A squad packed full of talent, but will Holland fall short against at World Cup 2010 in South Africa?

Brilliant Orange: Rafael Van der Vaart takes on World Cup holders Italy during an international friendly

Holland's World Cup record: 1934 1st rd, 1938 1st rd, 1974 RU, 1982 RU, 1990 2nd rd, 1994 QF, 1998 4th, 2006 2nd rd.

How Holland qualified for World Cup 2010: European Group 9 winners.

The Coach: Bert van Marwijk (Dutch, 57). Appointed: Aug 2008. WC experience: Player: None. Coach: none.

Lambertus "Bert" van Marwijk played for the Dutch national team. In 1982, he began his transition into coaching, retiring as a player in 1988 and becoming a full time coach. In 2002, he won the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord.

The Country: So much talent, so little aptitude. The Dutch won 2-1 away to Iceland to become the first European side to qualify for next summer's tournament.

Goals from Nigel de Jong and Mark van Bommel - the manager’s son-in-law - put van Marwijk's team in the driving seat before Kristjan Orn Sigurdsson pulled a goal back. Van Marwijk said: "My goal was to qualify for the finals so now we have a year to prepare. Winning six straight World Cup qualifiers deserves a compliment."

Indeed, and the Dutch appear to be rising again. And if Holland have underperformed at recent major tournaments, it has not been due to a shortage of talent. Rather, as those involved will testify, the Dutch have tended to lack the consistency and dogged determination that generally separates champions from also-rans at these intensely competitive international events.

As captain Giovanni van Bronkhorst, formerly of Arsenal, admitted: "When you have a big tournament with all the best teams, you have to be on top form in every single match if you're going to win. We saw that at Euro 2008, when we played really well but had one bad game against the Russians and were knocked out. That's got to be a lesson for us in South Africa."

Telegraph verdict: Qualification was a breeze for a nation that so often under-achieves. Coach van Marwijk has riches at his disposal, and youth also, while the return of van Bommel alongside Nigel de Jong has added steel and experience even if, as England exposed in August 2009, the defence can be suspect. Robin van Persie could be the star of the tournament even if the Dutch will, probably, ultimately fall short.