Van Heertum brimming with Oranje optimism

Johan van Heertum has conceded that his side been drawn "in the most difficult group" at the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship but after eliminating the reigning champions France in the second qualifying round, the Netherlands coach has cause for hope.

Van Heertum's charges' reward was being drawn in Group B with Germany, Norway and Spain. "Germany are the strongest team of all and Norway and Spain are also very good," said the 45-year-old. "They are all coming here to go all the way, or at least qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. It's the more difficult of the two groups but hopefully we can give a good team performance and get good results in this pool."

The Netherlands scored 33 goals in six qualifiers, including a 1-1 draw with group rivals Norway in the first qualifying round. They registered a record-equalling 11-0 victory over Lithuania in the second qualifying round, and even a last-day defeat by France could not knock them off top spot.

"We're looking forward to the finals," said Van Heertum. "It's the second time in two years we have qualified. We played very well, especially in the second qualifying round and in other friendly games, so I hope we can do the same in the finals. We'll see."

Last season the Netherlands bowed out unbeaten in the last four after a penalty shoot-out defeat by England, another side who failed to qualify for the tournament in Italy. But the absence of such footballing heavyweights merely reflects the intensity of the competition, according to Van Heertum.

"The teams that are here have all proven that they are the best eight in Europe this year," said the 45-year-old, who replaced Jordan-bound Hesterine De Reus last September. "To reach the finals you need good team performances. Teams like England, France or Sweden are very strong but the teams who are here did better than them. The best eight are here."

Such optimism was further buoyed by the Jong Oranje's 3-0 victory over Italy in March's La Manga tournament. "It's a very important tournament and every team always fields their best lineup. If you look at our game against Italy, the result was OK but so was the way we played. Of course it gives you no guarantee of what it will be like in the finals but we were certainly satisfied."

With strikers Lieke Martens and Ellen Jansen scoring eight and seven goals respectively in qualifying, confidence is high ahead of the opening match against Spain on 30 May. A top-two finish in Group B would see them through to the semi-finals; earning a place at next year's U-20 World Cup in the process.

"Of course every team would love to qualify [for the World Cup] because it would be another great experience after this tournament," Van Heertum said. "Playing games like these helps players improve, in a better, faster way. They can reach the highest levels quicker, so it's very important for them."