The trip to Amsterdam was a great day – in both the town and at the Amsterdam Arena. In the morning a tour of the stadium was always going to be a good experience seeing the history of the club and a greater insight into Dutch football.
Following the tour was the trip into Amsterdam which included a boat trip: perhaps not something everyone was too keen on although I’m sure some of us learned something.
Moreover, being amongst everyone in the middle of the city was also very strange and it wasn’t we were expected. If I had the chance I would have liked to have stayed longer in Amsterdam.
The game in the evening was just as good as the rest of the day, being part of the atmosphere and having the chance to watch top flight players in Dutch football, something we couldn’t have done back in the UK.
In particular I was very impressed by the striker of PSV, Lens. He made all the right runs and create so many dangerous opportunities, maybe one to watch out for.
The next day was very chilled with a single session in the day again working on playing the Dutch way in preparation for the Germans.
In the evening we had a visit from Steve McLaren which was unbelievable and a good learning experience as we got the chance to ask questions like “What are the first three things you search for in a footballer?” these are the type of questions that are of good use to us all.
I certainly agreed and though it was very interesting to hear how Dutch football has helped him become a better coach.
