Thanks to my foresight, which more or less comes with my position, I already saw the opportunity to interview Ronald Koeman, coach of the Dutch team, after the World Cup. I managed it – I’ll just mention it for surprised readers – without relying on AI.
How do you look back on the tournament?
Koeman: “With great satisfaction. When you see the poor performances we started this job with… a defeat against Algeria and a difficult victory against Uzbekistan, where our reserves with Depay and Kluivert later even lost, then you can be very happy with a final place afterwards. Who could have thought that? That Donyell Malen would become the most productive striker of the tournament, that Summerville would emerge as a more dangerous winger than Olise, that Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch would develop from invisible midfielders in the practice matches into supreme playmakers?”
To be honest, I expected it to end in an inglorious elimination somewhere in the eighth finals.
Koeman: “Yes, you from the press are very good at that: vilification. And knowing everything better afterwards, I always call that: looking a Koeman in the ass. I didn’t care about that, that’s why I said in advance: ‘I won’t read any newspaper.’ As a national coach you just have to follow your own path. I knew we didn’t need that talkative Ferryman at all. I knew that Memphis would be back to normal again, possibly next to Malen in the rush hour. And above all, I knew that everything would fall into place once we started the first important match, against Japan.”
How Donyell Malen became the most productive striker of the World Cup
How were you able to get Malen to score again? He seemed to have so little self-confidence that he scared himself at every opportunity.
Koeman: “I never beat around the bush, you know that. I had praised Memphis so often that Malen had developed an inferiority complex. He thought I would choose Memphis anyway, even if it meant swimming to Brazil. Memphis as a kind of illegitimate son of Koeman. But I was able to convince Malen that they can also play next to each other. Since then he has scored like Harry Kane. Did you see his two goals, and especially that marker over the goalkeeper, against Brazil in the round of 16?”
In fact, no one talked about Kane anymore, Malen became the big discovery of the tournament.
Koeman: “Of course. I wasn’t worried at all, also because I still had Weghorst and Brobbey on hand. Pure class never betrays itself.”
Now I have to ask an annoying question.
Koeman: “I didn’t expect anything different. Go ahead.”
Everything went well in the final against France until we lost a 2-0 lead in the last fifteen minutes – of course two goals from Malen. It went to penalties after extra time. Then you let Malen take the last, decisive penalty. And he…he…missed. Why did you choose him in particular?
Koeman: “Look, that’s what I mean, that’s exactly the reason why I will never read, let alone speak to, such a Dutch newspaper again.”