Rafael van der Vaart states that there is no such thing as the ideal bench seat during a final tournament. The 109-time international of the Dutch does acknowledge that a selection should not have ‘rotten apples’, but in his column in the Telegraph also note that a top player will never sit on the bench with a good feeling.
The importance of harmony in the group of players and of ‘player number twelve to 26’ is emphasized by many national coaches. Van der Vaart can’t do much with it. “The role of the bench sitters is sometimes overestimated,” the analyst writes in his column. “I think it’s trainer’s language. You shouldn’t have bad apples in the selection, not even in Qatar. But believe me, whoever sits on the bench hopes that his competitor is doing less and that he will come in himself and make the difference .”
It is therefore difficult for Van der Vaart to imagine that there are players who sit on the bench with a different feeling. “If you don’t think like that, you’re not a top player. Real top players have self-confidence and believe they’re better than their competitors. Anyone who is close to a starting spot doesn’t hope that his competitor is successful, does he? You want to be the man yourself. European Championship in Poland and Ukraine in 2012 I found it really difficult to start from the bench because I had a very good season at Tottenham.”
The former attacking midfielder, who played on behalf of the NOS will be present in Qatar to analyze the matches, thinks that a period with the Dutch national team can do a player good. “I always loved the Dutch, it was almost therapy for me. Everything was really different. I hope for the Ajax players, who are not hitting a marble now, that they also experience the Dutch this month. In the Netherlands you have a different quality to you around, but also a completely different atmosphere. You feel that from minute one when you enter the the Dutch.”