COLUMN: Frans Hoek on the Netherlands' World Cup so far & how to handle penalty shootouts

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/netherlands-WYintcWb/tunisia-QqZVYk95/?mid=0lERfdRh"]Ahead of the match between[/a] the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/netherlands/WYintcWb/"]Netherlands[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/tunisia/QqZVYk95/"]Tunisia[/a], the Africans had gone through a very disappointing start.[/p][p]Whatever the reason was, they fired their coach after a 5-1 loss to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] in the opening round. They then brought in a new coach with a lot of experience in Herve Renard, but they still lost 4-0 against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ULXPdOUj/"]Japan[/a].[/p][p]After that, there was a huge amount of criticism and a lot of question marks about the quality of the players, and it was clear that they just didn't want to be humiliated again.[/p][p]The Netherlands, on the other hand, had claimed a beautiful 5-1 victory over Sweden, which completely changed the atmosphere in the country, and definitely also in the team. There were still some concerns, but everybody was feeling more positive.[/p][p]As the Dutch had already qualified, the big question was whether to rest top players and give the backup team a chance, as the US did against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a]. For the sake of rhythm and consistency, I advised against that, and the US did indeed lose to Turkey, which caused a lot of noise, so I'm glad that Ronald Koeman stuck with his best team.[/p][p]He didn't take any risks with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-de-ven-micky/rotN6HH8/"]Micky van de Ven[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/summerville-crysencio/EaRET7t6/"]Crysencio Summerville[/a], who would've been suspended for the next match if they got yellow cards, but it was otherwise the strongest lineup.[/p][h2]A comfortable win[/h2][p]Tunisia had the first chance of the game, and the first chance can be decisive. If you are able to score it, the game is completely different, but they missed it, and then a few minutes later, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dumfries-denzel/QR0j1ejk/"]Denzel Dumfries[/a] puts in a fantastic cross, a Tunisia player sends it into his own net, and it's 1-0. Not long after that, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/brobbey-brian/pfAvgQUT/"]Brian Brobbey[/a] scores, and suddenly it's a game where everybody is expecting a four, five or six-goal margin.[/p][embed guid="5952140e-a9f2-43b7-b16b-33cdad9cfbf0" url="https://x.com/OnsOranje/status/2070284090377388464" social-type="twitter" /][p]In those minutes, the Netherlands were incredibly efficient, which is a fantastic quality, and they were also lucky, which is very important at a tournament. After the second goal, Tunisia had a free header from a corner, but it was straight at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/verbruggen-bart/6PChQYLj/"]Bart Verbruggen[/a]. You need luck, and the Netherlands are getting it.[/p][p]Even when 2-0 down, Tunisia were sitting deep in their own penalty box, because they knew they'd be opened up otherwise, and a low block makes it very difficult to create chances if it's done effectively, as we saw against Japan. The Netherlands created some, but they were not really capable of breaking through that very compact defence.[/p][p]The issue again was that the ball speed was very low, and there were no individual actions like balls in behind, crosses or overlapping runs. I spoke about the issues that caused against Japan, when they did it a lot better against Sweden, especially in the beginning, they created a lot more in a very short time.[/p][p]When something happened, it was usually on the right, with Dumfries overlapping, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/malen-donyell/KOdKXsao/"]Donyell Malen[/a] moving inside and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gravenberch-ryan/Y5aFd8V4/"]Ryan Gravenberch[/a] also sometimes getting forward.[/p][p]Malen didn't play badly, but he's just not lucky right now. He does things well, like good runs and crosses, but he just never gets a reward like a goal or assist. He works hard, and I think he did better than in the game against Japan, but the luck is just not there. We're not seeing the results he gets at Roma, but that's also logical because of the different ways of playing.[/p][p]In the 52nd, Tunisia got an opening on the counter-attack, which I was surprised about, and they scored a goal from a corner as a result, but the Netherlands then very quickly scored from a corner themselves through [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-hecke-jan-paul/WG59HGIH/"]Jan Paul van Hecke[/a], so I never really had the feeling that Tunisia would come back. I did have that feeling against Sweden - if Sweden had made it 3-2, they had the power and the options to keep going, but I didn't have that feeling with Tunisia for one second.