Louis van Gaal has restored his reputation by leading the Netherlands into the World Cup finals, a decade after failing in the same competition with a highly-rated team.
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The 62-year-old coach delivered the Dutch to next year's finals in Brazil on Tuesday when they made sure of top place in Group D with a 2-0 win in Andorra - their seventh triumph in eight qualifiers.
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The success puts Van Gaal back among the coaching elite after he had to spend years rebuilding his reputation following the failure to qualify for the 2002 finals.
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Van Gaal had been expected to deliver for the Dutch in 2002 with a talent-laden team at the peak of their powers.
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They had been European Championship semifinalists in 2000 and included Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Edwin van der Sar.
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The team finished behind Portugal and the Republic of Ireland in their qualifying group, however, to tumble out in disappointing fashion.
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Van Gaal, who had built his name on multiple successes at Ajax Amsterdam and Barcelona, resigned after less than two years in the national team job.
With the help of Robin Van Persie and the rest of his team-mates, Holland fans should be rest assured that they have a strong squad!