A closer look at the Netherlands’ style of play: this could be Ronald Koeman’s biggest pitfall ahead of the World Cup

Koeman’s style of play has remained largely unchanged for years, particularly when building play high up the pitch: the right winger cuts inside, allowing Dumfries to pose a threat with his attacking qualities. In addition, he can also pose a threat to the opposition’s goal when crosses come in from the other flank. He has proven successful in this on several occasions and has scored many goals with his head. The aim of this approach is quite clear: to allow Dumfries to play to his strengths and create a numerical advantage in midfield.

In practice, this means that Koeman often positions a midfielder as a right winger on paper, such as Koopmeiners during the recent international break against Norway. In the past, Donyell Malen and Xavi Simons have also filled this role. The right winger effectively becomes a second number 10, creating a square in midfield. That pattern is the most recognisable element in the build-up play in both the first and second spells under Koeman.

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Photo: the recognisable square in midfield. The right winger moves inside, allowing Dumfries to position himself higher up the pitch.

This means that, on the other side, the full-back drops deeper and plays on the inside, sometimes acting as a third centre-back. This extra defender is sometimes also provided by one of the defensive midfielders. In practice, this means that Frenkie de Jong often drops deep and gets involved in the build-up play.

Ons Oranje

Photo: Dumfries is once again positioned as a sort of winger, whilst Micky van de Ven plays as a left-back, slightly deeper and on the inside. In doing so, he acts as a sort of third centre-back.

This approach seemed to work well in phases against Norway, particularly because Koopmeiners and Tijjani Reijnders – and later Simons – were able to get into space between the lines. Norway, in their 4-4-2, wanted to maintain a +1 at the back, as in the example below. If no pairs are formed and one-on-one situations must be avoided, the central channel must be closed at all costs. Mistakes are more likely to be made there, especially when the tempo is high and the play switches flanks quickly, as in the example below. In that situation, the first step is to check whether a free man can be played into the centre, after which the ball is moved quickly to the other side. Dumfries is found and can play Koopmeiners free in the centre.

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But the main problem, it seems, lies in the predictability of his approach. Many opponents are now familiar with Koeman’s style of play and adapt accordingly, often by fielding a five-man defence, which makes it easier to form pairs in midfield. Some teams, such as Poland in the example below, take this to the extreme and dig in as well. Koeman does not yet seem to have found an answer to this, certainly against slightly better opponents.

Ziggo Sport

Photo: Poland can easily create link-ups thanks to the five-man defence (the front line is now tied to a direct opponent). 

The central defender on the left can now easily mark Simons thanks to the five-man defence, whilst Poland’s full-back can shut down Dumfries. Moreover, the spaces are tight and the central channel is closed, meaning Reijnders, Simons and Depay can barely be reached.

The passing lane to Dumfries is often still open, but then he finds himself in a one-on-one situation in a tight space. That is not where the Inter defender’s strength lies. In such a situation, the question is whether it would not be better to position a winger on the flank, with a full-back on the inside – a role that Jurriën Timber, for example, could fulfil.

Other teams, such as Ecuador last week, do dare to press aggressively and play man-to-man at the back. In such situations, the Dutch national team may find it harder to pick out the unmarked player, but this style of play – particularly when combined with uncontrolled pressing – carries an increased risk of errors. This was also evident in the Netherlands’ only goal of the evening (an own goal).

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Quinten Timber and Jerdy Schouten pull the midfield apart and create space for Malen to break free and get the pass through the centre. Ecuador presses high and plays man-to-man, but are not well positioned – particularly the left winger – leaving Dumfries with all the space in the world. This leads to great frustration for manager Sebastián Beccacece, who stands with his arms in the air.

Teams are sometimes criticised for lacking consistency and structure; that certainly cannot be said of the Dutch national team. Koeman’s style of play has been recognisable for years, with his famous ‘square’ in midfield. Although this can certainly work against some opponents – for example, against Norway’s 4-4-2 – the Oranje seem to struggle more against opponents who dare to defend man-to-man or dig in with a five-man defence (the ‘mirror’ formation). The latter variant in particular demands more creativity and dynamism, something that is often still lacking.

The broad outlines of Koeman’s playing style for this coming summer are therefore largely already taking shape. The national coach still has a few months to dot the i’s and cross the t’s and select the right players. Nevertheless, he will probably also have to work out several scenarios and consider alternative playing styles or formations, including a five-man defence system. Fortunately, the Oranje were already able to practise this against Ecuador in the second half – albeit somewhat out of necessity. A major tournament always has a unique dynamic, and a few adjustments and surprises in the playing style can thus decide a match.

So there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve success this coming summer. Recent statistics show that, in his second spell in charge, Koeman has struggled to impress against teams in the top 25. And you will need to beat those too if you want to make an impact in the United States, Mexico and Canada.