Could the Dutch drop van Persie?

When you are the favourites, you play with pressure.

The contrasting ways the Netherlands and Germany handled that pressure on Saturday reinforced the ancient stereotypes about their football that we thought had become obsolete.

On Friday, Germany’s assistant coach Hansi Flick informed a press conference in matter-of-fact tones that Germany were favourites to win the tournament. He didn’t try to evade it, he didn’t laud Spain or any other team, he simply said that this pressure was something Germany had to cope with.

On Saturday, Germany’s young side proved that they’ve still got some of the resilience and determination that defined their title-winning teams of the past. Portugal knew that Germany are most dangerous on the counter-attack, so they played a stingy defensive game, sitting deep, letting Germany have the ball, and looking to release Ronaldo into the space behind.

Germany would have preferred Portugal to come out and fight, but they quickly adapted and set about breaking them down with relentless diligence. There was nothing very imaginative about Germany’s approach, and Joachim Löw will have been disappointed with the contributions of the wide attackers Lukasz Podolski and Thomas Muller. But Germany’s midfield kept the pressure on, Mats Hummels was outstanding at the back, and they kept slinging the ball in the direction of Mario Gomez. Eventually, Gomez made one count.

Ronaldo achieved little except to attract derision for apparently resculpting his hair at half-time. People like to abuse Ronaldo whenever he doesn’t score, but Germany deserved credit for shutting him down. Portugal’s approach probably set the template for how teams are going to play against Germany. Nobody wants to open up, leave gaps in defence and get battered 4-0. Germany, like Spain, will usually have to beat teams who defend very deep.

With one exception. The Netherlands are Germany’s next opponents, and their defeat to Denmark means they must beat Germany on Wednesday in Kharkiv, or risk a situation where both Denmark and Germany can qualify for the next round by drawing in their final group game.

If Germany’s performance against Portugal proved they are a true collective, the Netherlands’ against Denmark showed them up as a collection of individuals. This was almost the same team that displayed such toughness and defiance to fight their way to the World Cup final, that played so ruthlessly against Spain that many Dutch worried they had betrayed their values in the pursuit of victory.

On Saturday the team did not commit any cynical fouls, but they also did not show any of the unity that defined their performances in 2010. There was no link between defence and attack and precious little co-operation between individual attackers. The only thing Holland’s players had in common was anxiety.

They still would have won had Robin van Persie not produced his worst performance of the season.

This was not the van Persie we’ve been watching for the last 18 months; something was going on. The Anglo-Dutch football writer Simon Kuper suggested that van Persie was “psyched out by the presence of his enemy Wesley Sneijder. He feels Sneijder half-hoping he will fail, and that upsets him.”

Whether or not that is really the case, it was notable that Sneijder was the only one of the four attackers who performed. Arjen Robben, as ever, played for himself, shooting when he should pass and passing when he should shoot. Van Persie went to pieces, while Ibrahim Afellay was anonymous. It could be that the attacking unit is missing the selfless influence of Dirk Kuyt, who always serves the team and started every match in South Africa.

Perhaps Kuyt is no longer the player he was two years ago, but the Netherlands will have to change something for the Germany game. The temptation for Bert van Marwijk will be to drop van Persie for Klaas Jan Huntelaar, who was the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season. There is no time for van Persie to play himself back into form. Yet the decision to drop him would also be a risk. He remains the more accomplished of the two strikers, and none of Huntelaar’s 29 league goals came against the Dortmund or Bayern teams from which Germany’s defenders are drawn.

On Saturday’s evidence though, it will take more than tinkering with the formation and personnel for the Netherlands to succeed.

Germany now have the Netherlands right where they want them, and it’s hard to see the Dutch staying in the competition beyond Wednesday.