Valentijn Driessen draws a hard conclusion about the Dutch trainers’ guild after Ronald Koeman’s dismissal at Barcelona. The journalist writes in his column for The Telegraph that ‘the Dutch football coach has become the laughingstock of Europe’. Driessen also points to the KNVB, which is responsible for training the coaches.
In addition to Koeman, Mark van Bommel (VfL Wolfsburg) and Henk ten Cate (Al-Wahda) were recently fired. This makes Peter Bosz, who works at Olympique Lyon, the last remaining Dutch trainer in foreign top football. “Because the national coaches Bert van Marwijk and Advocaat act in obscurity in the United Arab Emirates and Iraq,” says Driessen.
The journalist fondly recalls the time when Dutch coaches were successful abroad. “The Dutch football coach was once a successful export product with Johan Cruijff, Guus Hiddink, Leo Beenhakker, Dick Advocaat, Huub Stevens, Aad de Mos and Louis van Gaal as standard bearers,” Driessen knows. “The successors of Koeman and Bosz are also not lined up in rows of three with the now flopped Frank de Boer, Phillip Cocu, Jaap Stam and Mark van Bommel, while Giovanni van Bronckhorst does not get a chance.”
According to Driessen, the KNVB can be charged ‘as the only certified trainer of football coaches in our country’. “The extremely expensive trainer course in our country, led at the highest level by nobodies such as Gert Aandewiel and Dennis Demmers (slide at Sparta and Go Ahead Eagles), is often recommended by the association as the best trainer course in the world. total lack of self-knowledge.”
Erik ten Hag could become an exception to the rule, Driessen sees. “Erik ten Hag is the flag on the shit barge and the hope in frightened trainer days. He may be able to open the door for the Dutch trainer abroad after this season, or in 2023 when his contract expires. De Tukker will open it.” have yet to deliver across the border, but his performance with Ajax will allow him to step up high on the international trainer ladder.”