Coach in hiding, assistant helpless, not knowing how to respond to the press
The Netherlands team did not have a very impressive group stage journey. Coach Ronald Koeman's team only finished 3rd in Group D, behind Austria and France. It took a lot of luck for the "Orange Storm" to advance as one of the 4 best 3rd-placed teams. The Netherlands team showed a lackluster and lifeless style of play after all 3 group stage matches.
In particular, after the 2-3 loss to Austria, the Dutch players and coach Ronald Koeman were heavily criticized. Former Dutch player Rafael van der Vaart even said that the team's playing style had damaged the image of the team and disrespected the fans. He called on coach Ronald Koeman to apologize and all the team's players to take responsibility.
The Netherlands team had a lackluster group stage and were lucky to advance with 3rd place.
Having received much criticism, coach Ronald Koeman has suddenly “avoided” the media in recent days. After each training session, the 61-year-old strategist refused to answer all questions. Even when the European Football Federation held a press conference, coach Ronald Koeman refused to attend and let assistant Bas Ticheler answer instead.
Responding to questions from reporters, Mr. Bas Ticheler also shook his head and said: "I am not in a position to answer technical questions right now. Without Ronald Koeman sitting here, what is the point of any answers? Coach Ronald Koeman is "hiding" and will probably have a private meeting with the coach of the Dutch national team. Of course, a lot of things are happening and I think coach Ronald Koeman is about to face a ton of criticism from the media and Dutch fans."
Coach Ronald Koeman has not appeared in the media since the EURO 2024 group stage ended.
'I'm getting... shot'
Without coach Ronald Koeman, Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk was the one who had to show up and take the heat. Many reporters were criticizing the Dutch midfielder. When he moved to the press conference room, thousands of Dutch fans were also present, scolding and criticizing the way the Dutch team played.
Virgil van Dijk said: “It goes without saying that I have to take the bullet now. We have spoken a lot in the last 48 hours and some harsh words have been said. Of course it was necessary and I feel it helps the team a lot.
I also blame myself. I see that I personally made a lot of mistakes and should have played better on the pitch. I'm not crazy, I know when things need to improve. That's what I'm doing to make the Dutch team better."
When asked about his team's results in the group stage, Virgil van Dijk replied: "Finishing third in the group is of course very bad. After the match against France, we received a lot of criticism. But after a bad match, that is not a reason for the Dutch team to panic. If we continue to maintain this form, the Netherlands will have nothing to play for. So as a team, the players need to unite and move forward. Each person has to solve it in their own way and then gather strength and contribute to the Dutch team."
Virgil van Dijk appeared and answered on behalf of coach Ronald Koeman
Although they did not play well in the group stage, only finishing 3rd, meeting Romania is considered lucky for the Netherlands. Romania is one of the teams with the lowest rating in the round of 16, even though they just topped the group with Belgium and Ukraine. If they overcome Romania, the Netherlands will have a chance to go far because their group does not have many strong opponents. Therefore, the fans of the "Orange Storm" are expecting the home team to improve their performance, play more beautifully to go deep into EURO 2024.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/hlv-koeman-tron-truyen-thong-doi-truong-ha-lan-virgil-van-dijk-xuat-hien-lanh-dan-185240629015554429.htm
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