Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy will operate as the lone striker when the Netherlands face Germany in their first Euro 2004 Group D match on Tuesday, coach Dick Advocaat announced.

"Van Nistelrooy is the best choice for the team. He has proved in the past that he can score at the top level. None of the four strikers really impressed me during the training sessions and the friendly matches we played, but I believe Ruud is a real match player," Advocaat said on Thursday.

"I think this team functions best with players out wide on the flanks. I tried other schemes during the friendlies but playing with two central strikers did not work out so well."

Van Nistelrooy's role in a 4-3-3 formation with midfielders pushing up to the flanks means Patrick Kluivert will be relegated to the bench and the decision has also angered Bayern Munich hotshot Roy Makaay.

But team captain Phillip Cocu supported the coach's solution as the Dutch attempt to overcome strife within the camp - van Nistelrooy declared earlier in the week the side wasn't good enough to win the trophy - and rebound from the 1-0 defeat against Ireland in their final friendly last Saturday which saw the 1988 Euro champions booed off the pitch.

"Yesterday during the training session we played a match and it felt so much more comfortable," Cocu said.

"It is hard to understand why the combination between Kluivert and van Nistelrooy didn't work out. I think it bothers them too and they can't explain why it just won't work."

Meanwhile Dutch injury concerns eased with both Chelsea-bound winger Arjen Robben and midfielder Andy van der Meyde resuming training.

Lively left-winger Robben, who is being touted as one of the brightest prospects in the game, had been troubled by a niggling hamstring injury, but he came through a training session unscathed on Wednesday.

Inter Milan's van der Meyde tweaked a hamstring during a morning training session but after treatment was able to practice with the full squad on Wednesday evening.

"It was nothing serious, just a little tension I felt," van der Meyde said. "I just do not want to take any risk certainly if the coach decides to play wingers again because that increases my chances of playing."


I don't know but i don't like the idea pf leaving Maakay on the bench

Originally posted by dannyeli
None of the four strikers really impressed me during the training sessions and the friendly matches we played

WTF?:| Makaay's been in sensational form for Bayern, which is more than can be said for Ruud

Originally posted by henry#14
WTF?:| Makaay's been in sensational form for Bayern, which is more than can be said for Ruud

Excuse me?

Ruud scored 30 goals in all competions in the last season.:rolleyes:

I'll be fine with either of them up front, but with my bias as a United supporter I would want van Nistelrooy to play that role.

Its a tough choice between Makaay and van Nistelrooy, i just hope whoever plays gets the job done.

Originally posted by manutd4eva
Excuse me?

Ruud scored 30 goals in all competions in the last season.:rolleyes:

really? i thought it was less. anyway didn't Makaay score more?

Why van Nistelrooy:kader: Put Makaay (Y). We're doomed anyway, we can win from Latvia, but Germany and Czechs, nah. We'll lose

Originally posted by henry#14
really? i thought it was less. anyway didn't Makaay score more? Hehe I think he scored 31 goals. :D


Remember that there are 38 games in the EPL and only 34 in the Bundesliga. :)

Originally posted by henry#14
WTF?:| Makaay's been in sensational form for Bayern, which is more than can be said for Ruud

he said during the friendly matches and training. not during the season

I agree with Dick !:D :hump: Neither Ruud nor Roy Makaay can play well with someone else up front along with them so just try them by themselves! I do not feel that it is easy to choose between them but a rotation maybe teh only option. Ruud agaisnt Germany and then Roy Makaay against the Czechs as those are the two big ones. If it were me, I would play it safe and go with both guys upfront! But I also see the logic in Dick' s statements!

If there are problems in the Dutch camp then they have no hope of moving out of the Group of Death:kader:

Originally posted by -Vince-
Hehe I think he scored 31 goals. :D


Remember that there are 38 games in the EPL and only 34 in the Bundesliga. :)

remeber that the EPL has tougher opposition and Fergie left Ruud on the bench alot of the games.

Originally posted by Spurs4Life
remeber that the EPL has tougher opposition and Fergie left Ruud on the bench alot of the games.
Blablablabla whatever

Makaay missed the first two games and needed a lot time to score his first goal.

The teams from 4 up to 18 of both leagues are about equally strong.

You know de Vries and Hasselbaink would be better.

Well, from the strikers Netherlands have there, if i were to start a team with only one i would pick Van Nistelrooy.

Why Ruud???

Netherland has Makaay,Hasselbaink,Pierre van Hooijdonk......

And he's better than all of them in my opinion. If you look at his Man Utd record of matches played and goals scored in all his seasons with the Old Trafford club you'll see that he's got class.

He had an pretty average season but for me he's still the best of the lot, and even though i'm saying this, i hate him with a passion.

they should put van Hooijdonk up there (H)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/euro_2004/holland/3793393.stm

He had better say that!

Why are ppl that have noone to support going for holland?

Because we rock. (H)

BTW Choosing between Makaay or Van Nistelrooij is quite easy for me. If you were to look at them scoring goals, there's nothing between them. But especially when we're going to play 4-4-3, it's important to keep defending in mind. Ruud will always chase players and win you some balls, while Makaay is the kind of player whom you don't notice for 88m out of 90.

Originally posted by Mikey
Why are ppl that have noone to support going for holland?

I've been a Holland supporter for years, so no reason why I should change.

(:/) Me too... why change now ?

Originally posted by mhflierman
BTW Choosing between Makaay or Van Nistelrooij is quite easy for me. If you were to look at them scoring goals, there's nothing between them. But especially when we're going to play 4-4-3, it's important to keep defending in mind. Ruud will always chase players and win you some balls, while Makaay is the kind of player whom you don't notice for 88m out of 90.
exactly (Y)

I have no team to support in Euro, so im going for the team closest, Sweden.

Many still support netherlands because of van Basten and Gullit, I guess.

Originally posted by mhflierman
Because we rock. (H)

BTW Choosing between Makaay or Van Nistelrooij is quite easy for me. If you were to look at them scoring goals, there's nothing between them. But especially when we're going to play 4-4-3, it's important to keep defending in mind. Ruud will always chase players and win you some balls, while Makaay is the kind of player whom you don't notice for 88m out of 90.

Since when was Holland allowed twelve players on the pitch? :confused:

(H)

didn´t you know that van der Sar is also called a playing goalkeeper ? (H) ;)

Originally posted by ::Jason::
Many still support netherlands because of van Basten and Gullit, I guess.
or Rijkaard :taz:

http://home.t-online.de/home/psychiatrie/rijkaard_90voeller.jpg