Ronald Koeman has formidable plans for the Netherlands, aiming to implement a extra aggressive method to play than the one applied by his predecessor Louis van Gaal. The Oranje reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Qatar underneath Van Gaal, however criticisms had been directed on the type of soccer that was perceived to be damaging. A five-man line of defense proved to be miserly, conceding simply twice within the first 4 matches of the event, however followers wished extra inventive output from a aspect that boasted the likes of Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo.
The Netherlands’ enterprise in Qatar got here to an finish towards Argentina in a shoot-out defeat, having fought again from a two-goal deficit in a recreation that marked the ultimate stand of Van Gaal’s third spell on the helm.
The same method is not going to be adopted underneath Koeman, who as an alternative plans to return to the four-man defence he used throughout his earlier stint in cost from 2018-2020. “In principle, we are going back to the system we played before. I also change the system sometimes, but we are going to form the basic system with four defenders. In the end, it’s all about the implementation of the system. I also played with five players at the back at Barcelona, with three central defenders, and that went very well. Everything revolves around putting high pressure, or letting yourself sink. That makes a system offensive or not,” he mentioned.
Assessing the Netherlands’ efficiency on the World Cup, Koeman praised Van Gaal’s unbeaten file that stretched till the quarter-final defeat to Argentina and hopes he can get pleasure from an analogous run of type, albeit in his personal method. “We try to play attractive and fun football in the Netherlands. And 20 international matches remain unbeaten, that will be incredible if I manage to do the same. It can be done differently, and I want to do it differently,” he added.
Koeman faces a baptism of fireplace on his return to the nationwide aspect, together with his first match coming towards France in March because the qualification marketing campaign for Euro 2024 begins.
