A new chapter in Van Basten's soccer life
From stadium star to master tactician
Van Basten ended his illustrious playing career on the FIFA 100. He turned his attention to coaching, taking over as assistant coach of Ajax's youth team in 2003, and then assisting the team to win the league and cup in the reserve team. The following year, he took over as coach of the Dutch national team, which reached the 2006 World Cup final with 10 wins, 2 draws and 32 points.
Challenges and regrets of the Group of Death
In the final week of the World Cup, the Netherlands defeated Serbia and Montenegro, Cote d'Ivoire and Argentina in Group C, the "Group of Death", and accumulated seven points to advance to the eighth final as the second in the group. However, against Portugal, Van Basten's team lost 1:0 and failed to go further.
Selection Philosophy and Future Prospects
Van Basten's coaching style is very different from his predecessor, as he prefers to develop young players such as Ryan Babel, Heitinga, Sneijder and Huntelaar. He believed that too many stars would weaken the overall strength of the national team. After Euro 2008, van Basten left the Dutch national team and returned to Ajax in the same year. In Euro 2008, the Netherlands won all three of their group stage matches, but were unlucky to go out of the tournament in the quarter-finals with a 1-3 defeat against Russia.On July 1, 2008, van Basten became the coach of Ajax, before leaving the club, and in 2012, he moved on to become the coach of Heerenveen.
Coaching Career Review
This is an overview of Van Basten's coaching career. For more detailed stats and highlights, stay tuned to our website.
