A week that began with fears and foreboding news on five key players seems poised to end for the Netherlands on something of a high note. The arrival on German soil of the Dutch squad yesterday certainly appears to have coincided with encouraging developments on the condition of the Marco van Basten's injured players, with all five reporting significant progress as they work their way back to full fitness.
Rafael van der Vaart, the longest-standing of all the Netherlands' injury worries, trained with the squad for the first time on Wednesday morning, and the sight of Kew Jaliens and Giovanni van Bronkhorst taking part alongside the Hamburg midfielder was just as encouraging, particularly as both declared themselves "100 per cent ready".
Of the other two, who trained separately, Phillip Cocu has assured his manager that he will be fit in time to face Serbia and Montenegro in their tournament opener on 11 June, while Wesley Sneijder – all but written off after limping out of Sunday's 1-1 friendly draw with Australia – admits his own initial pessimism has given way to genuine belief. "I really thought that the World Cup was over for me," admitted the Ajax midfielder. "Now I feel a lot better. In two or three days I will be back to normal."