Now the real start: this afternoon, the Netherlands will face Poland in their first group match of the European Championship. We discuss the latest news, the opposition and Memphis Depay's hair tie with football journalist Aletha Liedlmayer.
At three o'clock this afternoon, the Dutch national team will start the match against Poland in Hamburg. In last night's press conference, national coach Ronald Koeman did not want to say anything about the eleven players he will field.
Those who are definitely not there are Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners. Barcelona and Atalanta Bergamo midfielders pulled out just before the tournament.
Losing De Jong is, according to many of the Dutch national team's top stars, disappointing, although according to Aletha Liedlmeier, there is no reason to panic. Leidelmeijer is a soccer journalist and presenter for ESPN. We will discuss with her the matches of the Dutch national team during this European Championship.
“You certainly think ahead: he is one of our most important players,” she says of the absence of Frenkie de Jong. “He's also incredibly good. But his replacement Joey Firman was also very convincing in the first leg. It's nice to see how he makes the passes.”
Brian Proby is also not fit enough to play against Poland, although he probably wouldn't have had a starting place anyway. Joshua Zirkzee was flown in as a last-minute replacement this week from his vacation address, Disneyland in Florida.
Memphis and its head
According to Leidelmeijer, Memphis Depay is the man in style at the moment. Last week it was mainly about the headband, but she also expects a lot from the striker on the field. “He is very motivated, and he has already shown that in away matches.”
She doesn't understand the negativity surrounding the headband. “I think it's cool. Yesterday during training he was wearing a headband with 10 gold on it. I don't understand why some people are so negative about it. This brings it to life. People are already wearing these headbands, and I'm already wearing them.” You have some at home.”
Good results against Poland
The Dutch national team can gain confidence for the match against Poland from the results of recent years. Of the six matches played by the Netherlands against Poland in this millennium, the Dutch team won five and one ended in a draw.
With their seventh position, the Netherlands are currently ranked much higher in the FIFA World Rankings than Poland (28th). In addition, the Poles are missing a number of important players due to injuries.
Terrible bloodshed
We will miss Robert Lewandowski very much. The FC Barcelona striker is Poland's all-time top scorer, but was injured in the last training match before the European Championship. He is in the Polish squad, but cannot play against the Netherlands yet.
“It is a huge loss for Poland,” says Aletha Liedlmeier. “The whole team is built around him. Without Lewandowski the team looks very weak.”
Former Ajax player Eric Milik, Poland's second striker, was also injured. Striker Karol Swiderski, who was injured in the last match before the European Championships when he cheered wildly after scoring the goal, is fit enough to start the match.
“Never a piece of cake”
Although the Polish clinic is full, Leidelmeier does not believe the Netherlands will overtake Poland. “I don't think the Netherlands will ever have an easy time,” she says. “After the away games, the sentiment suddenly became very positive, but very opportunistic.”
According to the analyst, the mood could be completely different this afternoon. “There is nothing as changeable as the emotions surrounding football. If things are difficult today, even if we win but are not convincing, things can change quickly.”
Liedelmeier is optimistic about the Netherlands' chances. “It's a group that does something for each other,” she says. “And there are no absolute stars, so the proportions are right. The atmosphere is good, and there is a lot of laughter.”
Confidence is growing
Confidence in the Dutch national team has increased significantly recently, since the successful training matches against Canada and Iceland (both won 4-0). This is evident from the inquiries of RTL News panel members.
Among the panel members who indicated that they were following the European Championship, 64% of them said that they had a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in the Dutch team. Before the wins in the two matches over Canada and Iceland, this percentage was still 44 percent.
Therefore, the failure of Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners immediately before the tournament did not cause a decline in confidence in achieving a good result. 44% of participants believe that their absence will not make a significant difference in the fortunes of the Orange team. 39% believe that the Orange team's chances are less now that the midfielders are absent.
Favorite Van Dyke
Most RTL News panelists cite captain Virgil van Dijk as their favorite Dutch player. They call him sympathetic, calm and reliable. Memphis Depay is often mentioned. “He's a great footballer,” says one panelist. “He's always getting criticized, and often it's not true. Now again with that headband. Leave that boy alone and let him play football!”
Jeremy Frimpong is also in the top 3 favourites. The speedy winger from Bayer Leverkusen has only played four matches for the Dutch national team, but he made a big impression, especially in the training match against Canada. “Cute, funny and quick,” one panelist said. “Relief.”
Would you like to participate in the RTL news board?
From the Cabinet to the Royal Family, from money to health: On the RTL news board you can participate in the debate about the direction the Netherlands should take. Make your voice heard! You can register here.
Zombie specialist. Friendly twitter guru. Internet buff. Organizer. Coffee trailblazer. Lifelong problem solver. Certified travel enthusiast. Alcohol geek.