I am certain I mentioned it before: I’m not a fan of Koeman and I’m not a fan of getting coaches back for a second term. It almost never works. Koeman abandoned Oranje as a mid life crisis guy divorcing his wife for a younger girl. And then the KNVB got him back in. Why? Because his football vision is so amazing?
The second term of Koeman was not great, but… he reached the semis at the Euros and seemed to have the sympathy from the key players (Virgil, Frenkie).
But the qualification games were underwhelming, the pre WC friendlies dreadful and the group matches mediocre.
We started well versus Japan, but went five at the back to protect the 2-1 only for Japan to beat us in the last minute. Five defenders, including Virgil van Dijk, and still the Japanese headed the equaliser in.
We beat Sweden handsomely but anyone could see that Sweden could have scored 3 or 4 more goals.
And the Tunisia game was just completely disgraceful. Yes, we scored early and yes we only needed to finish the game without injuries, but even Tunisia was able to score against us.
And Koeman felt he could fix the defensive issues by planting a fifth defender in the team and did this at the expense of a midfielder. A benchwarmer was preferred over a midfielder in his prime.
And if we would have gone through, if Morocco didn’t equalise, would he have then fielded 6 defenders versus Canada?
Because the number of defenders didn’t matter much. Morocco was better. Created more chances. We needed Verbruggen, the cross bar and Van de Ven to stop Morocco from scoring earlier and in the meantime, we created literally nothing.
This was not due to lack of trying. Summerville in particular was a constant threat, but Brobbey was marshalled well and Gakpo was a bit invisible in the first half. Yes, there are mitigating circumstances but facts are facts.
Where was our midfield?
By sacrificing Reijnders, Koeman gifted the midfield to Morocco and opened up the door for Hakimi, saying “We’re ready for your runs, oh grand Hakimi”. Why would you adapt? Why would you not go from strength and simply force Hakimi back. For instance, by using a strong runner and passer like Reijnders on the left of midfield.
Koeman’s explanation: “If we play 4 at the back, it forces Frenkie to play deep. I prefer Frenkie higher up the pitch.”
Well Ronald, by playing two midfielders in a game where the midfield is crucial for control, Frenkie and Ryan were up against four opponents, regularly and Frenkie still have to drop deep to be available and reaching the forwards became almost impossible. While Morocco’s Mazraoui and Hakimi (and later Salah Edine) were able to combine themselves into the midfield to create a man more situation.
Playing 5-3-2 without Brobbey, but with Reijnders would have been more sensible, but for my money, I think Holland just needs to play a version of 4-3-2. Morocco played with two strikers, we placed 5 defenders against them.
And still they scored from a cross, with a header. Despite five defenders. Despite Virgil van Dijk.
I think it’s fair to say that Van Hecke, Verbruggen, Summerville and Brobbey were our stand out players.
Gakpo had a hot and cold tournament and a dreadful tragedy to content with as well.
The emotions after his goal (what a smart assist by Summerville!!) were wonderful to observe.
But overall, we didn’t bring enough. Reijnders struggled a bit, Van de Ven is no left back, Malen struggles with the weight of the jersey and Memphis…. well….
Time to close off this chapter. Time for the KNVB to look long and hard in the mirror.
Bye Koeman, thanks for all you tried to do.
The KNVB needs to come up with a profile of a team manager and it needs to be more than “needs to have played in Oranje, won in 1988 and have had a long career as club coach”. All these things are irrelevant for a national team manager.
And in terms of our squad, time to bid farewell to Virgil, Nathan, Marten de Roon and Memphis.
Let’s add Botman, Smit, Valente, Meerdink, Mats Rots and Ruud Nijstad to the mix.
And good luck to Morocco, I do hope they win this one!
Oh, and Jean… you were right.
I hope Technical Director Nigel de Jong has another karate kick in him?
I’m sorry Jan. I know you do your best to create positivity on this forum and see the positives of the NT, Koeman’s rationale’s, team selection etc.
I know that this forum must seem like a cesspit of doom and gloom at times.
But I genuinely feel that is down to the Dutch FA who lack ideas and innovation, which is reflected in their reselection of Koeman as the national coach. As much as of a buffoon I believe Koeman is, it was the Dutch FA who handed him the keys to the car.