[/p][p]In the 71st minute, Summerville, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/koopmeiners-teun/lOCjQkeo/"]Teun Koopmeiners[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kluivert-justin/fq4lU5sI/"]Justin Kluivert[/a] came on. Summerville and Kluivert are players who can bring a lot of energy and new ideas, but they didn't really do that. I expect a little bit more because these are guys who can really bring something extra, something special.[/p][p]In the end though, I think it was a good victory. The Dutch controlled the game, and there weren't too many big question marks.[/p][h2]Set-piece issues[/h2][p]There are some phases, though, where things are still not that good yet.[/p][p]For example, when we defend transitions, the opponents are being given too much space and are causing a lot of danger.[/p][p]One of my biggest concerns is how Ronald's team is handling set-pieces. Their own are good, but they don't defend the opponent's well. [/p][p]So far, the Netherlands have conceded four goals, and two have come from corners. 50% of goals conceded from set-pieces. That's a lot.[/p][p]I'm quite proud that in 2014 and 2022, we basically conceded no goals from set plays. Only penalty kicks. The guys did an excellent job. We always defended man-to-man at corners, we always had one player at the front post and one at the back post, and if we didn't clear the ball, they both went to the goalline, with the goalplayer in front of them.[/p][p]This Netherlands team, on the other hand, use zonal marking, they leave both of the posts wide open, and as I said after the Japan game, Verbruggen stays too far back. That makes the goal a very big target, stopping a good header in that situation is very difficult.[/p][p]So I think some attention needs to be paid to this ahead of the knockout rounds. I think with the players that the Dutch have, they shouldn't be conceding two goals from corners in the space of three games.[/p][h2]Things are looking bright[/h2][embed guid="5f6b0e00-81d8-42b5-bb19-2d3365489da2" url="https://x.com/OnsOranje/status/2070386418195497246" social-type="twitter" /][p]On the whole, though, things are positive. They won the group, and they won it with a draw against a strong country, and two very good wins. Whether expected or not, you still have to get them.[/p][p]The beauty of this team is that they score very easily, which was a big question mark before this World Cup. In the spirit of Johan Cruyff, if you score one more than the opponent, you win. We know that Cruyff put a lot of focus on attacking and not so much on defending, but if you are capable of scoring 10 goals in three games, that's fantastic.[/p][p]Another positive is that they score the goals at the right moments. Every time they've looked in danger of getting into trouble, they've scored, which is a very important quality.[/p][p]At the other end, they don't give away a lot of chances. We did see in the second game against Sweden that Verbruggen did need to make some saves, but none of them were from big chances.[/p][p]Going forward, the Dutch are especially strong when there's space behind the defence, particularly in transitions to attack; they are incredibly strong and incredibly dangerous in those scenarios. And I think that stronger opponents will give away more of that space.[/p][p]If you go through the team, they have a very good goalplayer. He's reliable. Strong.[/p][p]In front of him, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-dijk-virgil/U59RNqOr/"]Van Dijk[/a] is still one of the best in the world, and Van Hecke is developing excellently; he made the most passes of anyone at the tournament against Tunisia, and even scored a goal.[/p][p]At left-back, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ake-nathan/6LBvaQoh/"]Nathan Ake[/a] is reliable, and Van de Ven will grow into the tournament as well. On the right, Dumfries is incredible. His work rate, his crosses, his power. Everything he does.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-jong-frenkie/A1F3rz9c/"]Frenkie de Jong[/a] needs no introduction, and we also have Ryan Gravenberch and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/reijnders-tijani/f17EnPl3/"]Tijjani Reijnders[/a], who I see getting better and better with each game.[/p][p]And then the big surprise is that we look to have three top-class attackers now. Maybe even four or five. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gakpo-cody/pWyuBud0/"]Gakpo[/a] has shown many times what he can do. Brobbey has made a huge difference and has three goals. Malen has a lot of quality and can get a lot better. And Summerville has done a fantastic job.[/p][p]Then you look at the bench. Kluivert is coming back from the injury, but he can really add a lot of energy. [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/de-roon-marten/SUUtwXea/"]Marten de Roon[/a] and Teun Koopmeiners are guys who can add a lot of experience, are very calm, and do the simple things very well.[/p][p]If I compare this team to when we worked with them at the 2022 World Cup, many players are now playing at a higher level, and they have more experience.