As he began his second tenure as coach of the national team that fell to eventual champion Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinal, Ronald Koeman promised to get the Netherlands back to playing exciting, attacking football on Monday.
The 59-year-old Koeman declared that he aimed to get his side back to the winning ways of his first stint as national coach, which spanned the years 2018–20. During that time, he guided a youthful, promising team to the Nations League final and the European Championship qualifying.
He considered not only those accomplishments but also the process we used. We should return to that, he urged.
His remarks followed criticism of Koeman’s predecessor, Louis van Gaal, by certain Dutch sports media members for what they saw as a defensive style of play during the World Cup in November and December.
Koeman spoke of his experience watching the Netherlands in Qatar: “I witnessed periods in games where I thought, ‘This can be different, this must be different,'” he remarked.
“In the Netherlands, we aim to play good, attractive, offensive football, and it is sometimes the most difficult path to take,” he remarked.
Twenty international games without a loss — it would be unbelievable if I also manage that, Koeman remarked, referring to Van Gaal’s remarkable unbeaten run leading up to the World Cup quarterfinals.
“I think it can be done differently, and I want to do it differently,” he continued.
After the Netherlands missed out on both the 2016 and 2018 World Cups, Koeman was first hired as the country’s national coach. Prior to the 2020 European Championship being postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, he was scheduled to serve as the team’s coach. He led the squad to a runner-up position in the first Nations League.
However, after Quique Setién was let go, his ideal job as coach of Barcelona became available, thus Koeman resigned and returned to the team where he first gained notoriety as an uncompromising defender and where he currently resides.
Koeman was fired from Barcelona after less than two seasons due to the team’s poor performance in the Spanish league and Champions League.
He now claims that in his second term with the Netherlands, he has much to prove.
I need to show that I can guide a team to victory at a major competition, he remarked. The European Championship qualifiers, which start in March, are the first phase.
The Netherlands face the World Cup losing finalist France on March 24 in Paris in Koeman’s first game in the qualification round. Ireland, Greece, and Gibraltar are further members of the qualifying group.
