Koeman Praises Dutch Performance Despite Van Dijk's Concerns
Netherlands beat Norway 2-1 in World Cup warm-up, with Virgil van Dijk scoring and calling for improvement. Coach Ronald Koeman praises team's performance. Next up: Ecuador and Algeria before World Cup.
“Norway also had good phases against us, but looking at the entire match, I think we deserved to win...”
Dutch coach Ronald Koeman is thrilled with his team's performance after their 2-1 win over Norway, but captain Virgil van Dijk thinks they've still got work to do before the World Cup. Koeman praised the team's solid defense and deserved win, saying, “I thought we were better in the second half, partly because they were a bit more tired. Ultimately, we had enough chances to score more goals.”
The Netherlands will face Ecuador in Eindhoven on Tuesday and Algeria in June as they prep for the World Cup in North America, happening from June 11 to July 19.
“This was simply a very good match from us against a very strong country,” Koeman said in a press conference.
“It is somewhat typically Dutch to think that when you play Norway, you have to beat them. That is not the case. In the qualifiers, they beat Italy twice.
“Norway also had good phases against us, but looking at the entire match, I think we deserved to win.”
The Netherlands, missing several key players, got off to a tough start against Norway, conceding an early goal to Andreas Schjelderup. However, they managed to turn things around with goals from Virgil van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders, securing a 2-1 win.
Van Dijk was less enthusiastic, he wasn't too pleased with his team's performance, choosing not to comment on whether the Dutch are serious World Cup contenders. “There's still work to be done. In spells it went well, but at other times less so,” he said, highlighting areas for improvement.
“I thought we were better in the second half, partly because they were a bit more tired. Ultimately, we had enough chances to score more goals. Defensively, we were also solid. We won deservedly and now we move on.”
The Netherlands are set to face Japan, Tunisia, and either Poland or Sweden in Group F at the World Cup.
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