The Netherlands team could not explode in the opening match of EURO 2024, but coach Ronald Koeman and his team still beat Poland (2-1). That is the most important thing!
Without Frenkie de Jong, coach Koeman lacks a "beat counter" in the midfield, capable of regulating the game and deploying the ball steadily. The Dutch midfield consists of Joey Veerman, Jerdy Schouten and Tijani Reijnders - names that fans will probably have to... Google to find out who they are. Up front, the Dutch also lack a real striker. Cody Gakpo, Memphis Depay and Xavi Simons all have plenty of speed and technique, but are not good at playing with their backs to the goal. It is easy to imagine how the Dutch will play: "ignore" the midfield, break through on the flanks, and try to deploy the ball as quickly as possible.
Weghorst immediately shone as soon as he entered the field, helping the Netherlands come from behind to win 3 points in the opening match of Group D.
REUTERS
The peak years of Dutch football are associated with the nickname "Orange Storm", but modern football cannot only be about attacking like a tornado, but also requires calmness and certainty to control the match, playing fast or slow at the right time to lure the opponent into a trap. The Netherlands lacked this quality in last night's match. After letting Adam Buksa score first, coach Koeman's students pushed up to attack and had a relatively lucky equalizer when Gakpo's shot hit the Polish defender's foot and changed direction. When Poland tightened up the squad in the second half, the Netherlands lacked both a reasonable playing tempo and an arrow to penetrate the opponent's dense defense. Sending Weghorst onto the field was coach Koeman's last resort. Because despite scoring 7 goals for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga last season, Weghorst has never been a really good striker. Weghorst's golden goal in the 83rd minute was both a "lip gloss" and a finale to the emotional comeback of the Netherlands.
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