2. Holland
The Dutch are one of the biggest enigmas in football, with no World Cup triumphs despite being home to some of the world's greatest talent. They came spectacularly close in South Africa in 2010 where they were narrowly edged out by Spain in the Final in Johannesburg, but fell at the final hurdle, and were not able to make amends for their failure in Euro 2012, where they ended bottom of their group without winning a single match. They then followed that disappointment by winning their World Cup qualification group at a canter, dropping just two points in the entire phase, drawing once with Estonia and not losing a single game. The Dutch team that turns up next year then is anyone's guess, with a poor record of fighting between them over the years, the tournament could go either way for the Oranje. In Robin van Persie they have an in-form deadly striker, and a wonderful blend of youth and experience as always through the entire squad. Whether they will challenge for the top honours or not remains to be seen, but Louis van Haal's team are sure to be a handful. Aside from 2002 where they didn't qualify, the team have always managed to qualify for the second phase of every competition since 1990, meaning they present a stiff test for anyone in the group stage.
Nick Turner
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Began writing about football aged 16, I've previously worked for Goal and I'm currently writing for Inside Spanish Football. Specialise in anything linked, connected with or involving football!
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