Quote:
Former Holland coach Louis van Gaal says Wayne Rooney cannot yet be considered a world-class player.
Van Gaal believes Rooney and England can learn from Holland during their friendly in Amsterdam on Wednesday.
"I think tactically English players can learn from Dutch players," the AZ Alkmaar boss told BBC Sport.
"Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are among the best players in the world (but) Rooney still has a lot to prove internationally."
Van Gaal, who managed Holland from 2000 to 2002, admits he was disappointed with England during the World Cup.
"England could have played in a more offensive and creative way with the players they had at the World Cup - they were a bit disappointing," he said.
However, only the coaches of Germany and Argentina succeeded in working out their own vision on the pitch."
The 55-year-old says Marco van Basten - who has been Holland coach for two-and-a-half years - has also failed to deliver the attacking football he had promised.
"Holland are doing okay in their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, but I have not seen the dominant, attacking and creative football which has been promised by the coaches," he said.
And, although he thinks Holland's players are more tactically adept than England's, Van Gaal says Steve McClaren's men are "a step ahead" of their counterparts mentally.
|
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ls/6150466.stm
What is wrong with the Dutch? Earlier in the week Ruud Guillit was saying we could learn from Holland as well.
Yes England have underperformed over the years but so have Holland. Last WC we only made the 1/4s, the Dutch went out in the 2nd round, in Euro 04 we went out in the 1/4s and them the semis while at the 2002 WC we went out at the 1/4s again but the Dutch failed to qualify.