Holland’s 5-1 thrashing of Spain, the defending World Cup champions, yesterday might have come as a shock to most people but knowing Holland they play some fantastic football.

I’ve always said that if you sit back and let Spain play they are going to be all over you.

But Holland were in their face from the off and look what happened — they got five goals and that’s what you have got to do.

It was a big statement they made and anybody that is coming up against Holland now will have to watch out because it looks like they have come for the full month.

They are now in the driver’s seat in their group having beaten Spain and they are probably going to end up topping their group.

Three Holland players that stood out to me were centre backs Stefan de Vrij, Ron Vlaar and Bruno Martins Indi who I thought were superb. They looked really strong and solid and never gave the Spanish guys any room.

They were picking people up and marking and you have to do that against a team like Spain. You cannot let them roam all over the field.

I thought Holland had a fantastic plan and you have to take your hat off to their manager, Louis van Gaal, because it worked a treat.

I do not think Holland went into the match with the sole purpose of avenging their defeat to Spain in the previous World Cup final in South Africa because there are only one or two players still around that were in that team.

Most of the players are young and are looking to prove themselves, and what better way to do it than demolish Spain, which is unbelievable. Spain have not been beaten like that in decades.

However, despite losing, it is too early to write Spain off because in the last World Cup they lost their first game and still went on to win it.

You can finish second in your group and still go all the way, so you cannot write them of yet and they are too good.

As for Brazil’s 3-1 victory against Croatia, I think it was a big win for the hosts because they had to make a statement. I thought defensively they were a little suspect but they got the win and that is what you have to do in tournaments like this.

It is all about winning. It is not about what should have been or what could of been.

You have to get a result now and if you don’t then you could end up going home early. So for Brazil, they got exactly what they wanted, and that’s a win.

Some people might say Brazil were awarded a cheap penalty when Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura ruled that defender Dejan Lovren had pulled down striker Fred.

But you cannot do that sort of stuff in the box. People can complain all they want. But if it goes for you, it’s fine, and if goes against you, then it’s a bad decision.

Uruguay will be without Luis Suarez for their opening group match against Costa Rica today.

But they have Edinson Cavani and Diego Forlan so they should be okay.

If they do what they have to do they should be okay.

One person cannot stop the show and if you are in the World Cup you have to have reinforcements to come in take people’s places.

So I’m sure they will find someone to do the job and they should be OK.

Finally, I would like to thank the people that turned out for last week’s golf tournament at Port Royal, which was a fundraiser for an educational scholarship fund Somerset Cricket Club have set up in my name.

We had a fantastic turnout and we really appreciated that. Hopefully we can do it again next year.