Defensive game puts Orange at European Championship: ‘Not the football we were so proud of’ | NOW

The Orange women think that they did not come out well at the European Championship in England. After the elimination by France in the quarter-finals, several players state that the tactics of national coach Mark Parsons have been too defensive.

The Orange enchanted the fans in their own country in 2017 with sparkling attacking football and the first European title in history. Every girl wanted to be Lieke Martens, because she was constantly dribbling past her opponents gracefully.

Five years later, after the lost quarterfinal against France (1-0), routine Daniëlle van de Donk concludes that there is little left of that game. “We don’t play the beautiful football that we can play and that we were so proud of. We didn’t show good football at this European Championship.”

National coach Mark Parsons said when he was appointed in May last year that he wanted to play attacking football with the Orange squad. He repeated that just before the European Championship and also a day before the match against France. Van de Donk acknowledged that the Orange has played this tournament “much more defensively” than before, with the group matches against weak sisters Portugal (3-2) and Switzerland (4-1) as low points.

And that while the Orange squad has one of the best vanguards at this European Championship with Vivianne Miedema, Lieke Martens, Jill Roord and Van de Donk. Parsons was unlucky enough that Miedema (corona) and Martens (foot injury) were temporarily or permanently lost with injuries, but also in the first game against Sweden, the Orange defended more than it attacked. Then everyone was still available.

“The attacking game suits us well. You have to rely on your own strength and not adapt so quickly to the opponent,” said Van de Donk, who played as an attacking midfielder and right winger during the European Championship. “We played too defensively for my game. I like attacking more. Maybe Mark and I just have a different definition of attacking football.”

Passing Roord confirmation of defensive tactics

Parsons’ defensive mindset also came back in the quarterfinals against France. He victimized Roord for Lineth Beerensteyn, while Roord still scored against Sweden. Roord confirmed after the game against France that she started on the bench because Parsons wanted to “put more energy in defense”.

“He is the trainer and determines, but I believe that we really have a chance if we start playing football,” said Roord, who came in at halftime for the invisible Beerensteyn. “Look at the second half. If we are going to play football, we are very good. If we don’t do that, we will have a hard time against everyone.”

Roord emphasized that not only national coach Parsons, who previously entered this European Championship de Volkskrant criticized for his lengthy discussions, but also blamed the players. “Our strength is playing football, but we have done that too little. That is not only because of him.”

The big question is whether Parsons can stay on after the disappointing European Championship with the defending champion. The British successor of Sarina Wiegman met the goal of the KNVB with a quarter-final place and he also carried out a successful rejuvenation cure, but there does not seem to be a good match.

When asked what Van de Donk learned from Parsons, there was a painful silence. “I’m going to think about that.”