For the Dutch national team, even losing beautifully is a distant memory these days

The Dutch have always seemed so progressive with their open-minded ways, their opinions, the encouraged debate, the deep thinking. But nothing stirs such a sense of romanticism and intrigue as the country's soccer team.

It's almost 50 years since greatness was first glimpsed on a cold December evening in Amsterdam. Local club Ajax faced English champions Liverpool in a European Cup tie in 1966 and blitzed them 5-1. Before that, no one in Britain had heard of the oddly-named side from the capital. Afterwards, it was a different story.

Soon, they were the dominant force in Europe, sweeping everything before them and racking up three successive European Cup victories in the early 1970s. But they did it with a style and sophistication, a new revolutionary way of playing that would later be dubbed totaalvoetbal. The players were effortlessly cool and in Johan Cruyff, the team had its star player, its matinee idol, the leading man. He played the role to perfection and was even the subject of a 1972 documentary by Maarten de Vos. Cameras tracked his balletic ways on the field in slo-motion cinemascope and gave him a platform to outline his strong beliefs on how soccer should be played. The Dutch side was more than a mere soccer team. It was a philosophy and everyone fell in love with it.

But it was so out-of-sync with the times. The era of romance and love was long gone. This was the time for suspicion, ruthlessness, robustness. And inevitably, the Dutch succumbed to that. In 1974, they thrilled at the World Cup, just like everyone had hoped. Just like the bright yellow and blue of Brazil four years before made such an impact, now the brilliant orange shirts of the Dutch said much about their way of playing – it was vibrant and colorful. And then the dream died. In the final, West Germany beat them 2-1. The ideal had been crushed. But there followed a generally-accepted Dutch belief that the defeat mattered little, that success had been achieved through the greatness of the team and what they represented. The loss was devastating but beautiful. It became mythical.

Ever since, it's been a constant theme in Dutch soccer. There was another World Cup final loss in 1978. Twenty years later saw another beautiful defeat – a World Cup semifinal against Brazil. But the penalty shootout loss meant little. Keeping the Dutch logic, the magical goal scored by Dennis Bergkamp in the quarter-final win over Argentina was a thing of wonder. It was a moment to savour. It was a gift to the masses. And just like 1974, it was enough.

Even last summer, the Dutch lost a World Cup semifinal on penalties. But what made up for it was the unlikely and sparkling, shimmering victory over Spain. Robin van Persie's exquisite diving header was just another picture-perfect moment to add to an impressive list of isolated magnificence.

In 1988, there was a brief reprieve from the losses and the Dutch won the European Championships with Marco van Basten conjuring an artistic, balletic, Cruyff-like volley against the Soviets in the final. They had another iconic moment but also a trophy, a high-profile win. But it was very clearly the completion of the cycle. Michels, the man who conceived totaalvoetbal and executed it for the first time at Ajax before then coaching the national team at the 1974 World Cup, was back in the dugout to steer the side to success. There was a spate of superb strong-willed and gifted individuals just like 14 years before. It was another golden generation. And for quite a while, it reverted to type - the Dutch were competitive, highly enjoyable at times but ultimately lost when it mattered most.

But ever since Louis van Gaal traded the national team for Manchester United just over 12 months ago, the national team has descended into chaos. There is no more beautiful losing. It's just losing now.

Within the last week, the Dutch have reached a new low as their attempted qualification for next summer's European Championships descended into farce. Firstly, there was the embarrassment of defeat to Iceland – a country of 329,000 people. Days later, as the minnows were securing their passage to a first major international tournament after a draw with Kazakhstan, Holland were dealt a further humiliation by Turkey. The 3-0 defeat sent reverberations around Europe. The result leaves the Dutch in fourth place in Group A, two points from a playoff place with two rounds of fixtures left. They are now relying on other teams slipping up for them to potentially sneak into Euro 2016 through the back door.

No one saw this coming.

At the World Cup, van Gaal orchestrated something that was a sort of throwback to the days of Michels and Co. There was eye-catching entertainment (at least in the opening game) and clever tactical tweaks along the way (the game-winning changes in the round of 16 clash with Mexico and the memorable goalkeeper substitution just prior to the penalty shootout against Costa Rica). But there was also the manager's ability to coax performances from some unlikely places.

The Dutch arrived at the tournament with a depleted side and huge concerns over the quality of the team. Van Gaal ripped up his rule book and played with a three-man defence, Arjen Robben as a striker and persisting with the under-inspiring Wesley Sneijder as a creative influence. Sometimes, the veteran Dirk Kuyt was a fill-in defender. Somehow, it all came together – perhaps, in hindsight, a testament to van Gaal's coaching nous or, alternatively, perhaps it was an ageing group delivering one, final big effort.

Whatever the reason, right now the same collection of players seem unable to dig deep anymore. The veterans are exhausted (van Persie), injured (Robben) or invisible (Sneijder). The youngsters have seemingly regressed rather than improved. Against Iceland, Bruno Martins Indi was sent off and later heavily criticized by Robben and his coach, Danny Blind. It made sense. In time of crisis, the Dutch do disharmony better than anybody.

Blind, a former Dutch captain, was parachuted in as team manager after Guus Hiddink was sacked earlier this summer. The veteran, who coached Holland previously at the 1998 World Cup, had overseen three defeats from six qualifiers. It was not good enough. Still, the decision to bring in Blind looks increasingly bizarre. A leader on the pitch, he's been a consistent deputy off it. In the background, comparatively, ever since retiring from playing, he was an assistant to Hiddink and clearly wary of stepping into the spotlight again ever since a difficult spell in charge of Ajax between 2004 and 2005. But initially, in spite of his inexperience, he had been lined up to take the reins post-Euro 2016 and is well-liked and supported by the KNVB, the Dutch governing body.

It's hard to see what the immediate future is for the national team, though. Certainly, there are some reasons to be optimistic. Memphis Depay has all the ingredients to become a genuine superstar. And this qualification campaign should clear out the fading stars of previous years and allow others get a chance to shine. And perhaps with a new group, Holland will find an identity again.

But right now, they're lost and even the very-Dutch concept of losing beautifully seems a long way off.