You do a great job to keep this forum interesting, fun and a place of constructive debate.
Let’s hope Koeman goes tonight (or in the next few days), so that we can all step up our support for our beloved Oranje, get behind a new coach, and hopefully a new inspiration.
Hello guys, it’s been some time … I am obviously frustrated like all of you. I agree that we lacked character in the tactical approach to the game, but hey, let’s just say that luck was not on our side. Getting that header in the 91st minute … and then that penalty saved by goalie and then pushed back in the net by the heel. But it does hurt, getting out so early in the tournament. Nice to share the suffering with our German friends though 🙂
It would be nice to start talking about possible replacement for Koeman. As for the squad, I am not worried – there is ample talent current and upcoming, to have a very strong world class team for Euro 2028.
I agree about the luck factor, but you do make your luck at times and Koeman clearly didn’t do this, with his cowardly approach. As Slot once said: you want to be in a position where a lucky or unlucky situation doesn’t affect the outcome.
You can count on 3 thing in life: Death, taxes, and Dutch teams choking on penalties. Why? why? why? Weak mentality. In a high pressure situation after a very stressful situation, you need to have clear focus and confidence instead of fear. Penalties are not a game of luck. Never ever! It requires skill. If you lose 12 of 14 penalties to exit WC after WC, can’t you take some time to find a solution?
Look at that Koopmeiners shot. Even though the Moroccan gk guessed right, it was hit with precision and power. Weghorst also did great. Personally, I’m not a fan of defenders taking shots. Yes, goalkeepers guess and dive, but there are others with skills and reflexes to guess most of them right. Even if they don’t save it. Can’t you practice taking kicks? You have 2 great goalkeepers to practice against. Isn’t there a list of who takes or has taken penalties in their club careers? And Van Dijk should have stepped up to take one. That is leadership. Why on earth is Quentin Timber taking it when Van Dijk is there?
Can someone please tell me why Verbruggen can’t come out of his line to punch or pull down crosses? Same goal vs Japan, vs Tunisia, vs Morocco? Why? Again, outside of that, he was in outstanding form. He saved so many Moroccan chances with great anticipation and skills. But that is a glaring weakness he needs to work on. It was cruel that he saved a penalty kick, only to tip it in with his own leg. Summerville also hit his kick very well, but he wasn’t looking at the goalie or the goal. The Moroccan gk was jumping around to the left and right and just happened to save it
Going back to tactics, I’ve never seen someone play 5-2-3 formation. 5-3-2 is a true and tried formation adopted by many teams. But 5-2-3? Ok, let’s say Koeman sacrificed a midfielder for a defender. In reality, it should have been an attacker for a defender. But he wanted to play with 3 up front. He had a full 45 minutes to see that didn’t work, and our midfield was over run. Any human with a working head would adjust. But not Koeman.
I just don’t understand the obsession with old players past their prime. Yes, they’re smart and have experience, but imagine hoping to make a serious push into a very competitive WC, and bringing on Weghorst as your sub, or De Roon.
I wish Gakpo all the best. My sympathies for his loss. Props for the goal. But other than a stupid Sweden defense that gave him too much space, he has been ineffective. That left flank just didn’t work. Very predictable, doesn’t cross even though he is a winger. tries to take on defenders, but ends in frustration.
Dumfries, another one that just can’t get his act together. Spending too much time in no mans land, overlapping with Summerville or Malen crowding them out. Disappear in his defensive duties. I can go on and on. Some games he’s on and can cross or dribble, other games it’s like his mental software is frozen.
Another self defeating organization is the KNVB. Please hire someone who has been successful outside the Eredivisie. We had to endure the complete horrible coaching of Blind. Koeman has been a failure at the club level wherever he’s been. Same for De Boer, Ten Haag. We shall see how Slot does. But at least I would take him over Van Bronchorst or some other former player with no resume. Not sure about Van Persie, or Nigel de Jong, or even Van Nistelrooy after last night’s debacle.
Yes, the diabolical defeat I would put it down to KNVB and Ronald Koeman. The writing and stats have long been on the wall, but these ppl just continue to brush it off. How can you deny facts! that’s irresponsible a behavior. Just like a certain president at a certain country now.
We have the talent and good pool of players. I have no doubt about it.
