G
uus Hiddink
already has an
impressive World
Cup pedigree. He
took a disparate
and ego-filled
Netherlands
squad to the quarter-finals in the USA
in1994, and eight years later guided
an extraordinarily fit South Korea on a
fairy-tale run to the last four.
He also qualified Australia by
orchestrating an upset of Uruguay in
the qualifying play-off for a place at
the 2006 finals, and then got the
Socceroos past the first round in
Germany before a controversial loss to
Italy.
But, at the age of 74, the Dutchman
wants more and is attempting to take
the tiny island of Curacao to the finals
for the first time, aiming for a place in
Qatar next year, beginning the bid with
their opening qualifiers at home to St.
Vincent and the Grenadines and then
away in Cuba at the end of March.
Curacao are one of the seeded
teams in the first group stage, where
just a single round of matches is being
played, and their biggest threat will be
Guatemala, who they host inJune.
The group winner advances to a
play-off round. If they get through that,
there will be a final group stage, where
the likes of Mexico and USA are
already placed.
“That is going to be a difficult task,”
says Hiddink, “but we are going to do
everything we can to get there.”
Curacao are ranked ninth in the
CONCACAF region, who have three
and a half places at the Qatar World
Cup, and 82nd overall. Hiddink
believes they could reach the top 30.
It is a massive ask for a country with
a population just over150,000, but
the colonial ties with the Netherlands
means he could yet make a decent tilt
at it, with several players in the Dutch
youth teams possessing ancestral links
to the tiny Caribbean island.
“I thought it was really special when
I was asked a while ago. I’ve been
around the world a bit, but never in
this part of the world,” Hiddink said on
his first trip to the island in November
to run his eye over his squad.
Since then he has been to the
Netherlands, courting players hehopes can strengthen the team and
make realistic their chances. Patrick
van Aanholt was one such target, with
the Crystal Palace left-back called up
by Curacao in 2017 without playing,
although that opportunity ended in
November when he played in the
UEFA Nations League.Jurgen Locadia
however, formerly of Brighton and
Hove Albion, is expected to agree to
play for Hiddink.
Under former Netherlands striker
Patrick Kluivert, who managed the
team for just over a year between
2015 and 2016, Cardiff City’s LeandroBacuna and Columbus Crew
goalkeeper Eloy Room were enlisted,
having previously represented Dutch
youth teams, as was striker Rangelo
Janga, who now has11 goals in19
caps. Former Everton defender Cuco
Martina is the country’s captain and
most-capped player.
With one or two more experienced
additions, the team will have a realistic
chance of reaching Qatar, giving their
manager hope of yet another World
Cup trip.
Mark Gleesonfor his country and become the best
player in the world, but when he was at
his peak he was there or thereabouts.”
Rooney was so good, so young,
expectations for him were set at an
impossibly high level. In another era,
without the feats of Ronaldo or Lionel
Messi to be compared to, perhaps he
would have been more appreciated.
His managerial career has started
well, if unspectacularly, with Derby
slowly moving up the league. It is a far
cry from the job that former team-
mate Frank Lampard took in 2018,
when Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and
Harry Wilson arrived on loan.
In November, Mel Morris agreed to
sell the club to Sheikh Khaled, a
cousin of Manchester City owner
Sheikh Mansour, but at the time of
writing, the takeover has not been
completed. County players were paid
late in December and placed under a
brief transfer embargo as a result, while
Rooney has deferred part of his wages.
There are also problems on the
pitch - literally. Budget cutbacks and
poor weather has left the Pride Park
turf in an awful state, so slick, passing
football is out of the question for now.
Unlike his playing career, where he
was a world star from virtually his first
kick, Rooney faces a tough journey to
the top of the managerial world. But
he seems ready for the fight.
Jamie Evans
Hero...Hiddink
celebrates with the
South Korea players at
the 2002 World CupGuus Hiddink
Experienced coach bidding to reach
his fourth World Cup with Curacao
PEOPLE AND PLACES IN THE NEWSPEOPLE AND PLACES IN THE NEWS
It is a massive ask for a country
with a population just over
150,000, but the colonial ties with
the Netherlands means he could
yet make a decent tilt at it