Arjen Robben has said that the Netherlands will take to the field against Spain in their World Cup opener with a five-man defence.
Robben will be part of the Dutch side that begins the tournament against La Roja on June 13 in a rematch of the 2010 final.
AS reports the former Real Madrid man as saying he and the rest of the players spoke with Coach Louis van Gaal about the idea of playing a 5-3-2 formation and he believes it gets the best out of the squad at hand.
“After losing to France in March the Coach changed the system to 5-3-2,” the Bayern Munich winger revealed.
“We spoke a lot with him and we think it’s a good plan. I’m able to express myself in this system too.
“We’re still in the Dutch school of football but without being open in defence. I think it’s good for us.
“We’ve been practicing with the new system to get ready for Spain. We’re not worried.”
There has been a question mark over the involvement of another ex-Madrid midfielder, Wesley Sneijder, but Robben feels the Galatasaray playmaker should be included.
“I’ll always say yes. Not just because we’re friends but because he fits in with our game plan against Spain,” Robben added.
