Ronald Koeman was one minute and a penalty shootout away from reaching the Euro 2024 final with The Netherlands. The eventual defeat to England doesn’t take anything away from the success of Koeman’s tactics.
That’s why it’s time to look at how The Netherlands approached Euro 2024 from a tactical point of view and what effect these had on fantasy football results.
Career Prior to Managing The Netherlands
Ronald Koeman is, of all the coaches leading teams at Euro 2024, the one with the most impressive career as a football player. To that list we would even include France’s Didier Deschamps, a world champion.
Koeman was a very different kind of central defender to most. He was extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet, and could score the kinds of goals that forwards would’ve been envious of.
In a career in which he played for the three big Dutch clubs, Ajax, PSV, and Feyernoord, as well as Spain’s FC Barcelona, he won the Champions League, European Super Cup, and the domestic league on eight occasions.
Koeman was also a central figure in The Netherlands’ only international trophy, the 1988 European Championship. It’s a team that is still, rightfully, considered to be one of the best that ever played the game.
Ronald Koeman has been managing since 1997. While his record is somewhat controversial, it does include stints with teams like Ajax, Valencia, Everton, or FC Barcelona. He is the coach of The Netherlands since 2023, where he previously coached the team between 2018 and 2020.
Football Philosophy
Koeman was a great player. That’s why he likes utilizing players of great skill but also recognizes the occasional need for compromise. The manager understands how skill, speed, and tactical awareness need to be blended with squad harmony and cohesion.
Typically, however, Ronald Koeman prefers to play open, quick, skillful football similar to that played by The Netherlands and FC Barcelona during the 1980s.
Again, ideally, all of his players, including the goalkeeper, need to be good in possession. The midfielders are the stars of the show, dictating play. And, strikers aren’t so much crossed the ball, as driven toward them with quick, flamboyant passes.
Formations
Koeman is a flexible manager, but there are a number of formation that he has preferred using throughout the years. He favors a 4-3-3 formation whenever possible and variations such as the modern 4-2-3-1.
There have been times when he has switched to a three-at-the-back defense. With Southampton, he often utilized a 3-4-1-2, 3-4-3, or 3-5-2 formation. He has shown competence in implementing any of these changes.
The Netherlands in Attack
The Netherlands’ squad wasn’t as balanced as Koeman hoped it could be. The pre-tournament injuries of midfielders Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie De Jong certainly threw a wrench in the works.
However, the Dutch still had plenty of offensive talent on call. And, no, even with Koopmeiners and De Jong, the squa would still have had noticeable holes.
The Netherlands’ biggest goal threat at Euro 2024 was Cody Gapko, brilliant, but uneven in performances. Meanwhile, Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst, while greatly committed are hardly world class players.
How do the Dutch attack? Preferably they move the ball from the back. They try to take advantage of the fact that Virgil van Dijk and Nathan Ake are brilliant ball-playing defenders. They also try to stretch out teams, relying on the brilliant dynamism of wing-back Denzel Dumfries.
The Dutch often switch play, create depth and use pace to their advantage. They have Depay playing between the lines, trying to recycle possession toward Gakpo or Weghorst.
Certainly, Koopmeiners and, especially De Jong would have helped in this respect. But just how well did the Dutch’s midfielders fare in Euro 2024? Well, fantasy football managers wouldn’t have been too dissatisfied. Central midfielders Jerdy Schouten and Tijani Reijinders registered 93.5% and 92% passing success rate.
There was also the story of 21-year-old Xavi Simmons whose skill and dynamism improved the Dutch squad. And, Gakpo’s three goals at Euro 2024 help to continue his strong run in the Oranje shirt.
The Netherlands in Defense
The Netherlands, for many of the games, excelled in terms of their defense. It’s sad that a few mistakes ended up being so costly.
This is slightly ironic considering that the Dutch were one of the few teams that did not reject playing offensive football. While Koeman made changes throughout the line-up, typically, Van Dijk and Stefan de Vrij were the central defensive pairing. Meanwhile, Ake and Dumfries acted as the charging wing-backs.
Van Dijk, usually, played deeper than he usually does, trying to offer an additional layer of cover. Meanwhile, De Vrij looked to join with the central midfielders and overcrowd that area of the pitch.
Against England, for example, both Ake and Dumfries played in very advanced roles, trying to create offensive width. Cody Gapko often dropped to the left flank, looking to cover Ake’s runs.
Apart from their very poor performance against Austria, where the Dutch could not respond to their opponents’ manic pressing, The Netherlands’ defense worked well. It’s a shame then that two individual errors in the semi-final were what ultimately caused them to leave Euro 2024.
What next for The Netherlands?
Ronald Koeman’s The Netherland performed better than most would have expected. Tens of thousands of Dutch supporters were present for the matches in Germany, the nation was brought together and few expected better at the start of the tournament.
It needs to be remembered, however, that the Dutch had important players absent from the tournament. But it’s also vital to recall that The Netherlands finished third in their group, had an easy couple of games in the knockout stages, and are still without a world-class striker.
Under these circumstances, Ronald Koeman’s tactics have worked well. The Euro 2024 success should help galvanize the team and provide them with enthusiasm ahead of the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Are Netherlands favorites to win that one? No, but you wouldn’t be too surprised about seeing them in the semi-finals, would you?
