Netherlands and Danny Blind are under severe pressure heading into the World Cup qualifiers after Greece stunned the Oranje with a 2-1 win in Eindhoven.
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The victories over Poland and Austria earlier this summer had lifted some of the gloom surrounding the Dutch national team and they headed into the game with Greece under some optimism. The positivity was evident at the start of the game as Netherlands put Greece under pressure and got their reward on 14 minutes with Georginio Wijnaldum netting from close range after good work from Vincent Janssen.
However, after the opener Netherlands relinquished control and Greece began to come into the game. Petros Mantalos gave the Dutch defence a warning, before Greece eventually equalised before the half hour mark with Konstantinos Mitroglou given space in the box to head past Jeroen Zoet.
In the second half, Netherlands controlled possession but offered very little going forward and on 75 minutes a disastrous moment in defence gave Greece the lead. Jeffrey Bruma lost possession to Mitroglou, who saw his effort saved by Zoet before Giannis Gianniotas knocked in the rebound.
With fifteen minutes to find an equaliser Netherlands attacked but Janssen couldn’t find the net with a strike that went just past the post, while the introduction of Bas Dost added little. Greece held on for the closing minutes comfortably to heap more pressure on the Dutch ahead of Tuesday’s tie in Sweden.
Blind now has a lot to think about and changes will be needed to ensure the Oranje don’t start another qualifying campaign with a defeat.
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Sorry but not enough of the KNVB was let go. Blind is in way over his head. This has become a joke. I like Blind but he is not National team capable. Its not like running a club team. Bring back LVG as there is no one else who seems to want the job or has an ego to make players stay focused when it counts. Lackluster defending AGAIN. This is all on the coaching. No excuse!!!!LVG does good with younger players. Now before its too late.
Cant understand why is danny blind still there,why the dutch federation is waiting for the next disaster and doing nothing to prevent it! Bring back van gaal!
What federation???
Blind has no clue!! You can clearly see that when Advocaat was next to him, the team was playing solid. First game without Dick and we’re back to what we saw in the European qualifications. I give us 0% chances of getting a positive result in Sweden.
Unbelievable mismanagement Blind has to go
Sack blind, oranje will not qualify for the WC if he continues as the coach.
Louis v Gaal is our only hope. Please please please Mr v Gaal, come back! We need you and we will double your salary….no…triple it!
This performance was simply not good enough. Blind was at best a very average club coach only to get the biggest job in Dutch football and as expected to fail miserably. He must go now and perhaps only Louis van Gail can bring the good times back any time soon.
I am very afraid of game agaist sweden becaose i think we gona to lose and this will be another dizaster campain…nederland was a world class team now is a 2 class and we now most be afraid ob teams like sweden and hope not to lose..that a shame and its not easy to watch..blind must to go…
Blind won’t be there by the end of the campaign…surely.
But If LVG is prepared to come back, is he the answer?
Is his strategy/style of play, that we saw at Manchester and the last WC,the most competitive, strongest in the evolving world of world football. We are going to see teams, like Greece who have never defeated the Oranje, doing so more often.
The style of play which sees the large majority of possession in the team played between the gk, back four and dm is becoming redundant. Its defeatist football in a world where teams like Leceister, Iceland and Wales produce play that is more compelling and with more competitive intent.
In the last WC LVG’s style was set up to be competitive against the top teams who had better players with the expectation that it would also be good enough to beat teams who had nothing to lose. This is no longer the case.
Don’t get me wrong, LVG is a brilliant coach, but the style of play he’s been using only works with players good enough to keep possession higher up the park. With players working as a unit to press the feck out of the opposition once its lost, ie the Barcelona way. But that this is not where the national team is at and it is arguable whether a team that is together only periodically and where the make up of the squad is not settled, can make an effective pressing unit.
Personally I think its time to give Gullit and/ or Rikjaard a go. Let then inject some enthusiasm and belief into the side. And when players like Van De Beek and Nouri have matured bring in Koeman.
Maybe you’re right, but i dont it is time to experiment with coaches, i remember lately gullit as a comentator while rijkaard was coaching somewhere in arab countries without success. What i blame the dutch federation is for letting koeman go to england, to me he was the perfect choice. What lvg did at the wc 2014 was half a miracle with a young unexpirienced team, and at this moment, a miracle is what this team needs in order to qualify for the wc 2018.
I wouldn’t call RG an experiment. But he would certainly be outside the box of the current mindset in the KNVB. Which is exactly what’s needed. Ruud is his own man and will call it as he sees it. He may come across all warm and fuzzy on the tv but he’s as ruthless and competitive as the best of em. I believe he would get the best out of the players.
I think we should bring in back van maryk…he did an excellent job towards WC final
What a Joke, beaten by Greece. Another summer at home.
danny blind is a joke
please sack blind, if netherlands continue whit this coach will miss world cup too, shame to KNVB, where is total football
Shame at home soil. The way we play even more shame. I have commented before when blind was promoted after LVG depart and I will say it again like majority of oranje fans now- SACK BLIND
We have players who can play even better at their natural positions – Why on earth blind decided otherwise? e.g. veltman as RB ? Blind as CB ? Promes as left winger ?
Come on …..we have many other natural RB …janmaat..Van Rijn ….we have other better CB ….van dijk….vlaar. Elia should be called up for Left winger
Blind should choose alternative players should we don’t have any choice i.e No on form players in their natural positions.
i’m from indonesia,for 26 years,and i’m a big fan of netherlands football team (first time,i see de oranje on tv in wc ’90), i’m very sad de oranje defeated by greece,please before WCQ,with a big respect to netherlands country,knvb,and off course danny blind,please replace the head coach. i want see de oranje play in WC 2018,maybe lvg can back,or rijkaard,or knvb must try from another country,like cappelo,trapatoni,mou,wenger,klinsmann,or another else. to mr danny blind,please resign !!!
Once you lose your position in footballs national echelon it is very hard to back to where you were previously ranked ,this is going to be a big problem if the current downward slide is not addressed asap.
However I still believe that the Oranje are a better side than a Ibrahimovic less Sweden.
The best we can hope is 2nd place behind France at the end of the qualifying matches.
Tonight will be an indication of whether this is achievable.
Give credit where credit is due. The Greeks played like Trojans. Lured the Dutch into possession and complacency. Reminds me of Euro 2004. Bring on Spain and Germany! The Dutch can bring on LVG – good luck!