Netherlands Final Squad for World Cup Football 2010

The final 23-man Netherlands squad for the World Cup Football 2010 has been announced recently. The only surprise is the exclusion of midfielder Orlando Engelaar who was a key member of the Dutch squad in Euro 2008.

Coach Bert van Marwijk named 6 forwards which seem to be surprising. There are 7 defenders including captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst and 7 midfielders in the squad, besides 3 goalkeepers. There are 14 players called up from the foreign leagues with Bundesliga being the biggest contributor with 6 players. There are 5 players who are currently playing in English Premier League.

In the defense, Marwijk called up 4 centre defenders in Ooijer, Heitinga, Mathijsen and Boulahrouz. There are two players for the left back position: Bronckhorst and Braafheid, while Gregory van der Wiel is there as the contender for the right back position with versatile Heitinga being a back up.

Holland midfield will be led by Bayern Munich’s Bommel and Inter Milan’s Sneijder. Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart are the attacking-minded players, while Bommel, Jong, Zeeuw and Schaars are there to play the central role. Versatile Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Afellay can play the attacking role in the middle as well as on either of the two wings.

Led by Arsenal’s Robin van Persie, the Dutch attack boasts of quality players like Arjen Robben and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. There are also two talented but underachieved strikers in Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel. Young Hamburg striker Eljero Elia ensures quality of the bench.

Here are the members of the final Netherlands squad for FIFA World Cup 2010:

Roles	Players
Goalkeepers	Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Michel Vorm (Utrecht), Sander Boschker (Twente)
Defenders	Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Feyenoord), Gregory van der Wiel (Ajax), André Ooijer (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Everton), Joris Mathijsen (Hamburg), Edson Braafheid (Bayern Munich), Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart)
Midfielders	Ibrahim Afellay (PSV Eindhoven), Stijn Schaars (AZ Alkmaar), Demy de Zeeuw (Ajax), Mark van Bommel (Bayern Munich), Nigel de Jong (Manchester City), Rafael van der Vaart (Real Madrid), Wesley Sneijder (Internazionale)
Forwards	Dirk Kuyt (Liverpool), Ryan Babel (Liverpool), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich), Eljero Elia (Hamburg), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (AC Milan)