Dutch suffering identity crisis

Victory is the great redeemer.

Ugly football will be tolerated — perhaps not by everybody but at least by enough people — so long as it is winning football, but when there is ugliness without success there is nothing.

Even when Bert van Marwijk took his Dutch side to the final of the World Cup, there were gripes, those who felt his ‘broken team’ with its six defenders and three creators and Dirk Kuyt dashing about between them was a betrayal of the Dutch tradition.