After the elimination at the European Championship, the Dutch national team is La Gazzetta dello Sport face-to-face with the facts. The sports newspaper points out that the the Dutch squad no longer had a successful European Championship after the year 2000 and zooms in on Frank de Boer’s role in Sunday evening’s debacle. The the Dutch squad conceded two goals in the eighth final in the Czech Republic (0-2), after a red card for Matthijs de Ligt. Partly because he plays for Juventus, De Ligt’s mistake is of course highlighted in the Italian newspaper, but the lion’s share of criticism focuses on the mentality of Dutch players in general.
“Friends, but then again not”, writes La Gazzetta dello Sport about the relationship between the national teams of the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. “In 2004, the Czech Republic helped the Netherlands to qualify for the quarterfinals. This time, the Czech Republic sent the Netherlands home. The pride and alertness that the Czech Republic put into the game did not show Frank de Boer’s men. De Boer will be criticized in his own country for his choice under the bar (Stekelenburg, disastrous) and about thousands of other tactical inventions that people in no other country would bother about.”
“The truth is that the Netherlands, like Italy, encountered too little resistance in the group stage. But unlike Italy, the Netherlands does not have the quality and character to stay at the top in Europe. The Netherlands will have to take a look at itself. Just like in 2008, the Netherlands was triumphant in the group, only to be eliminated immediately. In 2012, a Netherlands full of stars took zero points in the group. In 2016, the Netherlands did not even qualify. The curse continues.”
“Whose fault was it? That of the national coach, of the system he has chosen, of the weak character of the most important players, such as Wijnaldum and Depay, or of the expensive red card for De Ligt?” La Gazzetta dello Sport wonder. That question is not answered. “It is a new blow for the fans of the Dutch national team and for a team that is full of talent, but not of character. The Czech fans are celebrating in Budapest and are waiting for a difficult trip to Baku (against Wales, ed.). In Amsterdam, where everyone could still be seen on their bicycles in the Dutch clothing this afternoon, the sky is gray and it is quiet.”
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