I think it's probably a combination of WW2, neighbourly rivalry and a long history of important losses against the German team. The only time that didn't happen was in '88, I think, when we got the EC. Hatred is probably too strong a word, that's why I used quotation marks. But there are always some dumb people speaking of "those %$&# Germans". Perhaps it's just fashion/learned behavior. There was actually an editorial on how "the Brazilians are the new Germans" on a popular news website, explaining how it's impossible to dislike the current German team who look just like the kids around the block, and how the Brazilians hadn't been able to live up to the "samba-football" and got so much help from player 12, "referinho".jimknopf wrote:Believe me, Van Persies goal will stay in German heads as well, just as some incredible Robben-moments.
There is sometheing weird about the German-Dutch relationship. While some years or decades ago many Germans were envious of the Dutch playing quality, meanwhile we have reached a stage where we Germans have a rather relaxed relationship towards our Dutch neighbours, and have no problems with the thought that everybody learns form everyone. Of course we miss no opportunity to tease and mock, but this all happens rather in friendly neighborship mode than by real envy or even hate meanhwile.
The other way round seems more difficult, perhaps because the Netherlands are a much smaller country and feel they have to prove to Germany that they are just as good despite Gewrmany being much bigger? Or is it still world war 2, after all this time in the next generations?
In the newspapers today, everbody, including Great Britain, Italy and Spain, besides Brazil and even some Argentine voices, applauded the German win as something well deserved and outstanding, while the Dutch newspapers acknowledged our win rather hesitantly and with a critical undertone (according to what I read in translation).
So what is it, Sander? I do not expect anything, I just would like to understand it. It leaves me a bit clueless.
The Netherlands often (not always) performs "above average" during ECs and WCs and we have been close to a win a few times now. Last WC we were in the final, this year in the semi-finals. That's quite a good performance for a country five times smaller than Germany (population-wise). We are the only country to have ever gotten so far so often (including ECs) yet not having won a WC ever. I think there's a lot of hurt there (all relative, it's "just sports" and all that). It just seems like very often when we are confident we have a real chance, the Germans are the ones to stop us.
It's a lot easier to tease and mock from the position of a four-time WC winner than to take it as a team that has lost the final and semi-final quite often
As for the newspapers, I haven't read any international ones, but the Dutch ones I've seen seemed fair. Not heaping praise but giving more of a factual overview of how the game went. All of them said Germany created more chances, was the stronger team and that Götze's goal after Schürrle's rush was great. They also said that it was a very different game from the one against Brazil and that the first few chances were for Argentina. Is that what you mean?
EDIT:
I actually have a few close German friends, I studied at the conservatory in Arnhem and I was the only Dutchman in my year, the rest was all German. Some still hang around over here and the drummer of my main cover band is one of them. So this is not the first time I have spoken about this and I have a close view of what it's like for a German to live in the Netherlands. Most of the time, it's fine
Driving around with German plates during a Holland/Germany final, not so sure
