Van Bommel should quit

Dutch manager, Mark Wotte Cairo - Omar al-Banoby Dutch fans were in shock as they saw their national team eliminated from the group stages of Euro 2012. The Dutch ended at rock bottom of their group with zero points, after three losses against Denmark, Germany and Portugal. Arabstoday interviewed the Dutch manager, Mark Wotte,who now serves as a technical adviser for the Scottish Football Association, to hear his views about Holland's unexpected failure, in addition to his experience in Scotland and his future plans. Wotte (61) led Holland's under 21 team in 2000, then worked as an assistant manager for Louis Van Gaal when the latter led Holland's Olympic team in 2001. The Dutch manager has worked for Dutch, English and Arab clubs including Southampton (England), Utrecht FC (Holland), Ahly (Qatar) and Ismaily (Egypt). His name was listed among those who were nominated to succeed Hassan Shehata, as manager for Egypt's national team. Arabstoday: As a manager who has worked with many of  Holland's national team players, how do you explain Holland's early exit? MW: The main reason is that too many players have turned out to be world class stars in the last two years, and they started to lose their humility and team spirit. We didn't watch see them put up any fight to achieve the expected results of a team of their quality. This is the same problem that Egypt suffered after they won the African Nations Cup in 2010. Arabstoday: Do you agree that most of the blame could be directed at Holland's backline? MW: The Dutch defensive performance was poor in all three games, but we can't blame just the defenders because they weren't given any back-up from the midfield and the forwards. Arabstoday: Is Bert Van Marwijk (the manager) responsible for this failure? MW: I don't think so, Van Marwijk has done a very good job during the last four years. We have to remember he reached the World Cup final two years ago, but I think he needs to be firmer with the sluggish players in midfield and attack, who fail to do their defensive work. The next few games after the Euros will show how the Dutch team will respond to this frustration. Arabstoday: How do you assess the performance of the two starting forwards Robin Van Persie and Arjen Robben? MW: Robben didn't do well in the tournament, I think the loss of Bayern Munich (his club team) in the Champions League final is still having a negative effect on him. On the other hand, I don't think that Van Persie was that bad, he was just unlucky in his finishes, but he did well overall. Arabstoday: Many Dutch fans have asked for Holland's captain, Mark Van Bommel (35) to end his international career, do you agree with them? MW: Yes, we have seen clearly that Van Bommel is no more fit at an international level. Arabstoday: Is firing Van Marwijk the right solution to Holland's problems? MW: The problem is not Van Marwijk, he shouldn't be the one to take  the blame, the main problem was that the strikers did nothing to help the defence. Van Persie, Huntelaar, Sneijder, Van Der Vaart and Robben all didn't track back at all. Arabstoday: Will we see the Scots in World Cup 2014 in Brazil? MW: Scotland's group in the World Cup qualifiers is anything but easy, they have Belgium, Croatia, Serbia, Wales and Macedonia, but the Scottish team's performance is getting better in general, and I think they will have a chance. Arabstoday: What do you want to achieve for Scottish football as a technical adviser? MW: My goal is that Scotland will have a world class team in 2016, that means we have to work very hard with the under-16 and under-18 teams, as well as the Olympic team of course. The Scottish Olympic team has already defeated the Dutch one, while the youth teams have won against Italy, Serbia and Russia. I hope this means we will see a tough Scottish national team in the near future. Arabstoday: After parting ways with Ismaily, do you still follow Egyptian football? MW: I think about Egypt often, and I still have a lot of Egyptian friends, and I always ask them about the Egyptian football and what is happening in Egypt in general. Arabstoday: After losing at home to the Central African Republic, how do you assess Egypt's chances in qualifying for the ACN 2013 in South Africa, and the World Cup 2014 in Brazil? MW: The Egyptians were the African champions of 2006, 2008 and 2010, of course they are expected to qualify for both the ACN and the World Cup. Arabstoday: And what the Egyptians can do to boost their chances in qualification? MW: Bob Bradley (the manager) has to make the right mix between the experienced players and the young ones, in order to make a team which is ready for the next challenges, both technically and physically. Arabstoday: What about the financial problems between you and Ismaily? MW: Ismaily has to pay me $40,000 as per the contract between us, because they ended my contract before time, unfortunately the club's chairman Raafat Abdelazim doesn't respond to my emails. I hope that the Egyptian Football Association or FIFA will help reach a solution to this problem. Arabstoday: Could you return to manage an Egyptian team in the future? MW: Of course, I will welcome any deal from the Egyptian national team, or Egypt's bid clubs; Ahly, Zamalek and Ismaily. I would also work for any other Egyptian club, if they have the ambition and potential to compete at the highest level and play for titles, and I will always wish the best for Egypt and  Egyptian football.