RIO DE JANEIRO -- Journalistic clichés demand that the Dutch camp at big tournaments is always described as "incredibly relaxed." It would be nice to reveal the very different, much more disciplined reality behind that stereotype at this World Cup but within a couple of minutes at the Estádio da Gávea -- the decommissioned, rather ramshackle former ground of local team Flamengo that the "Oranje" use for their training sessions in Rio -- you just know that there's no point to dig any deeper.
The press officer has her two small children (complete with shopping bags) in tow. One of the team officials is mingling with reporters and up in the stands, former greats like Ruud van Nistelrooy, Youri Mulder and Aaron Winter chat away happily to journalists and some random observers that the Brazilian security detail at the gates seem to have waved through. Add some (confirmed) stories about late night dinners in town and some (unconfirmed) tales about even later partying to the mix and you're left with the unmistakable feeling that the Dutch don't seem to feel the pressure at all at this tournament.
It was the same in South Africa. The "Elftal" were based in Sandton, Johannesburg's tourist and business district, and were seen happily frequenting shopping malls and restaurants with ordinary punters for five weeks straight. That laissez-faire approach paid off, in a fashion, during their surprising run to the final; then, the likable underdogs sadly turned brutes in an effort to muscle Spain out of the game at Soccer City.
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Friday's meeting with the holders in Salvador sees a repeat of the 2010 final but no one's mentioned the word "revenge" yet in the Dutch camp. If anything, the Spaniards might still have more reason to feel aggrieved, despite winning the game (more of which later). But you sense that there isn't that much confidence in the Netherlands team to come up with big statements of intent, either.
"There's no running away from the fact that the Spanish are better than us right now," admitted Nigel De Jong, he of the infamous kung-fu kick to Xabi Alonso's midriff. "We have to accept that and think how we can best battle them, even if the methods of the Dutch School might not be suited to that".
The "Dutch School" stands for free-flowing, attacking football with wingers. Louis van Gaal's Netherlands, however, look as if they will be lined up in a 3-5-2 with two (defensive) wing-backs and the gouden driehoek (golden triangle) of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie. Those three are the international stars in a national team that used to be a byword for individual class. Not any more.
That van Gaal is set to play Robben as a striker next to van Persie tells its own tale. There is simply no equally gifted winger in the squad to allow the Bayern Munich player to fit in his more natural position. "It's a risk to play this way," Johann Cruyff has warned. "We grow up playing with two wingers in the Netherlands." But what is van Gaal to do?
The upshot of the lack of depth in attack is probably better togetherness within the squad. Don't expect any of the traditional tussling for places in the starting XI in Brazil. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Schalke 04 is the only high-profile player (of sorts) who won't feature against Spain. De Jong could have some competition from Feyenoord's Jordy Clasie for the spot next to Jonathan de Guzman in midfield, but the rest of the side basically picks itself.
Tellingly, all the survivors of 2010 -- van Persie and Robben excepted -- have moved to smaller or less successful clubs since 2010. They are being supplemented by some young talents from the Eredivisie as well as players from Turkey and mid-table Premier League teams.
You could say that this side is in transition. A more honest appraisal? The triangle up front owes a good part of its golden sheen to the uninspiring material behind it. Kevin Strootman would have made a difference at the heart of midfield in that respect but the Roma player misses out due to injury. All told, it's hard to think of a Dutch team with less pulling power than this outfit, and they surely know it. Former players like Ronald De Boer and Ronald Koeman have said that they'd be happy if the team made it out of the difficult Group B (Spain, Chile, Australia).
"Expectations are pretty low back home," Mulder told ESPN FC. Aesthetic considerations -- once the Dutch's key concern ahead of actual results -- have taken a back-seat to the hope that they will somehow muddle through and improve on the disastrous Euros two years ago.
Unlike Bert van Marwijk's chaotic side in the Ukraine, van Gaal's men seem to know exactly what they can and can't do. It sounds counter-intuitive, but being aware of their own limitations has probably reduced the pressure further and made them more relaxed than they would otherwise be. As such, the Dutch go into this tournament with a quiet confidence that borders on humility.
"I have learned to keep my mouth shut and let my feet do the talking," de Jong said, "sometimes silence is the best remedy". Even the always outspoken van Gaal seems to have vowed to tone down the volume. The Bondscoach reportedly apologised to Sneijder in private after shouting at him in training.