Van Basten insists there is harmony in Dutch camp

HOLLAND coach Marco van Basten has played down reports of a rift in the camp between wide men Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie, which has threatened to re-ignite all the old tensions in the Dutch camp.

Instead, he insisted his squad remained united in the common cause.

“Harmony is very important to any team,” he said. “When you play football, you play it together. Everyone needs to have that clear in his mind. We have to do things together because we have no big stars and no big names such as countries like Brazil. We know team spirit and a willingness to remain in the group is key.”

Striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy is of the same opinion. Even though Sir Alex Ferguson claimed the striker was undermining team spirit at Manchester United during their infamous bust-up at the back end of the season, the striker insists he is loving life in the Dutch camp, where the atmosphere is serene.

“The spirit within the squad is great,” he said. “We have a fantastic bunch of players to work with. We have a lot of young lads who are making their debut on this big stage.

“We have worked so hard together over the past three or four weeks and everything has been really enjoyable.”

Van Nistelrooy believes Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure the most improved player in world football. The pair have come face to face in Premiership combat regularly over the past four seasons but do battle on the international front today when Holland tackle the Ivory Coast in Stuttgart.

“To me, Kolo Toure is the most improved player in world football,” said the Manchester United striker.

“His development over the last two or three years has been amazing. He is the quickest defender in this tournament and so strong as well. He is an extremely good player.”

Robin van Persie will be eager to make an impact after complaining about the lack of service he received against the Serbians.

“I know Robin quite well from our teenage years,” said Arune Kone, who moved to Holland three years ago, scoring an incredible 28 goals in two seasons with Roda JC before joining PSV last summer.

“He had huge potential then and he has worked hard to develop that talent. Holland are a bit like us in the sense that overall, their team is young but they also have some very good, experienced players like Ruud van Nistelrooy and Phillip Cocu.

“The football culture in Holland is very rich. They always try to play beautiful football. It is going to be an intense game and there will be a lot of pressure on us.”