Oranje’s Painful Exit and the Road Ahead.

Well, the summer of three international football tournaments is officially over. Football fans were spoiled with Euro 2024, Copa America 2024 and the Paris Olympics taking place this summer. Sadly, our beloved Oranje suffered another painful exit at Euro 2024, and now we look ahead to the 2026 World Cup with questions and concerns.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
• Follow Ibrahim on Twitter

For Dutch football fans, Euro 2024 will be remembered as another heartbreakingly familiar tale. Once again, the hopes and dreams of the Oranje faithful were dashed, echoing the bitter disappointments of tournaments past. While it didn’t quite shatter hearts like 1992, 2000, or 2008, this loss stung like 2004 and 2020 with doubts and lots of second guessing.

Despite occasional flashes of brilliance in Euro 2024, the Oranje overall were disappointing and also lucky. The Oranje made it all the way to the Semi-Finals for the first time since 2004, even though they finished third in their group, because of the luck of the draw that saw them face Romania and Turkey in the knockout stages. Lady luck decided to stay at home when they faced England in the Semi-Finals where Holland’s exit revealed systemic issues that have been plaguing the team for some time under Ronald Koeman.

Ronald Koeman’s tactics and lineup decisions made it easy to second guess the man in charge. Koeman managed to get this team to the semi-finals while displaying some flaws in his tactical setup and his failure to adapt as matches unfolded. Some of Koeman’s late substitutions often lacked impact, which raised questions about his ability to influence games positively.

One of the glaring issues throughout Euro 2024 was Holland’s defensive vulnerability. One would expect a team consisting of the likes Virgil Van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij, Nathan Aké, Denzel Dumfries, and Micky van de Ven to be solid defensively. Just like under Louis van Gaal in the previous World Cup, the Oranje were leaking goals and one has to ask if it was because of lapses in concentration or was it from poor tactical awareness. Looking ahead, the defenders have to be more reliable and composed. One can hope that Matthijs de Ligt, who did not play a single second in this tournament, finds his mojo again and be part of the backline in the future.

The Oranje also had issues with up front. Even though this team boasts talented players in the attack, they often relied too heavily on moments of individual brilliance rather than organized attacking teamwork. The attack was predictable as the team relied on star players like Memphis Depay or Cody Gakpo making magic happen over well-structured offensive patterns. However, with an uncertain midfield, the lack of fluidity up front was no big surprise.

All these issues were on display in the semi-final against England. The Oranje enjoyed a dream start after just seven minutes from a great opening goal from Xavi Simons, courtesy of a moment of individual brilliance. However, lady luck would disappear when England were awarded a penalty eleven minutes later when Dumfries caught Harry Kane on his ankle, courtesy of a VAR review that did not notice a Bukayo Saka handball. Kane converted from the spot and Oranje’s performance dropped when Memphis Depay had to be replaced after suffering an injury.

The next fifty-five minutes were a display of all the shortcomings of this team under Koeman with the Ollie Watkins goals in added time dashing all hopes of another European final since 1988. After the final whistle, the second-guessing began such as why were the Oranje reluctant to attack a tired England team that had just played 120 minutes in consecutive knock out stages games? Why did they fail to play out of the back while an unfit Harry Kane not pressing? Why didn’t Gakpo take on Saka whenever he the opportunity presented itself on numerous occasions? Why didn’t Koeman bring on players like Jeremie Frimpong and van de Ven? All these decisions only left fans questioning Koeman’s selection criteria and game management.

With the World Cup two years away, it is a moment for introspection and strategic rebuilding by the KNVB and Koeman, regarding the issues in defense, tactical approaches, and nurturing the young talents coming through. As the legendary basketball coach John Wooden once said, “Failing To Prepare Is Preparing To Fail.” As the focus shifts to the future, the Oranje must learn from their mistakes, improve their defensive weaknesses, and foster a more organized and balanced approach to matches.

I won’t be a negative Nelly, thus I will end this on a positive note. Amidst the disappointment, there were some positives from Euro 2024. Bart Verbruggen and Xavi Simons emerged as bright spots for the Oranje. Verbruggen’s performances in goal showed promise and perhaps the 21-year-old will be the starting goalkeeper for the future while Simons showcased his potential as one of the faces of a new generation of talent ready to step up. The backline is still full of talented players, who just need to be better coached. Hopefully, Brian Brobbey and Joshua Zirkzee, or another other up and coming player answers the call as the next established goal scorer since Wout Weghorst isn’t getting any younger. Overall, fans have every reason to be optimistic and hope for brighter days ahead.

Despite the Loss to France, Optimism has returned for the Oranje.

Although Holland’s loss to France on Monday was disappointing, the reaction following the final whistle was different from before. For once, there was a sense of optimism that the Oranje were finally back on the right path. For once, there is hope.

• By Ibrahim Ayyub
• Follow Ibrahim on Twitter

It’s never an easy task when facing the reigning World Cup champion, especially when it’s on their homecoming night as they celebrated their recent World Cup triumph in front of their fans. Nonetheless, that was the daunting task awaiting the Oranje when they faced France on Monday night. However,  the young team hung with the World Cup Champions for most of the game before falling to them 2-1.

These last eight years, we witnessed the Oranje play without a purpose and, some would say, without passion. They resembled zombies on the pitch as they failed to qualify for both Euro 2016 and World Cup 2018. The quality on the pitch was not what it once was and the coaching seemed uninspired. The Oranje played without a solid defence while the attack seemed predictable and bland.

We are witnessing a new era unfold before our eyes. The old guard is truly gone now that Robben and Sneijder have bid farewell to representing the Oranje. Cillessen seems more confident than ever with a defence led by captain Virgil van Dijk who may found his perfect partner in crime, the young Matthijs de Ligt. Hopefully, it was rare off night for Tete at right back and we will see better performances from him in the future. The midfield with Georginio Wijnaldum and the young phenom Frenkie de Jong showed us flashes of what this team is capable of doing, and Memphis Depay leading the charge.

Sure, there are still some pieces missing to complete the puzzle, especially up front and with the left back position. Yet, the likes of those above-mentioned players along with Nathan Aké, Donny van de Beek, Justin Kluivert and Luuk de Jong means that for the first time, that the future is bright and that we are no longer staring into the abyss. Perhaps, Ronaldo Koeman is the Obi-Wan Kenobi to these players where he can provide hope for a better future.

It will take time, and Koeman still needs to work on the team’s first-half struggles. Nonetheless, this is a project that will require patience. It’s time to plan for the future and not focus on short-term success that set the Oranje back. Right now, the future is looking good… for the first time in a long time.