As Oranje gears up for their crucial qualifier in Warsaw, Ronald Koeman delivered a press conference that underlined a clear theme: balancing immediate results with long-term development.
Youth on the Rise
Koeman again introduced a couple of new names to the senior squad setup and made no secret of his excitement. Previously, he wanted to see Sem Steijn and Mexx Meerdink in the mix (the latter had to leave the camp due to the debilitating groin injury) and this time he picked Feyenoord upcoming start Luciano Valente and Emanual Emegha.
He also mentioned Kees Smit, describing the young AZ Alkmaar talent as having bright potential, saying that “what Smit has shown at an early age is great”. He even made the mistake to compare Kees Smit with a player he himself debuted at Barca: “I happen to have seen Pedri at Barca at a young age, and I tell you… “.
That comparison went viral in The Netherlands, so much so that Koeman expressed his regret having made that comment. “The minute I said it, I regretted it, I know what this can do.” At AZ, they didn’t mind, citing Smit’s down-to-Earth mentality as a strength.
“He made is way into the Groningen side really quick which in itself is never easy. And next, he made himself the key man at Feyenoord after his transfer, and kept that level of quality, even in the Europa League.
Valente has an Italian dad and has played in the Azzuri blue already. A funny clip showed up in The Netherlands of a 16 year old Valente, wearing the Italy jersey, asked whether blue suited him better, or orange? His response: blue!
Confronted with this now, he laughed it off saying orange suited him very well as well. I do think this call up has something to do with Koeman and the KNVB trying to avoid another Ziyech scenario.
Emegha, meanwhile, was already on the list to be invited but both times he ended up injured and was not even invited as he was not available. He is seen as an option particularly if key players are unavailable.
It seems Meerdink (and Memphis and Weghorst) are ahead of Emegha for now. Emegha was added to the squad as Weghorst was not fit enough to play versus Poland and now the exuberant Ajax striker had to leave the camp altogether due to lack of fitness.
The clear message: the Netherlands is not just about the here and now—Koeman is building for future tournaments and wants players who can grow into major roles.
Stability in Defence
On the other end of the spectrum, Koeman reaffirmed his trust in experience. Centre‐back Matthijs de Ligt was recalled, with Koeman citing improved confidence and form at club level as justification. “I felt I couldn’t ignore selecting Matthijs based on what he’s showing,” Koeman said. He plays a lot of football for Man United and is one of the pillars in Amorim’s defence.
He also mentioned Nathan Ake, pointing out that even though Ake is not always getting full minutes at club level, his left‐footed presence offers balance in defence and his leadership counts. “We do have rules for players needing to play frequently but there are also exceptions. Ake is very important in the group and brings a lot of quality and experience.
Focus on Poland and Beyond
Koeman stressed that the upcoming match in Poland is crucial for qualification. However, he did not stop there—he reiterated his dual focus on performing now and ensuring the group evolves. The new faces are part of that evolution.
“As a national coach, you also have to keep an eye on the future,” he remarked.
The takeaway: it’s big now, but it’s even bigger long‐term.
What This Means for Oranje
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The inclusion of Valente and Emegha signals that Koeman is willing to give younger players a pathway. Regular monitoring of their development will be key.
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Retaining de Ligt and Ake shows a commitment to experience and stability in defence—a wise move given qualifying pressure.
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The blend of youth and experience may become a defining feature of the Netherlands squad over the next cycle.
The future is quite bright. Players like Meerdink, Ruben van Bommel, Hato, Milambo, Read, Addai, Bogarde, Babadi and Sliti could all play a role moving forward.
I think we will see a highly motivated and inspired Oranje versus Poland. I don’t expect Koeman to allow Valente playing time versus the Poles but both him and Emegha might get time against Lithuania.
Koeman will most likely field his preferred line up versus Poland:
Guys, come up with you preferred line up and comments about the selection.
@ Jan
The clear message: the Netherlands is not just about the here and now—Koeman is building for future tournaments and wants players who can grow into major roles.
Come on! You and I know that is a big lie. If he was about the future, this team would have looked a lot different. You remember Koeman went back and pick Gini? Why is Werghorst is selected over these young guys? Why is Depay continue to be our first pick when the guys is done and not even a starter in a league like Brazil? Total lie! By the way, he’s not going to use any of them and you know that.
Don’t tell me what I know.
Koeman’s first goal is to qualify. We all believe he has.
So now he starts to bring some youngsters in who have yet to prove themselves in the top of the Dutch (or French) League.
