Euro 2012: Dutch Defense Will Be Their Downfall Against Portugal

The Netherlands had high expectations coming into the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, but they are heading towards the most disappointing finish of any team at the tournament due to their dodgy defense.

In the first match against Denmark, Michael Krohn-Dehli blew by the Dutch defense to score the game’s lone goal. 

The back line regrouped after that and put together a decent showing, but they were completely lost in the team’s next match against Germany.

Despite subbing out centre-back Ron Vlaar for Joris Mathijsen, the defense still allowed two goals that featured poor effort from the back four.

The defense is not entirely to blame, as the midfield was horribly out of position as well. Bastian Schweinsteiger, who had loads of time to pick out Mario Gomez for both scores, assisted each goal.

As for the back line, they completely failed to track Gomez as he made his runs.

The defense seems to be regressing with each minute spent on the pitch. The Dutch and Germans had virtually equal statistics in terms of possession and shots, but the two lapses by Holland’s defense were the difference in the game.

Despite failing to gain a single point in the first two matches of the group stage, the Netherlands is still alive, but they do not control their own destiny anymore. They must defeat Portugal by two goals or more and have Germany defeat Denmark.

Given how awful their defense has been, it will be extremely difficult to maintain a two-goal margin against the Portuguese, who just exploded for three goals against the Danes. 

The Dutch team lacks balance, with significantly more talent in the attack than in the defense. Against lesser teams, their flaws are not as evident.

However, the team was placed in the “Group of Death,” and thus far, their opponents have done well to keep them out of the goal.

Heading into a game that will determine whether or not they continue in the tournament, the Dutch have an attack that has produced just one goal in two games, and a defense that looked far too shaky against the Germans.

Now, the team must either try to contain Luis Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo, or outscore them. Neither of these results seems likely given the form that the Netherlands is in. Holland will be the biggest disappointment at the Euros after a lackluster performance against Portugal that will result in an early exit.