The (Orange) Machine That Could Teach Portugal a Thing or Two

A few weeks ago, a supercomputer – I can't recall which one or where – predicted, as reported by the media, that the final would be between the Netherlands and Portugal. While I'm not entirely sure, I remember the 'Oranje' were tipped to win. I distinctly recall thinking something along the lines of, 'It's not enough that they're trying to be us; now they think they know more about football.'

I'm unaware of the rationale, which surely considered player value, experience, the leagues they play in, and even their recent past and national team results. However, I doubt the coach's stubbornness coefficient was factored into the parameters. But at least it's a computer, not an octopus.

At this moment, even though we still need to see how the Portuguese perform in their second match, the two national teams couldn't be further apart. This doesn't mean the Dutch would easily beat the Portuguese if they faced off; that's a different matter entirely.

Ronald Koeman is a shrewd tactician – as seen during his time here – but he's no genius and hasn't reinvented the wheel. He's structured his team in a traditional, albeit asymmetrical, 4-3-3 formation, boasting competence across all sectors. This starts with a solid defense, featuring Verbruggen in goal and Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk, and Van de Ven ahead of him. In Dumfries' case, he's often much further forward, which opponents could exploit. The midfield features the tempo-setter De Jong, the 'Pogba-wannabe' Gravenberch, and the direct Reijnders.

In attack, the left flank belongs to Gakpo, whether hugging the touchline or cutting inside. Koeman made a decisive twist by moving prolific scorer Malen to the right to leverage the physicality of Brobbey, who seems to have seven lives between the center-backs. And then there's Summerville, who always makes an impact off the bench. It's positional attacking with players operating between the lines and intricate triangulations, drawing opponents in to exploit space out wide, and lightning-fast offensive transitions. A masterclass for anyone willing to observe.