Netherlands lost 2-3 to Austria and The defeat hurt more emotionally than in the classification because, beyond being first, second or third, They were already classified for the round of 16 before the match started. But the confidence with which they will face the next phase is at rock bottom. Koeman will have to do a great job of psychology…. but also make tough decisions. Because the Berlin disaster has claimed several victims to whom fans orange They will not see with the same eyes again.
The first and clearest, Veerman. Koeman got fed up in the 34th minute and took him off. The gesture of the player himself going to the bench revealed that he was not happy with his performance either. He lost 16 balls out of the 29 he touched (55% of them) and only made 9 good passes out of the 19 he attempted (47% correct). The trigger was a poor control that led to a dangerous Austrian play, but he had previously lost a ball due to tripping. “It’s a tough moment for Veerman,” Koeman admitted. “After seeing him play thirty minutes, I had to intervene. I saw him stumble, make passes… I can’t explain it. Being good with the ball is supposed to be his best quality.”he sentenced.
But he wasn’t the only one who pointed it out. Analysts and commentators in the Dutch media did not hesitate to highlight his poor performance. “It was horrible to watch him play”said Van der Vaart. Valentijn Driessen, one of the most influential De Telegraaf journalists in the country, was more forceful: “It was really dramatic for Veerman. I don’t think he will play again in this tournament or in the national team. Koeman can be very harsh in that sense”. It should be remembered that Koeman has a contract until 2026, after the World Cup. And he didn’t stop there: “The orange jersey is too heavy for Veerman. But also for Geertruida”.
The right wing of the Netherlands was a drain, and there the main culprit is Geertruida. But not only him, Also Malen, who is accused of not defending enough (and, furthermore, the one he had to put in sent him out). Xavi Simons was also criticized for the same thing. “Schouten was outnumbered several times. “Actually, I don’t know where to start analyzing,” Van der Vaart was heard saying on national public television.
The players were the first to criticize themselves. But even acknowledging their mistakes, they have something to reproach them for. Van der Vaart, who was commentating the match for USsaid after a few words from Van Dijk that the team “plays like it talks”, referring to the lack of forcefulness and “passion”. “I have no explanation at the moment. We are all responsible for this. If we want to achieve something in this tournament, we have to change”said the captain.
Schouten, one of those who also had his share of criticism, explained his point of view: “We didn’t apply the right pressure, so the field seemed very big. They made the most of it. Veerman’s change? We were all bad, the coach could have changed the eleven”. This midfield, usual for PSV, had a very bad time against Austria. Arnautovic and Sabitzer played at will behind him, focusing on the great distances that remained to be covered, as Schouten rightly said. The losses in the midfield before the tournament (Frenkie de Jong and Koopmeiners) led Koeman to have to resort to this new pairing and the result is not good.
After this result, Koeman suspended the training scheduled for this Wednesday. The Netherlands team will play a friendly behind closed doors at 12:00 against TSV Havelse, an amateur team from the Regionalliga Nord, the country’s fourth division. A game to recover sensations as quickly as possible… and perhaps to consider drastic changes for the round of 16 that will be either on Sunday or Tuesday.
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