Koeman vows attacking play on return as Netherlands coach
Ronald Koeman pledged Monday to take the Netherlands back to playing attractive, attacking soccer as he began his second stint in charge of the national team that lost in the World Cup quarterfinals to eventual winner Argentina.
The 59-year-old Koeman said he wanted a return to the positive play of his first period as national coach from 2018-20, when he led a talented young team to qualification for the European Championship and the inaugural final of the Nations League.
He looked back not only on those achievements, “but the way we did it. We really want to get back to that,” he said.
His comments came after some sections of the Dutch sports media were critical of Koeman’s predecessor, Louis van Gaal, for what they perceived as a defensive style of play at the World Cup in November and December.
“I saw moments in matches when I thought, ‘This can be different, this must be different,’” Koeman said of his experience watching the Netherlands in Qatar. Read More…
