Hummels: Netherlands were surprisingly defensive

15-Nov-2012 5:30:00 PM

The Borussia Dortmund defender felt Oranje didn't show many attacking intentions, and is eagerly anticipating the Champions League match versus Ajax

EXCLUSIVE
By Jesse Wieten

Germany international Mats Hummels was not impressed with Netherlands' defensive approach in Wednesday's international friendly at the Amsterdam ArenA.

The 2010 World Cup finalists allowed their opponents to dominate possession as they opted to sit back and try to hit Germany on the counterattack, and Hummels was quite surprised with Oranje's attitude in the scoreless draw.

"Netherlands didn't really put any pressure on us, and didn't think much about attacking," Hummels told Goal.com. "That was a bit of a surprise. Perhaps that's down to the fact that it was only a friendly game.

"Things would have been different had it been a competitive game. Both sides were pretty cautious, didn't take any risks, and hardly created any chances. It was not a good game to watch for the fans.

"We got two or three good chances before the break, but created little in the second half. Netherlands were a bit more aggressive after the break, but only got two chances as well. They did well defensively and looked dangerous on the counterattack."

The centre-back then looked ahead to Borussia Dortmund's Champions League match versus Ajax on Wednesday, and warned that the Eredivisie champions will not be pushovers.

"Ajax have a very strong team. A tough job awaits, but we want to grab at least a point in Amsterdam and make it to the knock-out stages.

"We are aware of Ajax's class. They are willing to take risks at the back even when put under pressure, and have plenty of quality in attack, too. Siem de Jong is a great player and so is Ryan Babel, even though he's injured now."

Dortmund sit atop of Group D with eight points from four games, while Ajax sit third with four points from as many matches.