The current Orange is – for the time being – not a team that conquers the hearts of the international public. The Dutch national team played one of the worst matches in World Cup history against Ecuador and were lucky to get away with a 1-1 draw in Doha’s sold-out Khalifa International Stadium. The team of national coach Louis van Gaal needs a draw against the already eliminated Qatar on Tuesday to qualify for the eighth finals. A win is required for Group A to win.
The execution worries Van Gaal more than the result. “I am satisfied with the 1-1, but not with the game. We were bad in possession. We couldn’t find our own players because of that. And we lost every game. Then it will be difficult,” said Van Gaal after the game. “If you want to become world champion, we have to reach a higher level. Because the opponents will only get better. The balance is lost for a while, but it can come back in a bit.”
The national coach announced time and time again in the run-up to the World Cup that he wants his team to play offensively. He wants to link attractive play to results. With the offensive house style of Orange, the Dutch national team made such a big impression at the 1974 World Cup that older generations still know the names of that team. At the time, the Orange failed to take the top prize in West Germany. In the World Cup finals of 1978 and 2010, the Netherlands went down with hard physical play.
In his third term as national coach, Van Gaal wants to write history with the Orange after the elimination for the 2002 World Cup and the third place in Brazil in 2014. It hurt him that his team at the World Cup in South America was dismissed by the outside world as conservative. The fact is, however, that the Orange was built on a line of five defenders with the two world forwards Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie in the front as killers. Van Gaal saw the only chance of a result in this un-Dutch way of playing.
Inspirational football
Now, at the 2022 World Cup, the Orange has to prove itself after an absence of eight years with the same coach, but with an almost completely different team. The first game against Senegal ended with mediocre play in an efficient 2-0 win. The world was not impressed. But the international football fan was completely shocked by the display that the Netherlands put on the mat against Ecuador. The default now resulted in one point.
I have every confidence that things will get better
Frankie Young Midfielder
Van Gaal started differently against Ecuador. He not only fielded three other players against Senegal – Jurriën Timber for Matthijs de Ligt, Davy Klaassen for Steven Berghuis and Teun Koopmeiners for Vincent Janssen – but also put different accents in his system. The Dutch national team started conservatively with a so-called 5-3-2 formation. A cleverly executed counter resulted in the opening goal for the Orange in the sixth minute. After an assist from Klaassen, Cody Gakpo hit hard with the left. It was his second goal in the World Cup.
It was shocking what the Orange showed after the goal. With uninspired football, the Netherlands lurked half-softly on the counter. The Dutch national team did not get a chance in the rest of the first half and was lucky that a goal by Ecuador was rejected for offside. That should have been a warning to the Netherlands.
Way below par
The Netherlands played in the second half – in which Memphis Depay came on for Steven Bergwijn – the weakest 45 minutes in ages. Not only was it far below par offensively, but the Orange defense also looked shaky with captain Virgil van Dijk hopelessly searching for his form. In midfield, Teun Koopmeiners, Davy Klaassen and substitute Marten de Roon lost almost every game. Also the faded playmaker Frenkie de Jong could not make the difference in Doha. He rammed a ball away after the final whistle out of frustration. “Today was not good enough with the ball. But I have every confidence that things will get better. We have already proven with this group that we can do that”, De Jong said afterwards.
Read also: a portrait of Andries Noppertthe goalkeeper who was again under the bar with the Dutch national team against Ecuador
The Dutch national team single-handedly brought Ecuador back into the game. After Gonzalo Plata shot against the crossbar after an hour, the South Americans on the field and their supporters in the stands believed in a result. “Sí se puede”, or “Yes we can”, it sounded in the stadium. And Enner Valencia did it. The striker from Ecuador equalized in the 49th minute. That was his third goal in this World Cup. In the final phase, he left the field with an injury.
The Netherlands got no further than a shot from Koopmeiners high over the goal. With that, the Dutch ended the game with only two attempts on goal, and Koopmeiners did not even want to call his own shot that. That was the lowest number of a European country since the 1966 World Cup. Not a fact that Van Gaal wants to make history with in Qatar.
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of November 26, 2022