Steijn? Might not be good enough. Meerdink? Still a way to go (and now injured). Valente? Very talented indeed but only 4 months with Feyenoord.
Gini Wijnaldum has been named the best player in the Middle East based on his stats. There is something to say for respect and loyalty. Something the Dutch players don’t seem to get from some of the Oranje “fans” here.
Depay is the Dutch top scorer and saved us again versus Lithuania. Do you see better strikers than him at the moment?
You keep on spitting vinegar. Tell me your line up. Your tactics. Expose yourself a bit.
OT, but Suriname got a big win today—4-0 over El Salvador (Wilson’s old friend Tjeronn Cherry scored). They are on the cusp of qualifying, final match in Guatemala on Tuesday will decide it. Pretty cool.
Very cool indeed. Margaret ( Go Ahead ) scored as well. Happy for Menzo and co.
And Curacao, leading its group by a point, will play a decider in Jamaica next week. Good for Advocat.
Re: the lineup. Read this afternoon that Dumfries is out with an injury and Koeman has already said that Geertruida will start in his place.
Kluivert starting ahead of Reijnders
You see that Jan? I hope you are watching the same game that I am watching. The team is horrible. So far Depay have lost every single ball they gave him and the goal we have conceded is because of him. Sometimes, I feel like you are watching a different game. You take this team to the WC, we are going to loose every single game.
No we were watching the same game this time, Jean. I have to admit it. Terrible.
Poland just scored. This is so predictable. It almost happened in the 2nd minute. Can someone please explain to me why the whole team is in the opponent’s box? Poland is the one 3 points behind. They’re the ones who should attack. Yet, we get exposed to counterattacks, the opponent scores and then parks the bus. This is the formula almost every single Oranje opponent uses, except maybe the top quality teams who want to dictate games and come out to play.
It is really sad. Sometimes, you have to balance safety and initiative. That’s why for me, every Oranje game is 50/50. Yes, they can beat anyone, but then again, they can also lose to a lot of teams they shouldn’t.
Lol, Forza. You are right…But I’m guessing that people commenting on boards such as this in Italy, Germany, France, Brazil, England, etc. are saying similar things. (Just not as politely as you.) Germany was beaten by Northern Ireland, France tied Iceland, Italy was knocked out of qualifying for the last WC by North Macedonia, England only beat Andorra 1-0. All those games went the same way.
I’ll just be happy with qualifying, and go from there.
Memphis pulled one back!
Why can Koeman brings Depay out and give the new guy a chance? He is not going to do that.
I think you have to agree with Jean somewhat. The form of the forwards is average to below average and it can be attributed to their club outings as well. Most are bench players and none in form.
Malen, Depay, kluivert and gakpo simply had no cutting edge compared to what zalewski and cash were doing on the flanks. And mind you the space they received behind Geertruida and Van der ven was like they were on vacation.
Won’t say much as we have talked in depth about koeman, his tatic and and what’s to come.
Credit to Poland for putting up a good fight and show. Clearly a better team on the day. A win would have been a more fitting results but they can walk with their heads high with the draw.
For the Dutch, GO WITH THE FLOW
Guys, is it just me or do ya’ll feel the same way? What ever happened to the De Jong we all know from Ajax? The kid that used to take the ball and ran forward. He used to ran forward, created opportunities ect.. My expectation was that De Jong could one day be like Luca Modric. Moved to Barcelona but has not developed one bit. The Netherlands mid field today was incapable of creating anything. De Jong did not inspire. He kept on doing a bunch of lateral passes like always. He got a rating of 6 out of 10.
Again, when I pointed out these things, Jan always quick to say ” oh well coaches this and coaches that are praising de Jong” non sense.
First of, it’s not nonsense Jean. It means they see things you don’t see. And instead of being a pigheaded dude claiming he is right, you could do your best to find out what you are missing.
I actually will write a post soon explaining why De Jong is phenomenal, because of what you criticize.
What a God awful game! I hate to admit it but despite all the hope, expectation, talent and pedigree, we AGAIN played a lacklustre match. There were no ideas, no creativity, no energy, terrible defending and terrible coaching.
What a disaster. If we go and play like this at the WC, we will be out at the group stages.
We can play so well (Spain 2 x), we have so much quality, but it just doesn’t happen. It’s slow, it’s arrogant, it’s indecisive, it is terrible to watch.
I think Koeman needs to call up Jaap Stam and Nigel de Jong. Maybe Van Bommel and Gullit.
