Surprised to be brought in as Guus Hiddink’s assistant for the Netherlands’ UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying campaign, Ruud van Nistelrooy told UEFA.com he was looking forward to giving the Oranje the benefit of his experience.
The former Manchester United FC and Real Madrid CF striker scored 35 goals in 70 appearances for the Netherlands from 1998 to 2011. However, he was as surprised as anyone at his sudden return to the national team as assistant coach, where he will link up with Hiddink after the Netherlands’ 2014 FIFA World Cup adventure.
“It was a surprise call from Hiddink,” he told UEFA.com. “I wasn’t really expecting anything like that, but when a job like that comes by, it’s an honour. Working with Hiddink, with his experience, for me, starting out as a coach, it’s fantastic. Spending two years with him, with the Dutch national team, trying to help players improve – it can’t get any better.”
One of Van Nistelrooy’s tasks, of course, will be to improve the Netherlands, though he insisted his brief was not just to help out the strikers. “I’ll be an assistant coach, so I’ll be helping everyone, together with Danny Blind,” he said. “I can use my experiences – how to deal with pressure, how I prepared, how I did things, situations that occurred – but that’s general things that I can share with any player.”
His expertise is attacking, but Van Nistelrooy knows that means he can teach defenders a thing or two as well. “I played against many defenders, and I can explain what I found annoying,” he said. “So in that sense I hope it can work out in different angles.”
Drawn against the Czech Republic, Turkey, Latvia, Iceland and Kazakhstan in Group A, the Netherlands will not have an easy ride as they bid to make it to the first 24-team UEFA European Championship, in France. “Obviously, now the first two go directly to [the finals] so the chances to qualify are increased; the Czech Republic and Turkey, I think, are the strongest, along with Holland, in the group.”
Aposentado há apenas dois anos dos gramados, depois de passagens de sucesso por Manchester United e Real Madrid, Ruud van Nistelrooy está prestes a assumir uma nova função. Depois da Copa, ele será auxiliar de Guus Hiddink no comando da seleção holandesa. O ex-jogador, de 37 anos, revelou ter sido surpreendido pelo convite.
“Foi uma chamada surpresa de Hiddink. Não estava mesmo nada à espera de algo assim, mas, quando surge uma oferta de trabalho como esta, é uma honra. Trabalhar com Hiddink, com a sua experiência, para alguém como eu, que está iniciando a carreira de treinador, é fantástico. Passar dois anos com ele, com a seleção da Holanda, a tentar ajudar os jogadores a melhorar… Não podia ser melhor”, comentou o antigo artilheiro, em entrevista ao site da Uefa.
Hiddink irá suceder Louis van Gaal, que vai comandar a Holanda na Copa do Mundo. O acordo inicial com a federação holandesa é o ex-treinador de PSV Eindhoven, o Real Madrid e o Chelsea ficar à frente da seleção holandesa até a Eurocopa.
“Serei um dos auxiliares, pelo que ajudarei todo mundo, assim como faz o Danny Blind (auxiliar de Van Gaal). Poderei usar a minha experiência, (ensinar) como lidar com a pressão, como me preparava, como fiz as coisas, situações que aconteceram. Mas essas são as coisas em geral que poderei partilhar com qualquer jogador.”