ReutersChasity Grant and Sherida Spitse after the 1-0 win over Norway.
NOS Voetbal•gisteren, 23:54
Have confidence, stay calm and play balls ‘from orange to orange’. These were the elements that helped the Dutch team pass Norway in Breda on Tuesday, according to national coach Andries Jonker and captain Sherida Spitse.
These were also the things that were missing on Friday in Cosenza, where the Netherlands started qualifying for the 2025 European Championship with a painful 2-0 defeat against Italy.
Jonker was satisfied shortly after the hard-fought victory. “We played much better than against Italy. At times we showed the game we wanted to play. Then we put a lot of pressure and the Norwegians couldn’t get through. We want to keep that going for longer, but that is now a bit ambitious. .”
Jonker was probably referring to the large number of strong players who were also missing against Norway due to injuries. The Dutch had to make do without Jackie Groenen, Lieke Martens, Jill Roord, Vivianne Miedema and Daphne van Domselaar.
Satisfied national coach Jonker: ‘If you have an argument with the ball, the system doesn’t matter’
In their absence – and to turn the tide after three losses in a row – Jonker opted for a system change. The Netherlands went from a formation with three central defenders and wingbacks to a ‘classic’ 4-3-3.
“That turned out well,” Jonker thought. “We were calmer in possession of the ball, made better choices, had much less argument with the ball. We now simply played it from orange to orange more often.”
This did not work well enough against Italy and that is why Jonker does not yet know whether the system change is permanent. “Because of the many losses of the ball, you cannot say that it was the system’s fault. If you have so many arguments with the ball, it does not matter which system you play in.”
Spitse: ‘We have built up a lot together’
The Dutch team came under heavy pressure in the first phase after the break. The Dutch team also felt short of breath in the final phase. Shortly after the final whistle, Spitse was especially relieved.
She was happy that the negative sentiment surrounding her team, in her opinion, could be broken. “There was a lot of energy today and we didn’t give much away,” she said. “On the ball it was much better because we played with more belief, energy and confidence.”
Watch the reactions of Spitse, match winner Lineth Beerensteyn and Esmee Brugts below:
Spitse: “If you keep playing the ball to the right color, you feel that you are gaining control. And then we start making actions and playing nice football. Then you get the audience behind you and that also helps.”
Many discussions have been held internally in recent days. “You do that as a team. Together. We have already built up so much together. That doesn’t just go away. We had to win this one: also for the feeling.”
The Netherlands continues the European Championship qualification on May 31 and June 4 with matches against Finland.
View the summary of the Netherlands-Norway
2024-04-09 21:54:22
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