I thought Geertruida and Van Dijk were terrible and the midfield didn’t click at all.
After all my positive write ups about these guys, I felt they let the fans down in a big way. This is not how a wanna-be champion plays.
The forwards simply are not in form. Midfield ain’t gonna work
I have talked about Frenkie in depth and how the midfield revolves around him. Don’t wanna waste my time repeating again and again. It’s not going to work and this wc will come and go and again he will be in the same boat as previous tournaments.
Yes, it was a disappointing match. At least we got a point out of it. I rather play lackluster and get results, that play great and lose. But it is still worrying to see how they played. One of the reasons why managers bring in-form young players is to create competition in the squad. It seems that Koeman his favorite bunch of players, and they are becoming complacent. Again, the quality of these young players is not very compelling. I get that. But still, he has to rotate players especially when playing lower ranked teams. You don’t need Van Dijk or De Jong every single game.
I think Dumfries and Frimpong being out last night affected the whole right flank. Geertruida was very average in that game. And even Timber wasn’t his usual self. I prefer Van de Ven as a central defender.
And I see Gapko also plateauing now. He had a wonderful World Cup back in 2022. He is becoming predictable both for Liverpool and Oranje. And as a right footed player, playing as a left winger, it is a bit awkward to have the ball on your right foot right next to the defender, also not crossing with his left foot. And as he ages, that speed will gradually slow. And that’s assuming he stays away from any serious injuries. I do think he either has to start playing center forward, or attacking mid-fielder eventually.
We desperately need Emegha or someone else to step up in the forward positions. With all due respect Memphis and Wegorst are not at the level of the ambitions of this team. As for Emegha, I’m not happy that he is going to Chelsea. Chelsea is not the ideal place for young players that need time to develop. They just hoard all these players hoping they strike gold with one of them. Their coach was openly talking about their so called ‘Bomb Squad’ recently, where they freeze undesirable players with long contracts. Young Dutch players should go to Germany, or Spain, or even France/Italy first to get regular playing time. The money will eventually come if you’re good.
And finally, De Jong, he just got back from a serious injury. Players either lose a step after that, or are very cautious in how they play. Avoiding unnecessary contact and aggression. It is a World Cup year coming up, so he needs to stay fit and healthy.
We were affected by absence of Frimpong not dumfries,but presence of gakpo ,Van de ven as left back,Timber as center back,declaining Virgil,poor work rate of frnkei-gravenberch-kluivert trio ..it all affected us…Dumfries will be hardly missed if we play Timber as right back with Frimpong as right winger..
Tbh it’s was expected and as a coach you have to keep this in mind especially in case of koeman when he started of the qualifiers. The Dutch players around 30 tend to start declining are on the verge. And to lock on to 90% starting lineup through out and expecting it can yield consistency and stability is just a complacency on his part in context to he knows what he is doing and it’s right. I mean they keep repeating the same oversight even though it has been evident through out changes whether it’s due injury or whether competition has reinforced the team better. But yet they turn a blind eye on this .
You also look at his pre and post match conferences he just is like not moved by anything as if the team has transformed under him exceptionally.
Yes other big nations are also somewhat in the lime light as well but what’s different compared with this Dutch side and especially under Koeman is they are not back paddling.
Done wanna go into depth. It’s the same old things we have discussed before of what to expect from Koeman.
Looking forward and and positively, I see Brobbey making the squad for WC as he plays with hunger more and more at sunderland. Can be a good impact from the bench. And an upgrade to weghorst whom I think has burnt the bridge with management. I was reading on why he left the camp and it wasn’t for injury.
Time to look at Danjuma as Depay is running on one wheel. He gets praise becoz he is able to gets those goals vs average teams and looking at performances, just standing on set pieces trying to redeem himself which often is wasteful anyway and with that tag of highest goal scorer, he will only bring mediocrity vs more competent teams. Danjuma has been a proven goal scorer on so many stages. He really needs to be considered if he is playing and is fit.
The omission of Maatsen also has been cruel and disappointing from koeman . Again recall how Koeman overlooked him for hato and look at what happened to him now at Chelsea. Again the age old problem with Dutch coaches of investing in the right players.. critics say he is defensively weak but then emery uses him in and out and imagine in epl. Is koeman better than emery. Use Maatsen to his strength.
And same with veerman. Call him up and use him to his strength.
