Ronald Koeman gave a press conference on Tuesday and discussed a number of matters surrounding the Dutch national team.
- Follow Football-Oranje on X
The Netherlands squad is back together again after the European Championships that saw Oranje reach the semi-finals before defeat to England.
Reflecting on the tournament, Koeman said, according to Voetbal International, “It wasn’t on my mind for long. It was for a few days. You’re in Germany for so long, in a bubble. Then it’s suddenly over. Then everyone leaves as quickly as possible. For players it’s logical, they have a short holiday. You come home and you think about everything. I don’t want to say maximum, but we had a good European Championship. In the end you don’t win it, we came close. There were many good moments and bad moments. I don’t think there will be a better final tournament than this one. We made a difference in the Netherlands, otherwise 125 thousand people wouldn’t go to Dortmund. I experienced it as positive.”
Koeman also confirmed he had talks with the KNVB afterwards to evaluate the tournament, “It was a longer conversation, longer than five minutes. It wasn’t just about my own performance. We talked about everything, the players, the future. They were more than happy with the results. I think the gap with the top countries is not that bad. We are still a strong country. The last EC proved that. It was a close finish with England and they only just lost to Spain. It’s a close call.”
Turning his attention to the injured Frenkie de Jong, Koeman said, “That is worrying. I understand that he is getting better and better, but he is not yet fully fit. He has had three nasty ankle injuries in a row. There is damage there and it takes time to recover. It takes a long time, but let’s hope that he recovers fully.”
Memphis Depay is also absent and Koeman explained why, “First of all, it’s because he doesn’t have a club. Then you don’t play football and you can’t be with the Dutch national team. Memphis is 30, let’s hope he gets a club, gets fit. Then he’s still an option for me.”
Virgil van Dijk is still part of the Netherlands team after Koeman flew for talks with his captain, “I went to Liverpool for Virgil. I could tell from him how he was feeling after the tournament. I thought it was so important to go to him, to feel if he wanted to go for two years.”
Ryan Gravenberch is impressing for Liverpool and Koeman is happy with the midfielder, “He played well. It is clear that he is taking a step, has taken one. He gets the chance and he grabs it with both hands. You are looking for new impetus, further selection and where possible bringing in youth. That is the future. That does not only apply to him.
He also added on why Gravenberch is suddenly in top form, “It may be a bit of trust that he gets. He started earlier than some other internationals. Maybe the penny will drop now. We have always seen a lot of potential in Ryan. A lot of people, including me, thought that a bit of concentration, the laziness, could be improved in him. It seems, we are talking about two matches now, that he realizes what is required in the midfield of Liverpool in the Premier League. That is the reality. If a player is given the trust or the chance, that can be the push in the right direction.”
Koeman is disappointed that Joey Veerman did not get a move away from PSV, “Joey is a player who needs to be challenged. He had a hard time at the European Championships of course. I gave him a chance to fight back later, which happened. But he did not make the step he wanted. I agree with him, what he says about a number of matches. That it is too easy for him. Players in the Premier League become stronger because they have to play full throttle every three days. That is not the case in the Netherlands. Then these are players who are so good on the ball that they get more time. For him it would be a much-needed step that he has to make. Otherwise I think we will continue to see this.”
On his goals for the Nations League, Koeman added, “We want to perform at our best, because it can also be a back door if things don’t go well in the World Cup qualification. It’s also interesting, this group. We’ve always done well in the Nations League. Two out of three we’ve reached the last four, that’s the approach again.”
Follow
Follow @Footballoranje_ on Twitter
