“If you go onto the field with s*** in your pants, you might as well stay inside” – Robben offers advice to Netherlands women’s team before World Cup
Former Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robben has urged the Netherlands' women's squad to have a strong mentality ahead of the 2023 Women's World Cup.
Robben was a crucial part of the Netherlands' men's team which reached the final of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. He scored 37 goals for the Dutch men's national team in 96 appearances.
The 39-year-old former winger visited the women's team training camp in Zeist. In a video released by the team's official Twitter handle, the attacker can be seen asking the players to think positively ahead of games. He said:
“If you go onto the field with s*** in your pants, you might as well stay inside.”
“If you start thinking 's***, the World Cup final, maybe I'll never experience this again', then you're already wrong."
“You know what to do, you know what you are capable of. Because when you're this far in a tournament, you know what makes you strong. Go do that."
Robben then opened up about the losses he suffered in his own career. He talked about the national team's 1-0 loss against Spain in the 2010 World Cup final. He also suffered heartbreak with Bayern Munich in the Champions League finals in 2010 and 2012, before lifting the trophy in 2013. He said:
“How do you respond to that pressure? How do you deal with that?"
“Are you going to highlight it negatively or are you going to highlight it positively? I experienced that very well myself at the Champions League final, for example."
“At that point we had already lost it twice. If you lose it again, you become a bit of a loser who loses everything. I only had one thing on my mind: no matter what happens, we're just going to win today. That is really the most important thing.”
The Oranje will travel to Australia and New Zealand for the Women's World Cup, which kicks off on July 20.
Netherlands star insists they can win Women's World Cup
Paris Saint-Germain's Lieke Martens believes that the Netherlands' team is capable of winning the Women's World Cup. Speaking in an interview with FIFA, the 30-year-old claimed that the Oranje have what it takes to turn the dream into reality.
Martens said:
"Yes, you do dream about that. And I think it is very good that you keep trying to make that dream a reality."
“If we were to win, it would be complete. I would have won everything that I ever dreamt of winning. It will be a tough challenge, but nothing is impossible. I’m going to give everything I can to be as prepared as I can be. I also trust in this team. I just hope we can get into the flow.”
Martens was part of the side that suffered a defeat in the final of the 2019 Women's World Cup at the hands of the USA.
The 2023 Women's World Cup is set to begin next month in Australia and New Zealand. The Netherlands will begin their campaign on July 23 against Portugal.