Frenkie de Jong is not worried about the Dutch national team after the defeats in the most recent international matches against Italy and Mexico. The midfielder emphasized the day before the meeting with Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Nations League that the performance of the Dutch team must also be viewed with realism. “They were two completely different matches. Italy is just a top country, we had a hard time there with a number of things. And against Mexico a lot of different players played than usual. ”

De Jong emphasized on Saturday evening that it is not realistic to expect the Dutch national team to put a team like Italy with its back to the wall. “It is not that we have already reached the point where we dominate and win every game against every top country. Or put them with their back to the wall. We strive for that, but it is not that we are already the best football country in the world. But the magic is certainly not gone yet, we will try to show that again tomorrow ”, the midfielder laughed at the press conference.

“How is my own shape and fitness? We have to see form. I didn’t play well against Sevilla, just mediocre ”, De Jong acknowledged. “We’ll see it tomorrow, but I feel fit.” The midfielder saw a few clues last Wednesday: “There were certainly certain phases that the pressure was really going well. Boys played together who don’t often play with each other and it always takes some getting used to. But it is certainly not the case that the magic has worn off. I even think we will only get better. ”

The switch from Ronald Koeman to Frank de Boer went well, says De Jong. “We had a good week. I think we have a lot of players who are already at the world class level or who already belong to the world top. We also have talents that can grow there. We are a very good team and when it comes to some details there are still opportunities for growth, tactically and further forging a team. ”

De Jong is not worried about the concentration and sharpness at Orange. The absence of Memphis Depay, who has to sit out a suspension, is not the problem, according to the midfielder. “Our strength is mainly the team, it does not depend on anyone.” Bosnia and Herzegovina-Netherlands starts on Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Bilino Polje stadium in Zenica, probably filled with two thousand spectators, and is led by Romanian referee Istvan Kovacs.