Ronald Koeman has revealed his Dutch team took time to reflect and point out problems in the side while also admitting he would have hoped for shorter time-frame from their last group game to their last 16 affair with Romania.
The Netherlands took to the field last in Berlin on Tuesday, in what was their final group D game, losing 3-2 against Austria which left them with a third place finish but securing a knockout phase ticket as part of the four best losers.
Koeman said in a press conference:
“It has been a very long week. Seven days is a long period between two matches at a tournament like this.
“We’ve certainly had enough time to review and analyse the match against Austria, and what went wrong. We didn’t play compact enough, which sometimes makes it seem like you’re not aggressive enough.”
The Dutchmen also had extensive critique discussions and detailed discussions after the performance.
“Players and staff were open with each other. After that, you continue and look for a reaction in training. Everyone knows that things can and should be done differently and now we look forward to seeing the confirmation of that tomorrow,” he added.
Koeman has struggled to find a good combination in midfield due to injuries to key midfielders like Frenkie de Jong, Marten de Roon, and Teun Koopmeiners.
“It’s a long story and I don’t like to talk too much about who is missing. This is the squad that we have and we need to improve, but it’s not only the midfield but sometimes the communication between the centre-backs and the midfielders needs to be better.”
Despite their not so impressive performances at Euro 2024, Koeman insisted his side are motivated for the contest at the Munich Football Arena, in a game where they will be favourites.
“We are a proud nation. We like to win, we like to play nice football, but that doesn’t always happen. We take the criticism… no problem… and we’d like to turn it around tomorrow and make people happy about the final result.
“We take Romania really seriously; we know what we can expect and we need to improve compared to the last match.”
