squad’s campaign again be knocked off course by bickering and disunity?

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“We showed that we can play really good football and if everything works out we can beat anyone,” said Jaap Stam. Advocaat took the Dutch to the 1994 World Cup quarter-finals in his first spell in charge and he has been badly wounded by the reaction at home to his tactical choices.

The hardest part of his job was “keeping the squad and team together” after the devastating defeat by the Czechs, he said.

To their credit the players on the field responded with Ruud van Nistelrooy, Edgar Davids and the reinstated Frank de Boer leading by example against Latvia.

With more than a little help from the Czechs, who beat Germany 2-1, they are still in there fighting.

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But the problem with having a multi-talented squad is that everyone believes they should be in the team.

Striker Patrick Kluivert’s post-match comments that Advocaat deserved his rough treatment from the fans cast a shadow over the victory and partially explained why Advocaat avoided the team’s celebrations on the pitch. Generally the squad’s mood was upbeat, however.

“We will have a little party and then concentrate on Sweden,” said forward Andy van der Meyde. Whether or not Advocaat remains in charge after Euro 2004 remains in doubt. He said the criticism in the aftermath of the Czech defeat had pushed him close to the edge. “It all went much too far. When people talk about stoning and hanging you, I don’t find that normal any more.” Against Sweden, Advocaat will achieve a milestone that will mean a lot to him.

It will be his 54th match in charge of the national side, one more than his former mentor Rinus Michels.

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Michels won the European title in 1988. One can only imagine how much satisfaction Advocaat would get if, come July 4 in Lisbon, his multi-talented jigsaw of a team won it again. (Reuters)