Ronald Koeman believes that many talents in the Netherlands lack physical and mental qualities. According to the national coach of Orange, too little emphasis is still placed on defending.
“Dutch teams always have a hard time when they have to compete against foreign teams that are physically stronger. In the Netherlands, Getafe received a lot of criticism for the way they played against Ajax, but I thought it was an extraordinary achievement,” said Koeman on Friday. with the Spanish Marca.
“In the Netherlands we have many talents of about eighteen who do not have much needed maturity. They lack physical and mental qualities. You have to know how to become the best, even if the game is not good. Sometimes we have to defend more to be able to win a match. “
Since taking office in February 2018, Koeman has been trying to focus more on defending at Orange and less on attacking and dominating. “We are already changing a bit in the Netherlands, but more attention needs to be paid to the physical and defensive aspects. Otherwise we will not gain much.”
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Ronald Koeman with talents Calving Stengs and Myron Boadu. (Photo: Pro Shots)
‘Now everyone wants to be part of Orange’
Koeman is pleased to see that the prestige of the Dutch national team has increased after a dark period. The Orange missed two consecutive final tournaments with the European Championship 2016 and the 2018 World Cup, which made the losing World Cup finalist of 2010 a dent in the image.
“At the moment everyone wants to be part of Orange, that was not the case at all. I love the Italians, whose passion you see when the national anthem is played. We are almost the opposite in that respect,” said the 56-year-old Koeman.
“On my first day with the Dutch national team, I told the players that there is nothing better than representing your country and that they should also radiate that. There was a lot of criticism about the team and people lost a bit of their confidence and interest in Orange. Now our players show that they are proud to represent the Netherlands, is that not the case anymore. “
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