Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Guus Hiddink Has Nowhere To Hide

Guus Hiddink might well be wishing he had stayed in his nice, safe job in Australia.  Then he would not be faced with the problem of coaching a team that has a realistic chance of banishing his home nation from the 2008 European Championship.

Obviously it will be Holland that start as well-deserving favorites to win the match.  Their form in every game so far has been first class—fast and accurate, they have staked a huge claim to the title.

But soccer tournaments are played match-by-match, and small, unexpected things can make a huge difference to the outcome.  Eric Abidal could testify to the truth of this, as it was his red card earned in the match against Italy that ensured his team would be heading home early.

Russia, like all the teams that Hiddink "adopts," have been steadily improving each time they take the field.  Opponents seem to under-estimate them, and then pay the price.

It is a team that includes at least three members of the Zenit St. Petersburg side that smashed Bayern Münich in the Champions League.  All three have played a starring role in this tournament so far.

Andrei Arshavin was unable to take the field in Russia's first two appointments due to being suspended.  But he made up for that by scoring a goal against Sweden in the third and most important game.

His Zenit team mate, Konstantin Zurianov, has played in all three games, scoring the match-winning goal against Greece.

Spartak Moscow striker, Roman Pavluchenko, has also been a decisive element in Russia's success, scoring two goals in three matches.

But even all this firepower may not be enough to help them get past a quality side like Holland.  Defeating unfancied teams such as Greece and Sweden is one thing, but here they face a massive task. 

Russia were valiant against Spain, but still easily defeated due to poor defending.
Judging by the awesome display put on by Holland when they faced Romania, the Russian goal keeper can expect to be given a solid workout.

Holland have the distinction of earning the highest positive goal difference during the Group Stage, and have a huge array of talent to choose from.

Key players so far have included Robin van Persie and Wesley Sneijder, both of whom have scored two goals, while no less than five of their team mates have also scored goals.

Yes, Russia has only a slim chance of victory, but still it is a chance.  That chance is largely due to one man: Guus Hiddink.  And surely even the man himself could not miss the sad irony of that.