Cruyff: Dutch stars failed to deliver

Johan Cruyff believes the Netherlands’ Euro 2012 failure is due to the disappointing performances of the team’s star players.

Bert van Marwijk’s side failed to progress from the group stages after losses against Denmark (1-0), Germany (2-1) and Portugal (2-1) in Group B, and the former Dutch star was quick to point his finger at the squad’s key men.

“Oranje’s downfall was mainly down to their sloppy build-up play, and the poor execution of the easy passes. Too many of the players failed to deliver at Euro 2012, and I’m mainly talking about the team’s star players,” Cruyff wrote in his column for De Telegraaf.

“If these kinds of things go wrong in midfield, the rest of the team suffer, too. Nigel de Jong, Mark van Bommel and Wesley Sneijder started in midfield, and they all play for teams that sit deep when they lose possession.

“This hurt the team, because their build-up play was never the way it should be when their opponents started to press.”

Netherlands’ next competitive game is a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Turkey in September.