Ronald Koeman Explains Tactical Shift for Dutch National Team at World Cup

Ronald Koeman surprised many by starting Nathan Aké as the fifth defender in the Dutch national team's backline. Tijjani Reijnders was sacrificed in midfield, as Koeman opted for just two central midfielders: Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch. "We've often played with five at the back against these types of opponents," Koeman immediately stated.

However, this time he's implementing it with a different approach. Earlier in the tournament, he chose to drop Frenkie de Jong back as the fifth defender, but he wasn't entirely satisfied with that setup. "I have more confidence in this than with four at the back. In recent matches, we've seen that we concede too much space when we don't have possession. This way, we'll be more compact with an extra man in defense," Koeman explained.

While this might be perceived as a defensive formation, Koeman doesn't see it that way. "With our three attackers, we can still be dangerous. We've trained well on this, and it looked good. So, I don't foresee any problems."

With this solution, Koeman also has good news for Frenkie: he'll have more freedom in midfield. "When we win the ball, he's already in midfield. The same applies when pressing. He's excellent at finding the right moment."

Pierre van Hooijdonk understood Koeman's decision. "It's about adapting to the opponent. That's logical because it's a very tough challenge. You've given away many chances, and this way, you want to build in some security because Morocco is quite strong on the right flank."

Rafael van der Vaart, however, disagreed, stating on the panel: "He's indicating that you're once again adapting to an opponent who I believe we are better than. I certainly wouldn't do it."

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