Koeman also needs to be asked this as what he feels about how these he sees this squad with the current performances they are giving come around WC. Becoz none of the forwards are gone get any better. Slot is under pressure now at Liverpool and gonna be more when mo salah leaves for Afcon cup.gakpo will be subject to limited minutes as it’s with competition now intensifying.
Depay playing in Brazil, you can do the maths here
Kluivert also is subject to bench at Bournemouth with growing competition in his position
And so his Malen, Reijnders now at city and Ake
I mean realistically as a coach what can you do in this situation and the fact again these are forwards that koeman has built the team around. Big dilemma considering this is happening this close to the WC when players need to be on good form. The other player like the subs are just spare tyres. They are just there to fit in and get to the Tyre repair centre
@ Jan
You just now realize that this team is going to be out at group stage. I said that many times already. You have a team that plays 1 decent match every 6 to 8 matches. Total nonsense! Also, you have to agree with the fact that if we were in a tougher group qualifying, we wouldn’t have made the WC. Our reality is that now we can only beat either the Caribbean teams or teams that are at the very bottom of the FIFA ranking. You always pointing experts from the Netherlands, why can these experts ask for Koeman to be sacked?
Now on the F De Jong
You are making the same argument you’ve made for Daly Blind 4 years ago. Daly Blind was horrible. He shouldn’t have be in the squad. By the wayDaly Blin costed us the game against Argentina.
Have De Jong went to Man City under Guardiola, it would have been a different story. De Jong would have been a much better player under a coach like Guardiola. I have not seen much progress since he left Holland. He did not contribute much to the team in the last WC. Most of the match Holland played, his rating is always between 5 and 7. Last night he provided nothing. The mid field was dead. Now what are you talking about here? Imagine we were playing a team like Morocco yesterday, we would have gotten at least 5 goals.
By the way, our front 3 are all bench warmers in their clubs. Sadly!
@Jean you are a cherrypicker, I fear. I agree with you on Koeman. That is glaringly clear. Old School coach and not even a good one. Agreed.
But De Jong? And the return of the Daley Blind criticism. I’m not biting. And sadly, I can’t take you seriously when you bring up these things.
As for the bench warmer comment: Gakpo was only benched twice at Liverpool. Slot rotates. Uses this to have Wirtz boost some confidence and playing time. Malen starts at times under Emery who also rotates. In England, they play a lot of games from now on particularly the CL and EL clubs. So coaches rotate.
If you talk about bench warmers, you talk about the likes of Zirkzee who truly is not a starter. All Oranje players – bar Ake – have regular playing time. Get with the program on this Jean.
I will post a piece on Frenkie soon.
Gakpo will be benched from here on Jan..or else Arnie knows he will get sacked,its not rotation,its due to one trick pony is exposed..
Amen
The question is what can be done and how to tie the loose ends. Don’t think koeman will be sacked this close to the WC. And is 6 months enough for players to get into form. Neither realistically look’s feasible. Even with in a month or so when coaches will have good time to with the squad. Coz do will other coaches and this is why you can’t estimate other teams whom may not have the same rhythm in the qualifiers.
Depressing knowing another tournament is on the horizon and the Dutch football simply hasnt evolve and are still skidding in the shadow of their past.
And I have a gut feeling this will continue under Ten hag. Who most likely will be the next coach.
Also is there time to inject smit and valente into the team
We can easily sort this out,
1-Gakpo is on left wing needs to be benched or change with Lang/simons/Summerville
2-Striker spot-Replace Memphis-Weghorst with Gakpo,Brobbey,Meerdink
3-We depend lot on frimpong for flair and potency and creativity upfront,he is like Roben for us now.unfortunately No replacement for him,he is teh difference maker
4-Start defenders Timber and Van de ven wher they belong to,they are not used in their stergths and usual spots.
5-Replace verbruggen with roefs,,Roefs is the buffon we have.
6-start with Frenkie and reinders as double piovt,Gravenberch and Frenkie doesnt work.
7-why not try gravenberch as no 10??instead of kluvert
8-Time to call and use kees smit ,valente and even mijnans
9-start van de ven over virgil ,Van de ven is doing better this year than Virgil.most inform LCB we have,he doesnt know how to play left back,clown koeman is apoor coach to use him as LB
10-Start Mathis de ligt as RCB,he is the best RCB in the EPL.only a clwon will bench him for Timber and van hecke
We have a clown coach get ready to get fu@#3ked at WC,,be prepared..
Any one can explain me why Malen headed to goal keeper at far post where he could easily tap head to fisrt post??this guy is disgusting at crunch times..