EURO 2024: Netherlands team, will history repeat itself?
Participating in the tournament held in Germany this summer, the Dutch team's goal is to repeat the achievements of their predecessors at EURO 1988.
Coming to EURO 2024, coach Ronald Koeman's Netherlands team is not highly rated by experts for its championship ability. Simply, the team nicknamed "Orange whirlwind" has lost its position recently, especially after missing the 2022 World Cup.
Not only has the Dutch national team's performance declined, it also lacks a truly quality squad. Currently, coach Ronald Koeman has many unknown faces in the hands of international fans. Not to mention, the brightest star, Frankie de Jong, has to stay home to recuperate from an injury.
It can be seen that after the generation of Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Robin Van Persie... Dutch football has fallen into a very serious crisis. Virgil Van Dijk, Matthijs De Ligt, Frankie de Jong or Memphis Depay could not shoulder the responsibility left by their seniors.
That is why most experts and fans of the Netherlands team do not dare to believe that coach Ronald Koeman and his team will make a difference at EURO 2024. Because, compared to candidates such as England, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy and Spain, the level of the "orange whirlwind" is still one level lower.
However, in football, nothing can be predicted. Being underestimated does not mean that the EURO 2024 championship will be out of reach for coach Ronald Koeman and his team. Do not forget that in the past, the Dutch team often had a "lucky" relationship with tournaments held in Germany.
Up to this point, the EURO 1988 championship is the only major title that the Dutch team has owned. It should be noted that the tournament was hosted by Germany. In addition, at the 1974 World Cup, also hosted by Germany, the Dutch team excellently won the runner-up position (losing to the German team in the final match).
At EURO 2024, the Netherlands team is in Group D, which includes the presence of the French team, the Polish team and the Austrian team.
In the opening match, coach Ronald Koeman and his team will compete with the Polish team of superstar Robert Lewandowski, at Volksparkstadion at 8:00 p.m. on June 16.
Let's wait and see if history repeats itself with the "orange tornado"?./.