Chronicling the Netherlands’ disastrous Euro 2020 preparation

Even the most ardent supporter of the Netherlands national team would have to admit that their preparation for Euro 2020 has been poor at best.

From their heyday in the 1980s to the disappointing underachievement of the 90s and early 2000s – the Netherlands have consistently proven themselves to be one of the strongest forces in Europe. But their erratic form in recent years is perhaps best highlighted in their buildup for Euro 2020.

Under Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands had made the final of the inaugural Nations League campaign, ultimately losing to Portugal. Despite the disappointment, they were well set up to tackle their Euro 2020 qualifying group, where they would face Germany, Northern Ireland, Belarus and Estonia.

In the end, qualification came fairly quickly. Despite slipping to defeat at home to group favourites Germany, Koeman’s side got their revenge with a shock 4-2 win in Hamburg. A dour 0-0 draw away in Northern Ireland was the only other blemish on their record as they finished second in Group C with six wins from a possible eight.

Then it all came crashing down.

Nine months after securing qualification, Koeman resigned to take the Barcelona job following the departure Quique Setién. Between caretaker manager Dwight Lodeweges and Koeman’s eventual full-time replacement, Frank de Boer, the Netherlands stumbled through their Nations League group, failing to qualify for the finals after finishing second behind Italy.

A defeat and a draw against the Azzuri coupled with a frustrating point away at Bosnia proved to be their downfall, and started to show that things weren’t going to plan without Koeman at the helm.

But in truth, this was just the start. In October 2020, news filtered through that captain Virgil van Dijk suffered an ACL injury playing in the Merseyside Derby for Liverpool. It looked all but certain that it would rule him out for the entirety of the 2020/21 campaign, as well as the subsequent European Championships.

On paper, the Netherlands’ squad has more than enough quality to make up for the 29-year-old’s absence. Mathijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij, both plying their trade in Serie A with Juventus and Inter respectively, look the most likely to fill the defensive gap left by their injured captain. Ajax’s Daley Blind and Man City’s Nathan Aké also remain in contention for a starting spot.

But their defensive depth was no match for Turkey, who they faced in their opening World Cup qualifier after five months without international action. Şenol Güneş’ side, tipped by many to be underdogs for Euro 2020, breezed past the Netherlands in a 4-2 win. This triggered major concerns from the fans, who had the disappointment of missing out of the 2018 World Cup fresh in their minds.

Perhaps this was what triggered De Boer to change, even if it was a slow process. The Netherlands secured a 2-0 win at home to Latvia in their following game, before annihilating Gibraltar three days later. The international break came to an end, and gave the Oranje boss three months to pick his tactics and his squad for Euro 2020.

First came the squad announcement. Some big names were left out, such as Anwar El Ghazi, who had an impressive campaign for Aston Villa. Hans Hateboer, Rick Karsdorp, Jeremiah St. Juste, Kenny Tete and Tonny Vilhena were some of the surprise exclusions from the team. Jasper Cillessen, usually the first choice goalkeeper, dropped out through injury.

But the tactical changes that followed was much more surprising. Many managers tinker with their formations, but this was a complete overhaul. Gone was the traditional 4-3-3. De Boer told his players that they would be playing a 5-3-2.

The 51-year-old confirmed that his side had been practising the new system during training and would be using it in friendly matches against Scotland and Georgia.

“We want to dominate, but often don’t have the ball. We did well in this system against Italy for the Nations League, in terms of discipline. Now we hope to be on the ball even more.

“I look at my selection and want to let my players play in their strength. With three in the back you can be very dominant, we would like that and we have the players for that.”

In their first match against Steve Clarke’s side in Portugal, the Netherlands found themselves 1-0 down in ten minutes after some lifeless defending allowed Jack Hendry to net the opener. Memphis Depay struck back shortly after with a sweet half-volley, but his side fell behind again just after the hour mark as more lackadaisical defending allowed Kevin Nisbet to tap home from close range.

Depay’s beautiful free-kick salvaged a last-minute draw for the Netherlands, but ultimately it was a game that they should have lost.

Georgia provided the next test for De Boer’s side in Enschede four days later. Once again, he persevered with the 5-3-2 formation, but this time came out with a 3-0 win thanks to goals from Depay, Wout Weghorst and Ryan Gravenberch.

On paper, this was an improved performance, but Dutch media slated De Boer’s approach to the game. The decision to play so defensively against a lowly ranked side such as Georgia received huge criticism, and individual selection decisions were scrutinised throughout.

Weghorst scored his first goal for the Oranje in the win, and many hold his talents in high regard, but opting to play him as a target-man striker while not delivering any crosses into the box from wide areas has been mind-boggling. Donyell Malen’s introduction saw a huge improvement up front, and his partnership with Depay makes him a clear favourite to start in the Euros if De Boer sticks with this formation.

Marten de Roon’s place in the Netherlands’ three-man midfield has also been questioned. The 30-year-old was dispossessed 13 times in the first half alone, causing pundits to call for him to be dropped from the starting lineup.

There’s no debating that a midfield trio of De Roon, Frenkie de Jong and Georginio Wijnaldum leaves a lot to be desired in terms of creativity, and the introduction of Davy Klaassen and Gravenberch unsurprisingly coincided with an increase in tempo and attacking intent. Donny van de Beek’s withdrawal from the squad due to a groin injury, however, gives the Netherlands even fewer options in the centre of the park.

In short, the 5-3-2 formation will likely be a disaster if used at Euro 2020. A side with such talent and quality as the Netherlands is limited by De Boer’s defensive-minded approach, resulting in an over-reliance on talisman Depay. As a result, none of the players look confident playing with a five-man defence.

This criticism puts a lot of pressure on De Boer ahead of a competition that they’ve regularly thrived in. In fact, Euro 1988 was the first major tournament that the Netherlands won, led by legendary manager Rinus Michels. 33 years on, they find themselves under the management of a man who’s faced three sackings in the last four years and was dubbed “the worst manager in the history of the Premier League” by José Mourinho.

Luckily, the Netherlands feature in Group C in this year’s European Championship, which is largely considered to be the easiest group in the tournament. They kick off against Ukraine, before facing Austria and North Macedonia. The Oranje are given the added bonus that all of their group games are on home soil, being hosted at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam.

De Boer’s side remain heavy favourites to top the group, but there are genuine fears that their place in the knockout stages could be at risk unless a multitude of tactical changes are made between now and the start of the tournament.

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