Surprising Advice for National Coach Ronald Koeman: 'Weghorst as First Substitute'

The clash between the Netherlands and Morocco is scheduled for Monday night into Tuesday at 3:00 AM. "I'm really looking forward to it," Seuntjens enthusiastically stated on the Sportnieuws.nl World Cup Football Podcast. "It's not just the sentiment surrounding the match, but also the two teams. The Netherlands are strong in possession, while Morocco can hurt them with counter-attacks. I'm curious to see how Ronald Koeman will address that."

In recent matches, Tijjani Reijnders was preferred over Justin Kluivert, but Seuntjens would change that now. "Against Morocco, the Netherlands could benefit from long balls to Brobbey, allowing players like Kluivert, Gakpo, and Summerville to be played through," Seuntjens analyzed. Maaskant agreed: "That could be fantastic, but then you'd ideally want to win the ball higher up the pitch. Otherwise, the distance becomes too great…"

The former coach primarily hopes that the Oranje won't play too defensively, even though he believes defending is 'relatively easy'. "We shouldn't just focus on the problems Morocco can cause. If we take the initiative, they become vulnerable, and we can create problems for Morocco."

Seuntjens then offered a surprising piece of advice for Koeman. "I would use Wout Weghorst as the first substitute against Morocco," said Seuntjens, who isn't known as the biggest fan of FC Twente's new striker. "I think it's a disgrace. If you look at what he showed at Ajax last season..." he had previously remarked.

Nevertheless, the current Lommel SK striker would give Weghorst minutes against Morocco. "Purely for the fact that we could then start playing with crosses. Mazraoui is naturally right-footed, so Summerville can get around him to deliver a cross. And with Weghorst, we have the best chance of heading a ball into the net. If things get tough, I would definitely bring Weghorst on."

In the new episode of the Sportnieuws.nl World Cup Football Podcast, Robert Maaskant and Ralf Seuntjens discuss the final group stage matches. Now the tournament moves into the knockout phases, and both gentlemen are eagerly anticipating it. They discuss the significant differences between Messi and Ronaldo at this World Cup, Wout Weghorst's transfer to FC Twente, and the Dutch national team's game plan.

They also briefly touch upon the sad news surrounding Cody Gakpo's family, wishing him and his family strength. The discussion covers the coaches dismissed at the World Cup and Derrick Luckassen's goal at the World Cup. All this and much more in the new episode, available on your favorite podcast app from 7:30 AM.