I wish Koeman is quickly sacked, a good coach appointed. This is needed for Holland to turn over to a new page and for us fans to have something NEW finally to talk about, debate about, write about, praise about etc etc. The Oranje fans of the world need this tonic quickly!!!
@ Jan
I’m at peace man because I had very little expectations from this team and Koeman. My question is why does the KNVB always get it wrong?
Dutch football has been struggling for at least a decade now. The clubs often got eliminated very early in all the European tournaments except Ajax a few years ago. We haven’t won a major tournament since 1988. We’ve never won a WC. We haven’t produced big talents in a long time. I don’t live in the Netherlands but at least in the news I never heard that the Dutch is going to try to figure out how to bounce back.
We kept on recycling these outdated coaches. Last night was extremely embarrassing and the worst of it all is that the KNVB is going to appoint Frank De Boer as the next coach. Lol
As you will have seen, I mentioned you in this post. You were right.
koeman is not sacked technically, He stepped down..it was sad to see the players were in tears ,especially kluivert,quinten,Weghorst, THIS WAS inevitable under koeman if not today it would have been a thrashing vs France///may be 4-0 from France again..i thank god for that..
this clown was serial looser who failed vs any top teams ever since he took it from van gaal..yes he was a legend as a player, but he had to self realize he is not a good coach..infact a less than average coach..his counter part is Roberto martinez of portugal..Afetr spoiling belgium golden generation he will spoil portugal..
i feel jelous to brazil for hiring Ancelotti..he is turng it arround..
This was the world cup after Euro 2012,i watched without any tension..Dutch coaches except Van gaal are so biased towards certain players and it affects the sqaud depth…
Whom you guys expecting as next bondscoach,i ilke Dick schrewder of NEC..not a fan of Arnie slot,Ten haag is a better tournament coach..Ten haag has two cup tournamnet trophies at united ,which is not bad,,Arnie is better suited for league.
KNVB seriously should consider a foreigner coach, for ex. Pep Guardiola is unemployed now, and with respect to his master, Johan he could say yes.
Koeman was too conservative, the five defenders system didn’t wark once, and for everybody expect Ronald it was a warning. when i see the starting eleven i had doubts – two midfielders against four????
it’s a shame because Morocco is beatable, but with this tactics we had no chance, but had luck. i didn’t watch the penalties, because this is always the same.
it is really sad. we had the capacities and ok, the strikers were not fantastic, but the squad was good enough to reach at least the quarters. this is Koeman’s fault.
I wish they went for Klopp or Guardiola, but KNVB is stingy and I highly doubt they would entertain that. They always have that next inexperienced or failed Dutch manager they can plug in on the cheap, and call it a day. Rinse and repeat. Another failed tournament, and back at it again
Klopp won’t do it I don’t think. I saw an interview with him recently, he looks old and gaunt and is making muzzah from a cushion strategy consultancy job at Red Bull.
To me, this is a failure of the entire footballing establishment, not just one coach or one match.
At every single step, we bury our heads in the sand like an ostrich and convince ourselves that we know better. The KNVB knows better than everyone else. The national team coach knows better than everyone else.
There is no willingness to improve, no willingness to listen, just arrogance.
Your assessment of the game is accurate. But in a way, it almost doesn’t matter. When every major decision is about settling for mediocrity, mediocrity is exactly what you get.
This is no longer a footballing superpower. We’ve become a small, average nation that occasionally produces talented players but consistently fails to make the most of them.
Here you go. I posted the above comment without reading his latest interview
The whole of the Netherlands has said that we should play with five men at the back. Then we do that, and I get criticized for that. Well… I don’t care one bit, one bit,’ the Dutch national team selector responded irritably. ‘If people think I’m putting my head on the chopping block, I don’t care. Then I have to make choices in case you are eliminated? That doesn’t suit a trainer and certainly not me.’
Same mentality. Being arrogant without doing your homework
Well said. No one in the Whole of the Netherlands said we should play with five at the back. Literally no one!!
Yes, I thought we were going for 4-3-3, pushing Hakimi back. Then Koeman has a genius idea and now say it is everyone’s idea. Amazing. But even if it is everyone’s idea, why did he take it?
