The Netherlands will participate in the U21 European Championships. Michael Bell gives you the lowdown on Jong Oranje ahead of the tournament getting underway in Romania & Georgia.
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The Group and fixtures
The Netherlands are in a tough group at the tournament with Portugal, Belgium, and hosts Georgia the opponents.
Belgium is the opening tie on the 21st of June, Portugal is three days later and Georgia is the final fixture on the 27th. All games kick off at 17:00 BST.
Belgium qualified by winning their group with eight wins and two draws. Their squad has some talented names such as former Vitesse striker Lois Openda and AC Milan midfielder Charles de Ketelaere.
Portugal finished runners up at the 2021 tournament and qualified with nine wins and one draw. It is a formidable squad, containing some familiar players from the Eredivisie like Fábio Silva (PSV), Francisco Conceição (Ajax).
Hosts Georgia will be hoping to make a good impression at the tournament. Most of their squad plays in their homeland, with Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia not included despite some hope from the coaches that he would be allowed to drop down from the main squad.
The Netherlands Squad
Goalkeepers: Jesper Schendelaar (PEC Zwolle), Bart Verbruggen (Anderlecht), Kjell Scherpen (Brighton)
Defenders: Milan van Ewijk (Heerenveen), Jan Paul van Hecke (Brighton), Shurandy Sambo (PSV Eindhoven), Ian Maatsen (Burnley), Micky van de Ven (Wolfsburg), Devyne Rensch (Ajax), Quilindschy Hartman (Feyenoord)
Midfielders: Wouter Burger (Basel), Jurgen Ekkelenkamp (Antwerp), Sven Mijnans (AZ Alkmaar), Quinten Timber (Feyenoord), Ludovit Reis (Hamburg), Ryan Gravenberch (Bayern Munich), Kenneth Taylor (Ajax)
Attackers: Million Manhoef (Vitesse), Elayis Tavsan (NEC), Brian Brobbey (Ajax), Thijs Dallinga (Toulouse), Joshua Zirkzee (Bologna), Crysencio Summerville (Leeds United)
Sven Botman, Jeremie Frimpong, and Mitchell Bakker all played key roles in qualifying but are not in the squad. Botman is with the full squad, while Frimpong and Bakker turned down the invitations to play.
Quinten Timber is the captain.
Strongest line-up and formation
It is currently unclear that formation is to be used at the tournament as Erwin van de Looi has used many during qualification and in the final friendly against Japan which ended 0-0.
He started the game in a 4-2-3-1 formation but switched it to a more traditional 4-3-3 in the second half. The former seems to be his preferred line-up with Joshua Zirkzee behind the striker.
4-2-3-1: Verbruggen, Van Ewijk, Maatsen, Van de Ven, Van Hecke, Timber, Gravenberch, Taylor, Summerville, Zirkzee, Brobbey
Head coach
Erwin van de Looi has been in charge of the U21 side since 2018 and led them to the semi-finals of the tournament back in 2021.
His side was unbeaten in qualification with eight wins and two draws, which saw them top their group ahead of Switzerland.
Van de Looi has achieved good results in his term as Netherlands U21 boss but sometimes the style of play and team selection has been questioned.
The former Groningen head coach has announced that he will leave his role after the tournament as Michael Reiziger will step in to replace him.
Key players for Oranje
Micky van de Ven
The Wolfsburg centre-back is coming off the back of a great season and will now be looking to put himself in the shop window at the Euros.
Liverpool are already being heavily linked with a move for the former Volendam defender and he will have plenty of scouts keeping an eye on him.
A pacey centre-back that is sharp in the tackle and good on the ball, Van de Ven is heading for the top and this tournament could cement him as one of the finest young defenders in Europe.
Ryan Gravenberch
He may have wanted to be with the main squad, but Gravenberch’s lack of playing time since joining Bayern Munich has seen him drop into the U21s.
A very talented and technical midfielder, Gravenberch should be one of the stars of the tournament if he plays to his huge potential.
Gravenberch has a point to prove to Bayern Munich and if he wants to leave the club this summer, then a fine showing here will have clubs lining up.
Brian Brobbey
The powerful striker has eight goals in 13 caps for the U21s and will be key if the Netherlands are to go far. He has had a frustrating season with Ajax but still managed to net 13 league goals.
He can sometimes take a few chances to score, so Van de Looi will be hoping he can be more clinical at the tournament.
Lesser known players to keep an eye on
Milan van Ewijk
A star for Heerenveen this season, Van Ewijk is a right-back with huge potential, who will be on the move this summer.
Sporting club de Portugal, PSV Eindhoven and Ajax are just some of the clubs linked with Van Ewijk and a strong tournament will only add to that list.
A pacey full-back, Van Ewijk loves to get forward and he managed to net six times for Heerenveen this season.
Sven Mijnans
The attacking midfielder made the move from Sparta Rotterdam to AZ Alkmaar mid-season and has played his way into the U21 squad as a result.
A technically gifted midfielder, with good dribbling ability and a keen eye for a pass, Mijnans racked up eight goals and seven assists in the Eredivisie.
It has been a strong season for the 23-year-old.
Olympic qualification on the line
This tournament will be used as qualification for the 2024 Olympics and the Netherlands will be keen to book only their second-ever appearance at the event,
In order to do so, Netherlands will need to reach the semi-finals at least and hope they get one of the 3 slots available. France have taken one of the slots as they are hosts, while England cannot qualify for the Olympics.
If the Netherlands reaches the last four and one of England or France are there, then Olympic qualification would be secured.
How far can the Netherlands go?
Van de Looi has made this Netherlands side difficult to beat and they have the quality to go far in the tournament, but their first task is getting out of a very difficult group.
Belgium and Portugal are both bringing strong squads featuring some big names, while the Netherlands don’t have access to some of their biggest talents in this age group, such as Xavi Simons, Sven Botman, and Jeremie Frimpong.
If the Netherlands can win their opening game against Belgium then that should propel them through to the knockout rounds and from there, anything is possible. Much will depend on whether the attack will gel and if Brobbey, Dallinga, or Zirkzee can get the right service in the box.
A semi-final spot would be an excellent tournament for this group.
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