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UEFA Nations League Talking Points: Is this a new era for Dutch football?

Published at :June 7, 2019 at 6:17 AM
Modified at :June 7, 2019 at 6:17 AM
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Atrayo Bhattacharya

We will witness a repeat of the 'Battle of Nuremberg' as Ronald Koeman's men take on Portugal on Sunday.

It was about perseverance and hunger and the Netherlands showed it more than England, as they came from behind to win the match 3-1 in the semifinals of the UEFA Nations League. Despite the possession, it was Gareth Southgate's men who opened the scoring with Rashford earning and converting a strike from the spot.

Later, it was Matthijs De Ligt's headed goal from the corner kick which levelled the scoreline and dragged the game to extra time. Ronald Koeman played two of his cards in form of Donny van de Beek and Quincy Promes. Both the players had an immediate effect in the game. John Stones' mistake led to a Kyle Walker own goal as Promes ensured the tickets for the finals with an insurance goal.

Netherlands will now go head to head against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the finals of the UEFA Nations League.

Match Highlights: Netherlands 3-1 England

5. Matthijs De Ligt went from zero to hero in the match

The football fraternity at this stage knows what the 19-year old Ajax club captain is capable of. Hence when he made some errors in the first half and was very average with his game reading, people started doubting in his abilities.

It was because of De Ligt's mistake, the Dutch conceded a cheap penalty and trailed in the first half. He was time and again beaten by Jadon Sancho as the English youngster opened up a lot of chances for the Three Lions.

However, the highly rated young defender got his act together in the second half and came back with a similar intensity and scored the equalising goal from a Memphis Depay corner. He was on cloud nine but the equaliser made him believe in his capabilities. From there he did put on a defensive show for the others to see and completely negated the threat of Harry Kane.

4. Did Southgate miss a trick by substituting Jadon Sancho for Jesse Lingard?

The change came in an important juncture in the game when England where in the ascendency. One can argue that Lingard came in and almost scored the winner for the Three Lions which was ruled out as offside. But considering the situation, the Dortmund man was the main creative force in that English team till the hour mark. Sancho danced his way along the flanks and simply made a mockery of De Ligt getting past him on multiple occasions.

The 19-year old former Manchester City winger was having a good day at the office until Southgate decided to throw in Lingard in his place. The best opportunity in the game came to Sancho when Ben Chillwel's cross saw him head it straight to Jasper Cillessen.

It was a golden opportunity and the Dortmund man could not generate any power in that connection. Apart from that goal which was ruled out, Lingard did not have much impact in the game for the Three Lions and hence Sancho's substitution comes as a surprise to most of the fans.

3. England and their bitter love story with semifinals

Things were similar and yet different between the semifinal losses in the Luzhniki Stadium at the World Cup in Russia against Croatia and this one against the Netherlands. In Russia, it was a game of predictability where people were assuming that it was not England's night, especially after the two goals.

However, in this game, it was more about sloppiness in defence and lack of character to see a game out from the entire team.

Gareth Southgate has done tremendous work with the team and sometimes hard work goes without giving a materialistic return. But Southgate's men need to muster all their confidence and put the ghosts from the past behind them in the upcoming international tournaments.

The next tournament they play is the 2020 Euros and if Southgate's men manage to get to the semifinals, they will have to win it for their 48-year old manager.

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2. Did Koeman's substitutions change the game on its head?

Koeman was shrewd with his starting lineup as he dropped out players like Quincy Promes and Donny van de Beek, despite their terrific club season. He preferred someone more defensive in form of Maarten De Roon from Atalanta in the midfield trio alongside Frenkie De Jong and Gini Wijnaldum.

The Liverpool midfielder was given the license to roam freely and help his attackers while Roon and de Jong held the midfield and covered up for their defence. When the Oranje were trailing by a goal they needed more penetrative power to break down the English defence.

Both the changes were made in search of an equaliser, while the Ajax midfielder added more attacking teeth to the midfield in helping his side to break down the English defence. Promes' explosive pace and strength helped him cause problems for the English defenders.

He teamed up with Memphis Depay in various occasions to open up the defence as he finally found the net late in extra time. The changes played a huge role in taking Dutch from one gear to another gear which was the need of the hour for Koeman and his men.

1. Is this a new era of Dutch football?

The last time the Netherlands played at any final was the 2010 FIFA World Cup final against Spain where they lost. Since then, it has been pretty underwhelming for the Dutch. The years of transition had to happen and then came Ronald Koeman turning heads in Dutch football. The 56-year old coach managed to rejuvenate one of the oldest footballing countries with an exceptional footballing tradition.

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After the disasters in 2016 Euros and the FIFA World Cup 2018, the Netherlands are finally back. They may call it a hiatus but they would love to complete this process by winning the UEFA Nations League and proving the world that the days of Total Football aren't numbered. Koeman has bestowed his trust on the youngsters and they have repaid his trust exceptionally.

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