Despite being tipped to struggle at Euro 2020, the Netherlands could secure their place in the knockout stages with a win against Austria.

Frank de Boer’s side picked up a win in their first group stage game against Ukraine, fighting off a late comeback to seal three points thanks to an 85th-minute winner from Denzel Dumfries. Their 3-2 win against Andriy Shevchenko’s men saw a huge improvement in attack, which was a major area of concern based on recent performances in pre-tournament friendly games against Scotland and Georgia.

However, there were glaring defensive issues exposed throughout the game. Of course, Ukraine entered the competition with considerable pedigree, having topped their qualifying group ahead of reigning European Champions Portugal. Their pace on the counterattack was clear to see, and they regularly stretched the Netherlands’ shaky five-man defence.

A five-minute implosion from the Oranje wasn’t enough to see Ukraine take any points into their next game against North Macedonia, but it does mean that the Netherlands could book their place in the knockout stages should they overcome Austria at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.

Should Ukraine and North Macedonia play out a draw in Thursday’s early kick-off, progression from Group C would be on the line for the winner of the Netherlands’ clash with Austria later that evening.

Franco Foda’s side will likely provide a tougher test than Ukraine did on Sunday evening, but home advantage gives the Netherlands the edge with the bookies, who head into the clash as favourites. Nonetheless, Austria boasts an impressive lineup of talent, with David Alaba and Marcel Sabitzer the clear standouts in a well-balanced squad.

Their 3-1 win against North Macedonia in Bucharest was far from sensational. Despite taking the lead, a defensive error allowed veteran Goran Pandev to score an equaliser in his country’s European Championship debut. Ultimately, Michael Gregoritsch and Marko Arnautović came off the bench to seal the three points and push them nearer to a place in the last 16.

The Netherlands and Austria are clearly the two favourites to progress from Group C, but the fight for the top spot will prove to be crucial in order to progress deep into the tournament. The winner of the group will face one of the highest-ranked third placed teams, while the runner up will likely face a clash against Italy at Wembley.

As it stands, a first-place finish in Group C would provide a fairly clear path to the semi-finals, and De Boer will know that an impressive run in the tournament would ease the immense pressure on him and his side.

The former Ajax and Crystal Palace manager has been slated for his tactical decisions, including a controversial shift to a 5-3-2 formation, but proving his critics wrong could see the Netherlands boss keep his job ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. After all, the Oranje shockingly failed to qualify for either of the last two major international tournaments prior to Euro 2020.

For now, those critics will largely remain, especially after a shaky defensive performance against Ukraine. De Boer’s tactics will still be scrutinised, although the 5-3-2 formation will remain in place for the clash against Austria.

The absence of Marko Arnautović, who’s serving a one-match ban for insulting North Macedonia’s Ezgjan Alioski, doesn’t hinder the attacking threat of Das Team, and the Netherlands will need to improve their positioning and marking in order to keep them out.

The return of Mathijs de Ligt, who has fully recovered from his groin injury, will surely provide a huge boost in the heart of their defence. De Boer has confirmed that he will start on Thursday evening.

However, the Oranje boss cannot jeopardise his side’s attacking intent that they showed against Ukraine. A balance has to be found to keep their intensity on the ball while working to plug the gaps in their defensive line. The wing-backs, for example, have to be capable of providing width in attack while helping out the three centre-backs.

Dumfries has shown that he’s more than capable of doing that based on his Man of the Match performance on Sunday, but he and his other attack-minded teammates have to consistently match that level of effort if they’re going to challenge the top teams. This is especially important for talisman Memphis Depay, who was underwhelming in the win against Ukraine amidst a rumoured move to FC Barcelona.

If they’re capable of evolving as a squad in this new system, there’s no reason why they can’t beat Austria and top the group on the way to having a run deep into the tournament.

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