Arnold Muhren, who helped theNetherlands win the European championship in 1988, said onWednesday that the new Dutch generation can repeat the formersuccess. In the early seventies Muhren was part of the Ajax squad thatreigned Europe and after spells at FC Twente, Ipswich Town andManchester United he returned to Ajax at the age of 34. Three yearslater he put the crown on his career by becoming European championswith the Dutch national team in 1988, at the age of 37. "I must say I am one of the few to have played with such greatplayers," Muhren told Xinhua. "At first the generation with JohanCruijff, Piet Keizer, Johan Neeskens and others. Later I had theprivilege to play together with Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten,Frank Rijkaard. When I returned at Ajax the club had a very younggroup. Dennis Bergkamp was one of them at a certain moment. Hecould have been my son. To you see these boys grow up gives anenormous satisfaction, that I have contributed to theirdevelopment." "In 1988 we had a combination of players who all had somethingextra," Muhren declared. "If you want to have a good team, you needa good balance and that's what we had. We had great defenders, withbacks Berry van Aerle and Adri van Tiggelen who was actually notplaying on his favorite position, but we did a great job. And FrankRijkaard, who I think was actually the best player at the EuropeanChampionships. While Marco van Basten was the most obvious with hisgoals, I found Frank was the best player. We had a midfield witheverything in it, the toughness of Jan Wouters, the running abilityof Erwin Koeman and forwards who could decide matches. The team wasactually a great team with different characters but also a teamthat was full of balance. I think that was the power of that team." Muhren is positive about the chances of the current team. "Theyhave proven themselves by reaching the World Cup final with playerswith extra quality," he said. "And that they still have thosequalities. In the Netherlands we always think we will do well in abig tournament, whether it is a World Cup or a EuropeanChampionship. The Netherlands is always confident that it can winsomething. This was the case a few times. In particular, in 1978 wehave been close, last time in South Africa we have been close andof course in 1974 as well. There appears to be quite some talent inthe Netherlands. In such a small country, we can be proud of that." "Of course we are not alone now. Spain and Germany also have goodteams," Muhren concluded. "It is important that we stay fit. Weoften talk about the big four, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie,Arjen Robben and Rafael van der Vaart. Actually they do not playthat often together. Always one or two are missing, due to injuryor whatever reason. You must be at full strength for a chance towin a tournament, like we were in 1988. The boys remained fit, theboys who made the difference remained fit. Now the Netherlands yetagain have a few that can make the difference. If they stay fit, wehave a very big chance to win a tournament." Special Report: Euro 2012. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Cob Led Downlight , Dimmable Led Candle Bulbs Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Led Candle Light Bulbs.
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