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Haven't we met before?
Holland, Brazil common opponents in elimination rounds
Posted: Sunday July 05, 1998 12:38 PM
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Ronaldo and company will face a Dutch team that likes to attack as much as Brazil (AP) |
OZOIR LA FERREIERE, France (AP) --
With the Dutch once again in Brazil's path to
the World Cup title, coach Mario Zagallo sees more than history. He senses
destiny. "We cannot fight it," he said. "Destiny is inscribed. Our
destiny is the Netherlands
." Many Brazilians were gearing up to face South American rival Argentina
when fate and Dennis Bergkamp stepped in. The Dutch striker's last-minute
goal on Saturday snapped a 1-1 tie with Argentina and moved the Netherlands
into the Cup semifinals. It will be the third time Brazil -- and
Zagallo -- have faced the Dutch in a World Cup. The 66-year-old coach has
special reason to remember the first -- it was the only Cup he's lost in
five tries as player, coach or team coordinator. The year was 1974,
and defending champion Brazil drew the "Clockwork Orange" in the
semifinals. Johan Cruyff and company dispatched Brazil 2-0, and Zagallo, as
coach, was accused of underestimating one of the greatest teams of all
time. Twenty years later, the two met again in a quarterfinal game
that many considered the best of the '94 Cup. Losing 2-0, the Dutch battled
back to tie it 2-2 before Branco got the winner on a curling free kick just
inside the post. Zagallo, who was the technical coordinator in 1994,
has a lot of respect for the Dutch, and even picked the Netherlands as a
candidate to win it all. "They have a refined ball touch and great
inividual talent," he said. "It's impressive that they can lose a player
like [Marc] Overmars and not feel the difference." But beyond their
rivalry, the Brazilians have a special admiration for Dutch soccer
artistry. They speak reverently of the great Dutch teams of the '70s and
lament the slow death of "art soccer." Rinus Michels, a former Dutch
coach, recently was quoted as saying the two teams that showed the world
something new in soccer were his Clockwork Orange and Brazil's 1970 World
Cup champions with Pele, Jairzinho, Rivelino and Tostao. "I agree
completely," Zagallo said. "In 1970, we played beautiful football. In 1974,
it was exactly the same with the Dutch." Both teams had virtuoso
players in constant movement, a virtue that Zagallo tries to teach Ronaldo.
"They were players with a high IQ," he said. "They had to be
intelligent to understand what the coach wanted. To perform those
movements, any mistake would be fatal." For Zagallo, the "carousel"
conceived by Michels in 1974 was a high point of art soccer "It was
totally different from anything we've seen before or since," he said. "Even
the Dutch could never repeat it." Despite flashes of brilliance by
today's stars, that kind of soccer is gone for good, he says. "Today,
football is totally different," Zagallo said. "With the physical
development and the speed imposed, the spaces are minimal. Thinking has to
be a lot faster." "Today, the idea is not to let the other team
play," he added wistfully. "Back then, we played football."
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