Major Concerns for Oranje: Koeman Provides Worrying Update on Frenkie de Jong

The Netherlands' preparation for their clash against Sweden seemed to be going smoothly for a long time. Ronald Koeman's squad trained with the full group two days before the match, and the national coach appeared to have all his players available for the crucial encounter with Sweden. However, the situation looks completely different just one day before the game.

First, Quinten Timber had to withdraw due to a mild concussion sustained during a training ground challenge with Oranje. During the press conference the day before the match, Koeman provided another worrying update. It turns out Frenkie de Jong also didn't emerge unscathed from the same training incident. According to Koeman, De Jong has sustained an injury 'below the waist'.

Koeman stated that multiple players were involved in the training ground challenge where Quinten Timber suffered his concussion. He was reluctant to go into too much detail about what exactly transpired during the session. Given that Timber's injury is a concussion and Frenkie de Jong's is an injury 'below the waist', it certainly raises further questions.

"Quinten stumbled and that's how he got the concussion. And beyond that, I can't say much," the national coach commented. He could not yet confirm whether the midfielder would start against Sweden: "We will see how he reacts and then we will make a decision."

At the same press conference, Koeman was confronted with criticism that has emerged in the Netherlands regarding Frenkie de Jong. He is reportedly not contributing enough in Oranje's matches. Why would it be such a blow if he couldn't play? "I spoke with him after the match. I think he does many things well and is a tactically smart player," Koeman explained.

However, he also sees plenty of areas where the Barça midfielder can still improve. "We also discussed that we need to push forward when we are attacking, and sometimes I find that he occupies too deep a position on the field. Sometimes he can also make the forward run. He can still develop and improve in that regard," the coach believes. "But it goes too far for me to say he should be dropped," he concluded.

The Dutch national team will face Sweden on Saturday at Houston Stadium. A lot is at stake for Ronald Koeman's side, as after the draw against Japan, points are desperately needed to take a big step towards the knockout phase. The match against the Scandinavians kicks off at 7:00 PM Dutch time. After that, Oranje has one more group stage match: on Friday, June 26th, at 1:00 AM Dutch time, the Netherlands will play Tunisia.

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