“We overestimate ourselves…if it doesn’t change, we have to pack our bags”
Virgil van Dijk has spoken out strongly against the Netherlands’ poor form.
The Netherlands will face Romania in the round of 16 of the European Football Association (UEFA) Euro 2024 at the Fusball-Arena Munich in Munich, Germany, on Wednesday at 1:00 a.m. ET.
Ahead of the match, van Dijk said: “I understand the criticism. We can do better. I didn’t play well against Austria. Maybe we are overestimating ourselves. We have to show a change now.”
“It’s not about tactics. It’s about wanting to win. We have to change from the way we are now. Otherwise, we have to prepare to go home. We are humble and don’t look further than the next game. We will not underestimate anyone,” he added.
Prior to the start of Euro 2024, there were quite a few people who favored the Netherlands to win the tournament. They had a point. The strongest teams in the tournament are always the ones with the strongest defense. The Netherlands’ biggest strength was considered to be their defense. They had a lot of good defenders, including Van Dijk, Nathan Ake, Matthijs de Ligt, and Mickey van der Pen.
But before the tournament even started, bad news struck. Thon Kopmeijners and Frankie de Jong, who were expected to 먹튀사이트 anchor the Dutch midfield, were ruled out with injuries. Instead, the Netherlands called up Ian Matthijs and Joshua Zirkjei to bolster the midfield.
The Netherlands entered Euro 2024 with a sense of insecurity. The Netherlands underperformed in the group stage. Even their defense, one of their strengths, lacked stability, especially in their third group game against Austria, where they conceded three goals. The Netherlands slipped to third place with four points, but were fortunate to make the round of 16. This was thanks to a rule that allowed the top four teams from the top three groups to also qualify for the round of 16.
It’s a tournament now. Lose and it’s over. It’s time for the Netherlands to showcase their defense, which has been one of their strengths. Still, the Dutch are ahead of Romania in objective power. Romania’s offense isn’t the strongest, so the Netherlands will need to find some stability in their defense starting with this game.