Champions League Final Supports Dutch World Cup Hopes

The UEFA Champions League final is just over a week away, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off a couple weeks after that.  Many of the conventional giants that have come to dominate the UCL over the past decade have fallen by the wayside.  This year's rather unlikely final is to be a contest between Bayern Munich and Internazionale. 

It is perhaps notable that the two teams are both lead by players who were cast off by Real Madrid during last summer's free spending "new Galacticos" era.  And now, Real Madrid, along with Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea and AC Milan have been knocked out of the competition.

However, Madrid's former "flying Dutchmen," midfielder Wesely Sneijder and winger Arjen Robben, are all in.

Having both been deemed surplus to requirements pending the arrivals of Messrs. Kaka, Benzema, and C. Ronaldo, the Dutch duo have both enjoyed spectacular seasons, Sniejder at Inter, and Robben at Bayern.  And to a certain extent it's hard not to see the joke as being on Real Madrid.  Especially if they fail to catch Barcelona in the down-to-the-wire race for the Spanish title.

This particular final's implications for the Netherland's chances in this summer's World Cup are intriguing.

The last time Internazionale was in a Champions League final, they lost to Johan Cruyff's Ajax.  It was just around that time that Cruyff's Netherlands side spectacularly reached the 1974 World Cup final, only to lose to Germany.

Since then the Dutch have reached and lost another World Cup final and won a European Championship.  However it's impossible not to feel that they have largely failed to live up to their potential over the years.  David Winner's very entertaining book, Brilliant Orange , goes so far as to ascribe the Netherland's failures to something inherent in the Dutch psyche.

However, when you consider the character of two men who, discarded by one club, drag their new clubs all the way to a UEFA Champions League final, you have to wonder if perhaps the Dutch psyche has come of age. 

Now, neither Inter Milan or Bayern Munich are one-man-shows.  Both teams have shrewd, experienced managers and are relatively solid from top to bottom.  But ask yourself honestly if you think either team would have reached this final without the contribution of Robben or Sneijder?

Now, imagine them both being on the same team with Robben Van Persie and Rafael Van Der Vaart flanking them. 

Van Persie missed most of Arsenal's season due to injury.  Upon his returning the Dutch striker has appeared impressive and in excellent form.  But more than that, he seems hungry.  Perhaps hungry to make up for the months spent on the injury bench. 

Rafael Van Der Vaart, one of the few Dutchmen to remain at Real Madrid, has seemingly fought hard to maintain his position at the club.  In spite of that, he has enjoyed a good season and at times has even outshone Kaka. 

To say that the Dutch team's attack is formidable is almost an understatement.  With all due respect to David Winner, this Netherland's side seems like a team lead by men who are driven by a hunger to win.