As soon as yesterday’s match went to extra time, I literally just checked out. We were the victims of our own stupidity all evening and the outcome was no longer in doubt for me at that point. I just can’t imagine how we thought playing the way we were last night was going to achieve any success, and by halftime it should have been thoroughly clear that a change was needed, but none was forthcoming!
And why on earth would we assume that we would need to let Morocco dominate the match in the first place? We have the talent to go toe-to-toe with almost anyone in the tournament. Why not just play it straight up, compete for the ball, and try to go out and score ourselves?! We can talk about historic vs modern Dutch mentality, but attacking has always been in our DNA.
Just a stunning abdication of managerial responsibility and trust in your own players!
I agree 100% that the biggest mistake was to shut down any forward activity and just keep defending. But even beyond that, when you get to penalties, it doesn’t matter what happened in the game. It’s a clean slate. Whether the game was 1-1 or 3-3, whether we totally dominated or got dominated. You still have a chance to progress. Unfortunately for us, we don’t know what to do when we get into penalties.
Unless that changes, to at least even get to winning half of our penalty encounters, that would be a huge consequential thing. We existed 12 out of 14 times!!! Even when we had that stacked 98 team. Brazil and Tafarrel knew how to get past us. I was a kid back then, and I still remember the sadness from that game.
Getting a new coach, changing our style, developing and integrating new players, all of that could go to waste if we dont know how to deal with penalties. It is highly likely that one of our games will be a draw and need a decider. A lot of teams basically play not to lose games. Chances of a draw are high. I just wanted to touch on that big blind spot we have besides what Koeman decided to do to lose us the game.
I agree on the penalties point. So many managers make it their goal to “get to penalties” because then they can just blame the outcome on luck or the bounce of the ball, and not their own tactics. But it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you’re not brave enough to try to go and win the game yourself prior to penalties, you’re willingly subjecting yourself to pure chance as to outcome.
And if you’re going to do that, you might as well try to be good at taking penalties. We’d subbed out Brobbey, Gakpo, Gravenberch, de Jong and van de Ven, and added Koopmeiners, Weghorst, Hato, Timber and Kluivert.
So I was curious and looked their penalty conversion rates:
Koopmeiners 31-38 81%
Kluivert 7-8 87%
Weghorst 22-35 63%
Timber 2-2 100%
Summerville 6-7 86%
Other than Koop, that doesn’t look like a great group of experienced penalty takers.
But then consider those subbed out:
Brobbey 4-6 67%
Gakpo 4-5 80%
de Jong 0-0 0%
van de Ven 0-0 0%
Gravenberch 0-0 0%
Gakpo is probably the only one of those you might have added to the first five
And then those others who were still in the match but did not take a PK:
van Dijk 1-1 100%
van Hecke 0-0 -%
Dumfries 2-2 100%
de Roon 3-4 75%
Verbruggen 0-0 0%
So when you consider all the options, not only do we not have many experienced, successful penalty takers, the vast majority have taken 5 or fewer penalties in their professional careers, and some with none at all!
But here’s an idea… Let’s park the bus and play for penalties in a WC knock-out match!
On penalties what do y’all think about van Dijk NOT going first or second? He went first in 2022 and missed, I’d have assumed he wanted a redemption and showed leadership?
I realized he had played all 120 mins but I was hoping he’d step up, as the captain of both of my teams: Oranje and LFC.
Another heartbreak, already looking for the Euro 2028.
For a “comic relief”, I saw someone tweeted this in Dutch translated to
English:
“Koeman lined up 5 defenders out of fear of Morocco’s backs.
I am glad I don’t have to witness what he would have done out of fear of Doue, Mbappe, Dembele and Olise”
Still hurting from last night but that was hilarious!
Thanks for the numbers. It confirms my beliefs that these guys don’t really have much experience, and Koeman subbed out the ones who would have potentially taken some.
Here’s what I’m trying to understand. Let’s say the team played great like the Sweden game. But Morocco played well too and the game ended in a 2-2 or 3-3 draw. Then what? You still need to find a way to win! Just because the team played well doesn’t mean we win. I agree 100% we shouldn’t park the bus and give up 80% possession. That’s criminal. But unless this team learns to step to the plate and score their kicks, it’s back to square one.
