Frank de Boer is mostly satisfied with the performance of the Dutch national team against Austria. The national coach saw the the Dutch win 2-0 through goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries. The game in the first half left much to be desired for De Boer, but on the whole his team played a ‘decent game’. “I just heard Daley Blind say ‘businesslike’ in an interview. I wouldn’t call it business. I think we just played a very decent game,” concludes De Boer in front of the camera. NOS.
Compared to the first game against Ukraine (3-2) on Sunday, there were aspects that went better and less well, De Boer notes. “We actually gave away too many chances against Ukraine and we almost didn’t do that today. We were good. We wanted to put pressure on them and we conquered a lot of balls because of that. In the first half we were sloppy when we had the ball We lost him very quickly. That was a bit frustrating. I also said that at halftime.”
The man of the match was not Denzel Dumfries or Frenkie de Jong
The report figures of Voetbalzone of the players of the Dutch.
“Actually we did everything right, but after conquest of the ball we lost him again within three or one second,” continues De Boer. “That actually went well against Ukraine and the defensive aspect went less well at times. Today it was exactly the other way around. At least they understood the message about how we want to put pressure and how we want to stand. That is the grip you always have. must have: that you give away very little if you are not top in possession. We still had three or four fantastic opportunities.”
De Boer thinks it’s a good idea to ‘slightly apply the handbrake’, because the tournament can go on for a long time. the Dutch has not yet done that against Austria, he indicates. “I think we have continuously tried to put pressure on. But if you conquer the ball, and you are leading 2-0, you have to be smart. Then you should not play forward, but play around. We did that “A couple of times fantastic. I think that demotivates the opponent enormously. I have seen a good Dutch team, which can certainly do better in possession. We should also not peak too early.” Whether players will also get a rest against North Macedonia on Monday, is still the question. “Some guys will need rest, others will benefit from match rhythm. We have to see how intense this game was and how the players recover.”
The introduction of Donyell Malen provided a positive impulse, agrees De Boer. “You are 1-0 up and you know that you will get space. If he is gone, you can’t overtake him.” Malen made his entrance after 63 minutes as a replacement for Wout Weghorst. He was of great value after a few minutes by preparing the Dumfries goal: Malen sprinted towards the goal after a pass from Memphis Depay and served Dumfries on his right side. On Sunday, De Boer also made two substitutions after 63 minutes, when the the Dutch led 2-0, but Malen was only allowed to come in during injury time. “Sometimes it’s just fingerspitzengefühl”, the national coach explains with a laugh why he did not choose to let Malen come in earlier.
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