NOS Football•yesterday, 7:41 PM
Ronald Koeman has to do some digging. But as coach of the Dutch national team, he has never fielded eleven new players in a consecutive match. “Phew, I don’t think so, no.”
Tomorrow he may make an exception in the last group match in the Nations League against Bosnia and Herzegovina. “That could be possible, yes. We want to start with 100 percent fit players,” Koeman said in Sarajevo.
Koeman about the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina: ‘Dealing with this match is a mental test’
There is not much at stake anymore for the Dutch team. Thanks to the 4-0 victory over Hungary, the Netherlands finished second in the group. This means they have reached the quarter-finals of the Nations League, in which Spain, Portugal or France are the opponents.
And so names like Justin Kluivert and Devyne Rensch may appear at the kick-off tomorrow. Who will play anyway is Teun Koopmeiners, Koeman indicated.
Virgil van Dijk and Frenkie de Jong are no longer there in Bosnia. They left early for Liverpool and Barcelona respectively to get some extra rest.
“Virgil trained separately for a number of days last week. And Frenkie is of course not able to play two games in a row. In his situation it is better that he returns to the club, instead of substituting for a few more minutes. That is no longer necessary.”
“And that is possible. We wanted to be first or second in the group. That is now a certainty. But that does not mean that we will not do anything about it tomorrow.”
“It is also a mental test, how do you deal with such a match when the result is no longer important. I said to the group: if you play for the Dutch national team, you must be proud and everything take it out of the closet.”
The Dutch team will meet Bosnia and Herzegovina in the ‘old-fashioned’ stadium in Zenica
“For a trainer, these are very good moments to draw conclusions towards the next international match. The impression you leave with the Dutch national team is simply very important. Perhaps sometimes even more important than in the matches at the clubs.”
Proud captain
Stefan de Vrij also remains motivated. The defender will wear the captain’s armband against Bosnia because the first three captains are absent: Van Dijk, De Jong and Nathan Aké. After that he is the player with the most caps. And according to Koeman’s logic, he will therefore be given a belt change.
De Vrij about the match in Sarajevo that is not about anything: ‘Motivation will always be there’
“Am I proud? Yes, absolutely, that will never change,” said De Vrij. “It is a huge honor to represent your country. And if you can also lead the boys, then that is very nice.”
De Vrij, who plays for the Italian Internazionale, did not play against Hungary on Saturday. “Yes, that was a disappointment. The trainer makes his choices, and that is his right. I have to accept that. And I did that. Let us do everything we can to end this international period well.”
