First meeting of Group D of Euro 2024, the Netherlands barely overthrew Poland (1-2), this Sunday June 16 in Hamburg. What lessons will Didier Deschamps and the staff of the French team be able to draw from this meeting? After their entry into contention against Austria (this Monday in Düsseldorf), the Blues will challenge the Dutch in Leipzig (June 21, 9 p.m.), then the Poles in Dortmund (June 25, 6 p.m.).
The Netherlands, also asymmetrical and dangerous
It’s the new trendy tactical word. The Netherlands played this Sunday with an asymmetrical defense. In the offensive phase, on the right, Denzel Dumfries moved very high, while Nathan Aké restricted his climbs. The reverse mirror of what Deschamps tried during the friendly matches, with Jules Koundé tightening up from the right to the center to let Théo Hernandez express himself offensively on the left side.
Ronald Koeman’s strategy was as effective as it was paradoxical this Sunday. Faulty on the Polish opener, often misplaced (which will delight Kylian Mbappé), Dumfries created numerous offensive situations, but it was Aké who finished the match with two assists. The first for Gakpo, elected man of the match, untenable, who continued to score and hit from afar (4 shots), as well as for the equalizer (1-1, 29′). The second for the supersub Wout Weghorst, who delivered his team two minutes after entering the game (1-2, 83′). He scored points in his long-distance duel for the No. 9 position with Memphis Depay, creative but imprecise.
The Blues will also have to be wary of a technically comfortable, creative and complementary Dutch midfielder. Teammates at PSV Eindhoven, Joey Veerman and Jerdy Schouten raked a good number of balls, the second taking care to compensate for the climbs of Dumfries, on the right. A notch higher, Milanese Tijani Reijnders was excellent on Sunday, notably with his projections (4 shots, 91% successful passes). Xavi Simons, who was expected on the right wing, played more centrally, in the half-space. A position allowing him to combine effectively with Depay (22′, 26′). Defensively, the Stefan De Vrij – Virgil van Djik hinge controlled Adam Buksa.
Poland, a compact and efficient block on set pieces
They were missing only one creature, but not everything was depopulated. In Hamburg, Robert Lewandowski did not start a match in a major international competition for the first time in his career. Injured in the knee and on the bench, the top scorer of the selection saw his replacement Adam Buksa open the score with a header from a corner (1-0, 16′), confirming the strength of the Poles on set pieces.
The RC Lens striker, loaned this season to Antalyaspor (35 matches, 16 goals), had a thankless match, lonely at the forefront of the compact 5-4-1 formed by his team. But he was invaluable in bringing his block up, in a pivotal role. A disciplined but rather clumsy block, like Bartosz Salamon, as tall (1.96 m) as he is slow, late on Weghorst’s goal. The fast French attackers could benefit from this.
Poland, however, managed to be dangerous, in particular thanks to the activity of its two pistons, Lensois Przemysław Frankowski and Romain Nicola Zalewski. She had a big highlight before the hour mark and could have equalized at the end of the match through Bereszynski (87′), but she lacked precision (11 shots). If Robert Lewandowski is restored in nine days, the situation could turn out to be different.
