Ronald Koeman has explained his choices in the line-up of the Dutch national team. The national coach surprisingly chooses to field Steven Bergwijn at the expense of Donyell Malen.

The Dutch national team will try to reach the quarter finals of a European Championship for the first time since 2008. In an attempt to sideline Romania in the round of 16, national coach Ronald Koeman chooses to keep Joey Veerman and Lutsharel Geertruida on the sidelines. They are replaced by Denzel Dumfries and Xavi Simons. Furthermore, Malen surprisingly makes way for Bergwijn.

“Why Bergwijn? Because we want someone from the right side to play a bit more on the inside, to destroy them on that side,” Koeman said in an interview with Jeroen Stekelenburg of the NOS.

“Then we need a player who can play well on the inside, and Steven has that, he also showed that in my first period as national coach, plus the fact that he is now much fitter than when he came in.”

“I look at the possibilities he has, how fit he is and what he has shown in training. That may not be for a whole match, but I think with his qualities he can play that role very well.”

“We want to fill the midfield with Xavi (Simons, ed.), with the two sixes and with him,” Koeman concludes. “We're going to see if the spaces are on the sides. But you never know, they can also suddenly play very far back. Then he'll have to play a bit more on the right.”

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