Dutch football is back and here to stay. After a four-year hiatus in terms of major tournaments, the mighty Oranje find themselves in the UEFA Nations league semi-final. Their resurgence has been accompanied by the comeback of their most successful club side in Ajax, which is no coincidence, with both sides being built around their young starlets Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Donny van de Beek.
By no means is this side of the same quality as the Holland side that came victorious in Euro 1988, which boasted talents like Ruud Gullit and Ronald Koeman. However, with the former now at the wheel, tournament success doesn’t feel a million miles away as it did just a few years ago.
Preview of England’s Nations League Opponents
How Did They Get Here?
The Flying Dutchmen were drawn into the Nations League group of death; facing off against the past two World Cup winners in France and Germany. Despite being tipped by many to be relegated from their group, the side came out on top with seven points, pipping France on goal difference. Their success can largely be put down to their brick wall of a defence, headlined by Virgil van Dijk. The PFA Players’ Player of the Year has it all: composure, physicality, bravery. He is simply the epitome of a defender. He is joined by the likes of Daley Blind and the aforementioned de Ligt, providing a wealth of leadership in their backline which has led to the side only conceding four goals in their four games so far in this tournament.
Despite this, the key piece of the jigsaw is, in fact, Barcelona-bound de Jong. The wonderkid is a joy to watch, with every attack originating from him and a perfect match for Barca’s tiki-taka style that they love to employ.
However, he doesn’t just provide fancy touches and cutting passes, but also an insatiable desire to win the ball back for his side, which he has added to his game in the last year allowing him to cement his place in both the Ajax and Holland first teams. This was particularly evident in his performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League first leg where he managed to run the game and really announce himself on the biggest stage.
Besides de Jong, the quality in midfield by no means diminishes. Georginio Wijnaldum is the pick of the bunch, on the back of a Champions League winning season with Liverpool, as well as Marseille midfielder Kevin Strootman who provides the bite in the middle of the park.
Weakness in Attack?
Although not struggling for goals in the group stage, up front appears to be the Dutch sides’ biggest weakness. There is a concerning lack of depth which, if struck by a string of injuries, could quickly blunt any attacking threat.
It all seems to revolve around a lone striker in Memphis Depay, who many will remember from his spell at Manchester United, where he came in labelled as the ‘next Ronaldo’ and then left just two years later labelled as a flop. However, since moving to Lyon, Memphis has found success through playing a slightly more central role, scoring 29 goals over the last two seasons in Ligue 1.
Koeman likes to compliment Depay with two wingers, most recently being Quincy Promes and Ryan Babel. Although they have their qualities, looking at this attacking cartel as a whole it appears weak, especially when you are having to rely on a 32-year-old winger who hardly set the world alight in a short spell at Fulham this season.
How Must England Approach the Nations League Semi-Final?
For England, it is simple: just keep doing what they’ve been doing. The important thing is that they take their chances given the strong Dutch defence, which is unlikely to offer too many opportunities.
Overcoming Spain and Croatia in the group stage was impressive and on paper a tougher task than that they come up against in the Netherlands, but England must not be complacent. This is not the same side that has failed so miserably in recent times, this is the start of a new era in Dutch football.
Main Photo
