The Dutch team is reeling like a whirlwind after losing to Austria.

Ronald Koeman won the 1988 European Championship in Germany after a group stage defeat. However, that was 36 years ago, when he was a player and not a coach like he is now. Before the match against Austria, the captain of the "Orange Storm" said he did not want to finish third after the group stage. However, the Netherlands lost and finished in that position.

“We know that if we stay in this position we will have to face a strong team in the next round, maybe England or Spain” - Koeman lamented.

Fortunately, the Dutch team faced a much easier opponent in Romania. However, the defeat to Austria was a warning for Virgil van Dijk and his teammates' championship ambitions in the campaign in Germany.

The Dutch team lost to Austria. Photo: AFP

Koeman is known for his outspoken personality and willingness to criticize his players harshly. The former Barca coach was blunt in his criticism of the Netherlands' performance against Austria as terrible and terrible.

The Netherlands got off to a good start with a win over Poland and a draw with France. Depay and his teammates created a series of chances in the first match and only had to share points with France when Xavi Simons' goal was denied and left much controversy.

Then, the problem of the “Orange Storm” in the defeat against Austria came from all three lines in the squad. Before EURO 2024, the Netherlands were considered to have the most solid defense in the tournament with the leader Virgil van Dijk. Koeman was only missing a world- class goalkeeper but they were confident because in the last 7 matches before entering EURO 2024, they had 6 clean sheets.

However, Austria scored three goals, all from the same flank. Koeman opted for Lutsharel Geertruida over Denzel Dumfries at right-back and the Feyenoord star struggled. It was a poor decision when Dumfries and Frimpong were both in good form and available.

The Dutch defense had a poor performance against Austria. Photo: UEFA

In the center of defense, Van Dijk also did not show his best command. Next to him was Stefan de Vrij instead of Matthijs de Ligt, Mickey van de Ven or Nathan Ake. Ake was instead deployed at left-back. Although the Man City star played well, Koeman could have chosen Ian Maatsen in this position.

Midfield has been a big hit for the Netherlands this tournament. It would have been a different story if Frenkie de Jong, Teun Koopmeiners and Marten de Roon hadn’t picked up injuries at the same time. Jerdy Schouten and Joey Veerman have come in as replacements. Only Tijani Reijnders is currently in the starting XI.

In the match against Austria, Veerman was substituted after just 35 minutes. The PSV star lost possession 16 times in 29 touches. Veerman made 19 passes, but only 9 of them found the right target.

Because he could not control the ball well, the 25-year-old midfielder often forced his team into counter-attacks. Commenting on the player's poor performance, former midfielder Van der Vaart said he felt "terrible" when watching Veerman play.

EURO 2024 may have ended for Veerman. Photo: AFP

Up front, the right wing has become a sore point for Ronald Koeman. In the three group stage matches, he used a different right winger in each match. Xavi Simons, Frimpong and Donyell Malen all looked stuck and did not leave much of an impact before being substituted.

The positive point of the Dutch team is that the changes in players help them play better. In particular, the trump card Wout Weghorst always makes the Oranje attack dangerous every time he enters the field.

Source: https://laodong.vn/bong-da-quoc-te/doi-tuyen-ha-lan-dang-quay-cuong-nhu-mot-con-loc-sau-tran-thua-ao-1358282.ldo