http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,1563,1390218,00.html
Jol says Robben is the new Cruyff
Jon Brodkin
Friday January 14, 2005
The Guardian
Tottenham's head coach Martin Jol has described Chelsea's Arjen Robben
as a player as good as any produced by the Netherlands since Johan Cruyff,
before Spurs' game at home to the league leaders tomorrow.
Jol knows plenty about Robben, having been a coach in the Netherlands while
the winger was emerging at Groningen and then PSV Eindhoven, and implied
that his compatriot has similar talent to Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit,
among others.
"Johan Cruyff is a big phenomenon in Holland and I said three years ago that
Robben is a small phenomenon in Holland and he will be a big phenomenon,"
Jol said. "There are maybe two or three players as good in the last 20 or
30 years, so he's that good. In England you don't know what we think of
Cruyff, so when we say that Robben is a phenomenon it is worth something."
Jol has other Dutch internationals in his thoughts, too, having said that
Spurs are interested in signing Mark van Bommel from PSV and are monitoring
the talented young Ajax duo Rafael van der Vaart and Wesley Sneijder. Van
Bommel's contract expires at the end of the season so the 27-year-old
midfielder would be an obvious summer target.
"We are enchanted about Van Bommel," Jol told the Dutch magazine Sportweek.
"He is a midfielder that would fit in my team because we play 4-4-2 with
two central midfielders. He is a complete midfielder with overview, dynamics
and a good pass."
Jol also spoke highly of Van der Vaart, a 21-year-old forward, and Sneijder,
a 20-year-old midfielder. "Sneijder is a real football player with both feet
and an excellent pass," he said. "In a 4-5-1 Van der Vaart, as second striker,
and Sneijder would do well, while Van Bommel is versatile."
In his praise of Robben, Jol noted the 20-year-old's ability to cause damage
from both flanks but called him "the best left-winger in Europe". While
talking about wide men, he said: "He is the best player since Johan Cruyff
in Holland. I am not the only one who is saying that."
Jol regards Cruyff as the greatest footballer ever and was on a panel with
him which selected Robben as the best young player in the Netherlands two
years ago. Jol said he had never been able to tame Robben when he came up
against him as coach of RKC Waalwijk. "We didn't have any success against
him," he said. "We thought we were having success, say when we were leading,
and then he punished us.
"I think Robben was as good when he was 17 years old and he did the same
things as he's doing now. Everybody said when he was in Holland: 'Yeah,
but he can't beat five or six players in England.' But he's doing the same
now."
He accepts that Robben and Damien Duff will present a tough challenge for
his team. "These two are marvellous players, maybe the best in England
nowadays," he said. "There are a few things you can take in consideration
against them but you can't stop them because Robben will play on the left
and go to right. And then you think Duff will go to the left but he stays
on the right and you have both of them, so it's very difficult."
Jol hopes that Frederic Kanoute will be fit to face Chelsea after damaging
a hamstring. The striker trained yesterday and will be assessed today.
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