Dutch dominance

It took Ruud van Nistelrooy just 10 minutes on Saturday to make the kind of impact Hamburg were hoping for from the Dutch striker when they bought him from Real Madrid in the January transfer window. The former Manchester United star came on as a second half substitute in Hamburg's game against Stuttgart and with the score at 1-1, van Nistelrooy struck in the 75th and 77th minutes to seal a 3-1 victory for his new team.

The imposing Dutch forward was supposed to be a spent force when Hamburg rescued him from an increasingly frustrating spell with Spanish giants Real. Despite winning two league titles with Madrid in his three-and-a-half seasons with them, and scoring 46 goals in 68 appearances for Los Blancos, the latest galacticos policy at the Santiago Bernabeu left van Nistelrooy out in the cold and surplus to requirements.

"Depending on how he's used, Ruud can still be a sensation and will do very well in the Bundesliga if he's used smartly and is allowed his rest," said Jan Roskott, Dutch soccer correspondent for The Offside.com.

"His biggest strength - in my view - is his focus and his mental strength. He's a real killer. The thing with Ruud is, his scoring ratio is high. Hamburg play offensive football, so if Ruud gets four chances to score, he'll convert at least one of those chances. He's also a real team player and he allows others to play better. I'm not sure if he has 40 games or more in him, though, but if he remains fit, he could well have another good three years in him."

Bundesliga helps Robben rediscover frightening flair

Another Dutchman who was frozen out at Real Madrid only to find a warmer welcome in Germany is Arjen Robben. The Dutch winger struck again at the weekend in Bayern's 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund to bring his season total for Bayern Munich to eight goals in 14 games.

Robben has been a player transformed in the Bundesliga since arriving last summer. He performed fitfully at Real and rarely produced the kind of displays which convinced Madrid to pay Chelsea 25 million euros ($34 million) for his services in 2007. The former PSV Eindhoven flyer scared the living daylights out of English defenses in his three seasons in West London and the speed, directness and hunger for goals which punctuated his Chelsea career seem to have been rediscovered at Bayern.

"Dutch players have the benefit of being very familiar with German football, German culture and the German language," said Kai De Graff from Dutch soccer fanzine Dagelijkse Voetbal.

"They fit in pretty seamlessly into the way of life which always makes the transition to a new club and league easier. Dutch players are very intelligent and have great knowledge of the game, which makes them adaptable. Although Dutch football is a lot about finesse, they also thrive in physical leagues like Germany. I think they're also quite technically gifted and when allowed to play can show great skill. The Bundesliga is a league which gives such players space and time to be creative."

Dutchmen flourish in their home from home

This seamless integration into German soccer for Dutch stars has seen a host of top players grace the Bundesliga stage in recent years. Bayern fans will fondly remember the four seasons that Roy Makaay led the line, scoring 78 goals in 129 games for the Bavarian giants and helping them to a number of titles.

Meanwhile, before the current crop of Dutch stars at Hamburg, HSV supporters may look back with misty eyes at the silky skills of Rafael van der Vaart, the obstinate defending of Khalid Boulahrouz (now at Stuttgart) and the classy midfield marshalling of Nigel de Jong.

Players benefit despite lack of total football ethos in Germany

The Dutch became famous for developing and executing the concept of total football, a tactical approach in which any player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team. With no player fixed in his nominal role; anyone can be successively an attacker, a midfielder and a defender thus retaining the team's intended organizational structure.

While German teams find strength in the rigidity of roles within their tactical structures, this doesn't seem to stifle Dutch stars. In fact they tend to excel by using their individual talents in their preferred role.

Jan Roskett believes the Dutch prosper mainly because of their desire to win and play good, attractive soccer. Systems and formations are just a means to an end.

"For decades, the Dutch School - ball possession, dominance, attacks via creative wingers, full backs pushing up, players taking over other positions - was synonymous with a 4-3-3 formation," said Roskott.

"But a line-up system is just a series of numbers and doesn't say anything about the intent. The Dutch School normally means: playing dominantly and determining the play. This was how we played football for years. The ultimate proof of a successful system is results. The Dutch are happy if they can get the result with good football, attractive attacking pass-and-move play which results in prizes - which is what the Dutch School was all about anyway."

Author: Nick Amies

Editor: Chuck Penfold