'Pitbull' Davids Straining at Leash for Euro 2000 Glory
AMSTERDAM, May 18 (Reuters) - Four years after being sent home in disgrace from
Euro 96, Edgar Davids is tipped to be the Dutch side's most influential player at this summer's finals - and in a sense the image of the tournament.
A huge poster of Davids has been plastered on the Netherlands' tallest office building as part of the Dutch celebrations of Euro 2000.
Construction of the image, the size of the Statue of Liberty took a month to complete.
Davids is seen from the back and the front, creating the impression he is storming through the 150-metre tall Rotterdam office of insurer Nationale-Nederlanden.
The image shows panes of glass flying as Davids chases a football which has crashed through an adjacent 90-metre tower.
It is apt for a player who seemingly run through walls, building and flying glass to chase a football.
Johan Cruyff, the greatest of all Dutch players, once suggested the Netherlands' biggest failing was their occasional lack of will to win and their inability to fight back when behind.
Davids, nicknamed 'Pitbull', would probably argue with that.
His work rate, combativeness and tackling in the centre of the Dutch midfield is second to none.
Add to that the vision and precision to pick out runners in attack and the Netherlands have what other coaches can only dream of - a playmaker who battles.
Davids does not score many goals, but when he does, he does so in style. He opened his Dutch account against Yugoslavia in the World Cup in France, blasting in a winner in the 90th minute.
His second, in a friendly against Argentina, was just as stunning, but that game exposed Davids' weakness - a tendency to be dismissed.
Davids is no thug, but the simple number of tackles and his ferocious commitment make him vulnerable to red and yellow cards. Solve that weakness and Davids could prove the difference between a near-miss and a triumph for the Euro 2000 co-hosts.
The situation now is stark contrast to the last European Championships in England when the dreadlocked firebrand was expelled from the squad after criticising then Dutch coach Guus Hiddink and his relationship with some of the more senior players.
Two years later the prodigal son, distinctive on the field for wearing special protective goggles following surgery for the eye disease glaucoma last year, was back in the Dutch side, turning in some blistering performances at the World Cup.
Davids was named in a World Select XI at the end of France 98 and more accolades could be heading his way at Euro 2000 - provided he stays on the right side of the law.
