The only great success at the full level of the Netherlands team was the Euro Cup won in 1988 against the former USSR (2-0) with the extraordinary generation formed by Ronald Koeman, Frank Rijkaard, Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten. That edition was played in Germany, which 36 years later was repeated as the venue.
The ‘oranje’, driven by this wonderful memory, dreams of repeating its most glorious page in the leadership, now as coach, of Ronald Koeman, that his brother will be his assistant Erwin, also a member of the 1988 championship team.
A complicated road to Germany
The Netherlands did not have an easy path to the final stage but they corrected their course in time to qualify second in the group behind France, winning both matches (4-0 and 1-2).
He has not yet reached his 11th participation in a Euro Cup and is considered, as on other occasions, among the great favorites for the title, but Koeman It has a first-level call, headed by Frenkie de Jong, Van Dijk, De Ligt, Xavi Simons, Memphis, to go very far.
The 26 called by Koeman
Goalkeepers
Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord)
Mark Fleken (Brentford)
Bart Verbruggen (Brighton & Hove Albion)
Defenses
Nathan Ake (Manchester City)
Daley Blind (Girona)
Stefan de Vrij (Inter)
Lutsharel Geertruida (Feyenoord)
Denzel Dumfries (Inter)
Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich)
Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)
Micky van de Ven (Tottenham)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielders
Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona)
Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta)
Tijjani Reijnders (Milan)
Jerdy Schouten (PSV Eindhoven)
Xavi Simons (Leipzig)
Joey Veerman (PSV Eindhoven)
Georginio Wijnaldum (Al Ettifaq)
Forward
Steven Bergwijn (Ajax)
Brian Brobbey (Ajax)
Memphis Depay (Atletico Madrid)
Cody Gakpo (Liverpool)
Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund)
Wout Weghorst Hoffenheim)
Likely starting lineup
Everything indicates that Ronald Koeman bet on a 3-4-2-1 together Verbruggen on purpose; the central ones De Ligt, Van Dijk and Aké in defense, Dumfries, Schouten, Frenkie de Jong and Blind in the middle of the field, Simons and Gakpo in midfield and Memphis at the point of attack.
The figures of the Netherlands
Frenkie de Jong is the player whose Koeman He gave all his trust in him to lead the game of the ‘oranje’ team despite the fact that he will come to the Eurocup in good condition after spraining his right ankle that he suffered on April 21 during the he played classically. Barcelona at the Bernabéu and it prevented him from playing for the rest of the season.
Memphis Depay He is another one of Koeman’s key pieces and, if the muscle injuries that prevented him from regular performance at Atlético de Madrid are valid, he is guaranteed a starting position at the top of the attack. In defense of the captain Virgil van Dijk will once again be the soul of the team and the quality and irreverence of Xavi Simons In the midfield it is another of the great arguments of the Dutch team.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
