National Coach Ronald Koeman Irritated After Painful World Cup Exit: 'I Don't Give a...'

The Oranje delivered a disappointing performance against Morocco. Koeman's decision to adapt his system to the Atlas Lions backfired significantly. "I look back on it positively," Koeman countered on NOS. "We have nothing to reproach ourselves for. The lads are shattered... There are things that could be better. We couldn't apply pressure anymore, but we defended well in many moments. You can't give nothing away against such a good team, but everyone has their own truth."

Koeman refuses to regret his decision to alter the team's playing style. "I chose this playing style because we were conceding too much. We could have ignored that, but I didn't think that was the right choice. Before the World Cup, everyone in the Netherlands was asking for us to play with five defenders. Then you do that, and you get criticized for it again. I don't give a...", Koeman stated, leaving his sentence unfinished.

The NOS reporter suggested Koeman had put his head on the chopping block. The national coach completely disagreed. "That doesn't bother me at all; then I would have to make decisions in case we were eliminated. That doesn't suit a coach, and certainly not me," he retorted fiercely. "We chose this, and we did it well. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but if I had to do it over again, I would do exactly the same."

Ultimately, Morocco won after a penalty shootout. "Perhaps Morocco's second penalty was psychologically so important... Bizarre. Bart had it, but then he tapped it into the goal with his own heel. When you have moments like that go against you, it's over. We know how difficult penalties are. We missed three out of five, which is too many. You need a bit of luck, and Morocco had more of it."

This could potentially be Koeman's very last match as head coach of the Dutch national team. The 63-year-old coach has an expiring contract. He refused to reveal any details. "That will come starting tomorrow (Wednesday, ed.). I do have my thoughts on it, but this doesn't seem like the right moment to say it," Koeman concluded mysteriously.

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