Today we continue to analyze the European Cup lineup, today we want to talk about the Dutch team, as one of the traditional strong teams in Europe, the biggest regret of the Netherlands is that it has never been touched by the championship trophy, and the best record is only the runner-up, and the 2022 World Cup is also a penalty shootout lost to the final champion Argentina. At present, the strength of the Netherlands has regressed slightly compared to 2 years ago, but it is also a strong team in Europe T1.
In terms of formation, the Netherlands mainly play a 3-4-1-2 back three. There are a number of reasons for this, one of the key points being that their full-backs have a very strong ability to assist, while the Netherlands are short of a major player in the winger position. Therefore, it is necessary not to deploy wingers, but also to allow full-backs to press and assist at will, and the 3-4-1-2 formation could not be more reasonable. In the goalkeeper position, whether it is Cillessen before, or Fabruhen of Brighton in the Premier League, or Flecken of Brumford. They are only ordinary goalkeepers, and they are still 1-2 levels behind the real giant goalkeepers, so that Dutch coach Koeman has not been able to determine who to play the main team steadily.
The starting line at the back is relatively stable, and the main central defender is definitely Van Dijk, who is still a world-class central defender despite the decline in injury in the past two years. To the left of Van Dijk will be Manchester City's Ake, and it will not be easy to be consistent in the top flight, but Ake has done it, and he has been very consistent with Manchester City and the Dutch national team in recent years. Van Dijk's right centre-back will be the young and famous De Ligt, who has matured after growing up at Juventus and Bayern Munich, and he is still very young, and if he can maintain his current form, he will be an absolute mainstay in the Dutch team for many years to come. On the whole, the strength of the Dutch team's three central defenders at the back is still quite strong, and it can also rank in the top three positions in Europe, and the central defenders are the most advantageous positions of the Dutch team.
Also in the Dutch position is the right wing-back, where they have Inter's Dumfries and Bayer Leverkusen's Frimpong, both of whom have the quality to play in either team at the European Championships. And one of their characteristics is that they are very strong in assists and very accurate in crossing. In particular, Dumfries has provided five assists in six games in the European qualifiers, which is a piece of the puzzle that fits the tactics of the Dutch national team very well.
The left wingback position, still the same as the World Cup period is the veteran Blind's starter, Blind's biggest advantage is that he has rich experience in the tournament and plays steadily, although the experience of joining Bayern on loan was not smooth, but this season Blind has found his former form, and he is also very suitable for the coach's tactics of finding a high striker in a cross from the side. In addition, Feyenoord's 23-year-old Hartmann will be in Blind's rotation.
In the middle of the midfield, Coman is the main force of Frenkie de Jong, who is the midfield ventilator of the Netherlands and the hub of the team's offensive and defensive transitions. There are a number of options to partner De Jong, including Milan's versatile midfielder Reinders, Feyenoord's Weifel, PSV Eindhoven's Verman. Each of these three players has their own characteristics, and at the moment Koeman trusts Feyenoord's Weifel the most, who is more capable defensively and has a more timely approach to the wings.
In the frontfield, who determines the attacking style of play of Koeman in the forward midfield position, at present, Liverpool Gakpo is still the most popular choice, after all, Gakpo's foot skills are relatively good. If Gakpo is pushed to the shadow striker position, then attacking midfielder Koopmeiners, who has been outstanding in Serie A this season, will be in the starting line-up. At the top of the pitch is Weghorst, who is a 197-year-old centre-forward who plays a key role as a tactical fulcrum up front. The most critical shadow striker position, the main force will be Xavi Simmens, after Nkunku's departure, Xavi Simmens perfectly replaced Nkunku, became the team's attacking core, and played very well, and Xavi Simmens is one of the few strikers in this Dutch team who likes to work on the wing. However, Gakpo can also play in this position, and if Gakpo starts as a shadow striker, then Xavi Simens will be a substitute wonder.
P.S. Expected Netherlands European Championship starters: 3-4-1-2
Fleken/Ake, Van Dijk, De Ligt/Dumfries, De Jong, Ferman, Blind/Gakpo/Xavi Simmens, Weghors