Makaay in awe of Marwijk

Published: 30 Jun 2010 - 14:30:03

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Former Dutch striker Roy Makaay has hailed the impact of Holland coach Bert van Marwijk on the current squad ahead of the World Cup quarter-final with Brazil in Port Elizabeth on Friday.

Makaay played under Van Marwijk at Feyenoord before he retired at the end of the season and the 35-year-old believes Holland are the equal of Brazil while giving a lot of credit to his former boss too.

Makaay said: "Van Marwijk is an outstanding coach. He's very calm and collected, he knows exactly what he wants, and he communicates that directly to the players."

He added: "The Dutch qualified for the quarter-finals very comfortably. They've been in no trouble at all in any of their matches - and they can still play a lot better too.

"They know there can only be one target this time, which is winning the World Cup - but I rate Van Marwijk as one of the best coaches I ever had."