Ronald Koeman spoke to the press ahead of Sunday’s UEFA Nations League final against Portugal.
- Follow Football-Oranje on Twitter
Koeman’s team booked their place in the final with a 3-1 extra-time win over England and are now one victory away from their first trophy in 31 years.
Asked how high he would rank winning the Nations League, Koeman answered, Whether I am on the same level as Rinus Michels if we win? No. The order is: World Cup, Euros and then Nations League. But clubs also celebrate when they win the Super Cup.
“It is a confirmation that we are on the right track. We are not honoured with a final victory and we are not going to go crazy. We have a glass of wine and then go on vacation. “
Asked about Netherlands turnaround in fortunes since he took charge just over a year ago, Koeman said, “When we saw the draw for this tournament, no one expected us to win the group. Now we are in the final. There is no pressure. We know what to do. We will have to play well. We have defeated Germany, France and England. It would be incredible to also beat Portugal in-house. “
Koeman also thinks the plight of the national team wasn’t as bad as it seemed, “I didn’t think it was as bad as it looked. We have developed ourselves, the new players who come through also provide momentum. We are really a team. The quality of the players brings this. I think we can really improve ourselves. Against England, for example, the phase of creating opportunities was not so good in the first half. To really win prizes, it must be better. “
Koeman was asked whether he would make changes to his starting eleven but the coach gave nothing away, “We have players who can make an impact. I don’t say anything about the line-up, I first inform my players. It’s just great that we have extra options. ”
Does Koeman have a plan to stop Cristiano Ronaldo? “We know he is one of the best players in the world. You can never stop him 100 percent. Sometimes he is just too good. Of course we have to defend well. ”
Follow
Follow @Footballoranje_ on Twitter
