New Dutch generation march on

Runners-up at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™, the Netherlands stormed through qualifying for Brazil 2014, racking up nine wins and a draw and scoring 34 goals in the process whilst conceding only five. So how come so few experts tipped Louis van Gaal’s side prior to the tournament?
Now that Group B is complete, the question seems more mystifying than ever. But if the Netherlands were previously overlooked, even by those back home, expectations have risen rapidly over the last few days.
Arjen Robben has been wreaking havoc up front, while Robin van Persie has been deadly in front of goal. The squad’s most famous names have made a huge contribution to a perfect World Cup campaign of three wins from three games. But there is much more to the Dutch success than just the team’s experienced stars. A new generation of talented players is emerging, winning one game after another and waiting for the world to sit up and take notice.
“People usually just look at the star players and don’t consider the team as a whole," midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum told FIFA.com. "Plenty of teams have more famous, perhaps even better players than us. But what everybody forgets is that this is a team game. We’re playing well, and we’re playing as a team,” added the 23-year-old, who was given his first start by Van Gaal for the 2-0 win over Chile in Sao Paulo.
The new generation is a long way from becoming as well-known as its predecessors, with ten of the squad still playing their club football in the Netherlands, including Memphis Depay, who scored in his first two games in the tournament.