Here’s an article in the Guardian talking about Team USA’s preparations for penalties. Bringing in outside consultants, stats, having designated takers etc. Nothing guarantees this will work, but at least it shows a serious effort to do something about it and not leave it to chance or your main captain scared to take one.
If you’re any manager in international football. Just hope you get the Dutch to penalties. You got a 90% chance of sending them home. Mission accomplished.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jun/30/usmnt-penalty-kicks-mauricio-pochettino-world-cup
I’m not a stats guy, but when the stats reflect what you see with your own eyes, they may be worthwhile to consider:
Possession: Neth 30% Mor 70%
xGoals: Neth 0.24. Mor 1.38
Shots: Neth 6. Mor 11
Big Chances. Neth 1 Mor 5
Passes: Neth 292 (79%). Mor 801 (91%)
Opp Half: 120 (62%). Mor 431 (84%)
Final 1/3: 45 (49%). Mor 154 (81%)
These numbers are more one-sided than France’s comprehensive beatdown of Sweden earlier today. But ours were by choice and not due to a talent gap 🤯
But hey, we had 28 throw-ins to their 17!
I found that funny how the Dutch media is finally asking for Koeman’s head. WoW!
After 4 years of failure where the writing had been on the wall. Too little too late.
I’ve been a fan of Dutch football since 1988. These past 4 years have been tuff watching the Netherlands struggling against some of the weakest teams in the world. Cruyff must be crying in his grave right now.
Excellent final words.
nothing to say. wait for another 4 years. look for a striker
van dijk,ake,frenkie, gakpo, dumfries. time to fcuk off.
Van Dijk and Ake are done. But I don’t see the next manager cutting Frenkie, Gakpo, and Dumfries.
All these guys have their issues.
Van Dijk missing key interceptions resulting in last minute goals vs Japan and Morocco.
Ake was beaten in a foot race multiple times. Disappointing to see. He wasn’t doing much going forward.
Gakpo is a one trick pony now. It’s like everyone at the club and international football knows what to do against him.
Frenkie I thought was going to be our next Iniesta or Xavi. But he has plateaued. Basically favors operating in a safe area playing the 6. Occasionally venturing forward here and there. One game he is engaged, the next he’s coasting thru games.
You can add Gravenberch to that.
Dumfries is given a lot of license to operate everywhere on the right flank. But he is also ineffective for vast stretches of games when the opposition is marking him well.
But this is what we have to work with. A good tactician will understand their weaknesses and helps them work on it. Make adjustments. Koeman puts names on paper and just tells them to go play. You don’t see in game adjustments, he makes bad substitutions in almost all games. I can go on and on.
The only thing positive from what I read about Koeman was that he controlled the dressing room and had approval from key senior players. He avoided a lot of the drama, leaks, chaos plaguing past teams which is not an easy thing with a lot of egos. That is another thing the KNVB need to consider. You need a manager with some gravitas. Just plugging in the next unproven, inexperienced, or failed Dutch manager will not cut it.
I don’t think this is fair assessment of those players.
_ Gakpo: so during this tournament, he scored by running for tap in, accelerate to score, assist by cutting back, and scored with the one trick pony that you said. So is he one trick pony? Did opponent figure him out? This is pretty much media painted this way.
_ FDJ and Gravenberch: FDJ is a 6, I don’t know why you guys not get it? People expect him to be a 8 or a 10. This is not and was never the case. Did he do his job well as a 6? Well, he did at Barca. One of the best 6 in the world. For us, who knows? The game get ran over by Morocco but he has to fight 2 v 4. Same for Gravenberch. From what I saw, they were able to fight again 2 Morocco players and then they get the 3rd one waiting for them. It is just pure idiot by Koeman.
_ Dumfries: he has license to roam, yes, but if Morocco has 70% of possession, that license does not mean anything. Again, this is on Koeman, not him.
I think this is a bit strong. None of these players, let down Koeman or the country for that matter, despite Koemans’s awful tactics. As an example, as much as I don’t rate de Roon as a footballer, it’s Koeman who put him there. De Roon did not put De Roon in the starting line-up.
Frenkie has made our team tick and there is a visible difference when he is and isn’t there.
Ake has been a great servant. Perhaps he needs to find a new club for a new lease of life.
Dumfries is on his way to Mourinho and Real Madrid, and will learn to improve his defensive side.
