Has the manager ever spoken to you about the Dutch talents Rafael van der Vaart en Wesley Sneijder. No that's not how it works at a club like Manchester United. The manager does not talk about these things to the players. He knows what he's doing. I read the names in the papers, but they haven't been mentioned by the club.
Do you think it's a shame that Arjen Robben has chosen for Chelsea? I don't quite understand it. He was guest for a day at Manchester United, I think he would have preferred to come to Manchester United, but when the clubs couldn't come to a agreement, he chose for Chelsea. As a player you have to decide which club is best for you. The boy shouldn't choose for money at his age. That will come. He's a big talent. Robben has a great attitude. He's not a little kid who will let himself get manipulated. He's a sensible lad, Robben should have had more patient.
Can Robin van Persie succeed at Arsenal? I'd think so. I enjoy it when I see the lad play, a great footballer. He can play some great football but playing for Arsenal is whole different story. Especially for someone who couldn't get in the first team of Feyenoord. Arsenal is a great team so he can play along easily. That's a big advantage. At Feyenoord he feels he's the best footballer there. And that might be true but you will have to perform every week. PSV would have been ideal for him. I will follow him with great interest in England.
Are you going to vent your frustrations of a disappointing season at Portugal? It wasn't a disappointing season. It was a decent season. Not a great season, but we have the FA cup and I'm the club's top goal scorer again. I'm looking forward to the European championships. This Dutch squad can do it and I'm sure of it. This squad for some unexplainable reason has a bad image. I don't understand it. Footballers should be judged by their skills and their performance on the pitch and not by their sunglasses or baseball caps. I always believe in this squad. Of course you have to be realistic. France has a greater chance and it will be difficult to beat the host nation Portugal. But we're not any weaker than Italy, England, Germany or Czech Republic. I'm confident about it.
Do you think Dick Advocaat's strategy is too defensive? I don't think he's a defensive coach, nor is he an attacking one. We are strong in our defence. Attacking wise we will have to bring on the right team. With our selection there are a lot of possibilities. We don't always have to play with attacking wingers, we can also play with two strikers. It depends on the opponent. We also do it at Manchester United, that works well. We play with Ryan Giggs on the left and Christiano Ronaldo on the right. A good team shouldn't have any problems.
Are you happy that Willem van Hanegem ( Dick advocaat's number 2) also extended his contract for the national team? I understand that a lot of people are wandering what exactly he does for the team. Well, he's very important. But you will only notice it when you're part of the team. He notices everything during training and matches, he has an eye for detail. He's an unique 'football know it all'. He can talk hours about football. That's why he adds a lot to the team. The combination with Dick Advocaat is perfect.
Are you going to start on the bench in Portugal? No absolutely not, I don't think that will happen. I'm not used to that. At Manchester United I'm always guaranteed of a place in the squad, but in the Dutch squad there's some serious competition. The manager can pick any striker. But I'll do anything to play every game. I'll show that I belong there. The Dutch squad is something special for me. Money doesn't play a role anymore, it's about pride. The attraction to the Dutch squad is massive. We have seen Holland becoming European champions. We want that too. Now we have a chance to acheive that. We really want it. The guys of 1988 are our role models. We get emotional during the national anthem and we look forward to the matches. It's also very nice in the hotel. The atmosphere is fantastic we really want to get a good result in Portugal.
Was it wise of the manager to move from the Veluwe ( forest location in Holland) back to the Hotel in Noordwijk? Yes I believe so. Louis van Gaal wanted us to stay at the Veluwe, but that was more a prison then a camp. It's much nice in Noordwijk. We have more freedome there, we aren't bad boys are we? We can train well there, have a walk on the beach or we could head in Noordwijk. That's much nicer. There's a nice coffeebar, where we chat about football. I think it was a right decision of the manager.
Is it still right to play international friendly matches? The clubs pay top salary's and get injured players back. These matches haven't been organised for the players. We are earning money here. We get a lot of TV money for the Dutch FA thanks to these matches. We have to make this money. Playing for the Dutch squad and the friendly matches are a must. Nobody is really happy with it. It's no good for the crowds, because it's never exciting. If you have to 3 days later play against Arsenal, Juventus or Real Madrid you always keep that in the back of you're mind.
After the Euros, on the 10th of July, you are getting married with you're girlfriend Leontien Slaats. Will this turn out to be the ultimate media circus? I'm afraid so. I know it's going to happen and I can't do anything about it. We want to get married in Geffen, we could have gone to Las Vegas, but I wouldn't want that. I hope the people of the tabloids respect this. Everyone can come to Geffen, but in the Church and party's only the invited are welcome. I have hired in some men to organise this. That was necessary because the tabloids are very creative these days. Nothing surprises me these days. Thanks to the mobile phone it's all gotten worse. Everyone has a camera in their pocket now. The tabloids are mad about them. You get big money if manage to photograph celebrity's with your mobile phone. The papers are full of bust-ups and very private stories.
Do you wish to live back the way of a normal civilian? Absolutely, but you don't hear me complain. As player of Manchester United you are public property, but in daily live people just leave you alone. At the station everyone wants you're autograph and a photograph of you. I don't have a problem with that, I enjoy it, and I know it's not for long. Recently I had to do something for Nike with Marco van Basten. And I noticed that he can just walk through the streets. I thought that was great and then I knew that I could also be Ruud van Nistelrooy again. Portugal is just in front of us, and I'm also looking forward to the world cup in Germany and I still have a few years of Manchester United in front of me and then it's over. Time really flies.
Interview translated by RVN10.com's Dutch Translator : Steven Edited by : Weita
Voetbal International (Page 2)
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