Gapko still has qualities that under a better coach can be better utilised.
The problem for the last few years has not been the players….. its the coach who selected the and deployed the players…. and the Dutch FA who selected the coach.and the Dutch FA who selected the coach.
When Xavi was coach at Barca, Raphina, Ferran Torres, Eric Garcia and many more looked lost. When Hansi Flick arrived, they found their mojo.
@ Jan
You have to say something about F De Jong. There’s always been this hype about him. When ever he’s injured for example, we’re all panicked. He’s irreplaceable. The team has built around him. To me, the man hasn’t live to all of these expectations. 2 world cup he did not deliver. I’m sorry!
Agree 100%. He has plateaued. He was supposed to be the next best thing, but he’s happy with short safe passes now. You don’t see that long diagonal defense splitting passes to the front. You don’t see him dribbling much. Maybe he’s scared of picking up injuries. If you really think about it, we don’t have a true #10 attacking midfielder. That should have been him. He did play well in the Sweden game. But that’s because they gave him enough space.
Same with Gravenberch. You don’t see that 90 min A+ effort. You know he has the passing, the dribbling, the physical qualities, but for some reason, it is not consistent.
Same with Reijnders. Guardiola benched him favoring Chekri and Bernardo Silva. I heard rumors he is looking to leave Man City. Maybe see his chances with Maresca.
. Arne Slot and Michael Reiziger are the 2 names that are being reported in the new media as a potential replacement.
Keep on recycling failures!
As an LFC fan, seeing how our team could not beat bottom 6-8 teams last season was painful, I think Slot will be a disaster and will set us back further away from “Total Football”. That said, in other forums, seems like he’s having a lot of support in the Netherlands.
Klopp, Pep or Luis Enrique will be my (dream) wishes but from the track record of KNVB, Slot, Ten Hag, RvN, MvB or Reiziger will be the likely candidate.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
@ Jan
What do you think of him as a coach?
Unai Emery
I feel bad for Congo and Senegal, but what incredible comebacks by England and Belgium today! Sadly, I never feel felt like our team was given the opportunity to “go for it” against Morocco. It’s truly a shame when your own inane tactics and taking a lead in a game and trying to ride it out turn out to be your ultimate undoing.
Agreed, JB. Keep that lesson in mind when you are playing Stratego—don’t bury the flag in the corner surrounded by bombs and high-ranking pieces.
Haha Andrew! Exactly. We put all our bombs in the way of our own pieces’ movement and let our opponent move their pieces all around the board! Even if we’d prevailed in penalties I’d be equally disappointed in how we chose to play 😕
Not sure how the US game will finish but it’s so much more enjoyable watching a team play with intensity, enthusiasm, creativity and fluidity, and who has been empowered to play that way by its manager!
While I had lost 90% interest in the WC, it is killing me more when I saw how England and Belgium fought back after being down, and the USMNT still playing more positively with 10 players compared to us in the last match.
While I had lost 90% interest in the WC, it is killing me more when I saw how England and Belgium fought back after being down, and the USMNT still playing more positively with 10 players compared to us in the last match 🤦♂️
While I had lost 90% interest in the WC, it is killing me more when I saw how England and Belgium fought back after being down, and the USMNT still playing more positively with 10 players compared to us in the last match 🤦♂️
Agree completely Hedonistix! The US with 10 men and their star striker removed from the match vs Bosnia was far more adventurous and attacking than we were with our full side throughout our game against Morocco. I’d rather play straight up and lose than play afraid and happen to win
You’re not alone. I feel the same way. I found myself looking at the matches without really watching them. Even then, I couldn’t help comparing other teams’ effort to ours. The difference is like day and night.
England and the US both took advantage of the opportunity to hire proven Premier League managers, and it shows. They have structure, they play with a clear plan, and above all, they try to win. Watching them only makes our shortcomings stand out even more.
Other than Koeman, who from the KNVB will resign? Is that noone? What will stop them from picking Heitinga or Alfred Schreuder as next manager? Is that noone care anymore? Why did Spain have so many tactician and develop their brand of football and we did nothing, or even self damage?
Totally agreed, what a clownshow, who puts Reiziger there, I am sorry but no authority at all … we need a new start…
Agree. We need someone from outside.