[/p][p]Next up is [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a], which will be a very special game.[/p][p]In their first two games, they looked very, very good, but you could see in their 4-2 against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a] that they also have some weak points.[/p][p]Even so, they are in the best-ever phase of their football history. They performed very well at the last World Cup, very well at the Africa Cup of Nations, and have been very good already in this tournament. So it won't be an easy game at all.[/p][p]I was on the sideline when we last played them, in 2017. We won that match 2-1 in Morocco, but it's clear that a lot has since changed for the better for them.[/p][p]I think it will be played at the highest competitive level that you can imagine, and it's made extra interesting by the big history we have with Morocco, because of all the Moroccan people that live here and the Moroccan players that have lived here.[/p][p]It's impossible to say how it will go, but the Dutch should be able to go on to the next round. I think they can beat everybody.[/p][h2]The prospect of penalties[/h2][image alt="The Netherlands have struggled in shootouts" id="d8990276-50ea-478f-9c52-d4e5aa60b811" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="2df8ea89-cc0f-424c-8a31-3dede15bea77" original-width="1400" original-height="1400" /][p]One thing that will be back in the back of each team's minds now that we've reached the knockout stages, and especially the Dutch team's, is the prospect of penalty kicks. [/p][p]Over the two tournaments that I was with the Netherlands, we won one penalty shootout and lost two, and I learned a lot about them.[/p][p]You have to be prepared, because there are teams that just play and hope for penalty kicks. In 2014, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/costa-rica/C4ePE2kq/"]Costa Rica[/a] played for penalty kicks against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/greece/COuk57Ci/"]Greece[/a], then they played for penalty kicks against us. Teams like that know that they probably can't win in regular play, but have a good chance with penalties.[/p][p]That's because penalties are completely different to normal football. Where a football game is 11 vs 11 on a big pitch, penalties are one vs one on a small area of it, and a lot of players are not used to that at all.[/p][p]The problem is always how you practice for them. Because you can practice your shot, but you can never practice the totally different situation and the stress that comes with it. These days, scientists are involved, you can read books, you can watch documentaries, but there is still not an easy solution.[/p][p]For goalies, though, modern databases are fantastic. You can find everything. How many penalties a player has taken. Where they like to put them. Whether they like to pause before they shoot or not. Everything.[/p][p]One important thing to remember is that guys who are not so confident will, nine out of 10 times, shoot the ball in the same place that they usually have in the past.[/p][image alt="Tim Krul and Frans Hoek after the 2014 World Cup penalty shootout against Costa Rica" id="37e1bd5a-a895-4443-8507-b173f2b56293" credit-line="KOEN VAN WEEL / EPA / Profimedia" guid="bd036f19-f414-4164-9f88-cd89783404d8" original-width="640" original-height="425" /][p]Famously, we won our shootout against Costa Rica because we brought [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krul-tim/dAl9I3A3/"]Tim Krul[/a] off the bench for it, and lots of people will now be wondering whether Koeman should also make a change.[/p][p]Well, Verbruggen has a big reach and is powerful, but then [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/roefs-robin/Ao7TtUZn/"]Robin Roefs[/a] also had an excellent season and saved lots of penalties. And coaches now have six substitutions available if a match goes to extra time, so the rules are in their favour. If the staff think Roefs or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/flekken-mark/INE64p13/"]Mark Flekken[/a] will do a better job it wouldn't be strange at all for them to make a change.[/p][p]What is also important is who is going to take the first penalty, the second one, the third one, the fourth one and the fifth one. In that regard, I think that the feeling and confidence of the players is very important; you need to bring them into the situation and let them say whatever they feel, whatever they think.[/p][p]Against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a] in 2014, multiple players said they didn't want to take the first penalty before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vlaar-ron/Of5WNmKB/"]Ron Vlaar[/a] stepped up and missed, and based on that experience, Louis van Gaal and I changed things in 2022.[/p][p]Before the knockout stages, I went to all the players, asking them what they wanted. "Do you want to take one? Even if it's late in the tournament? What number do you want to be? Do you want to be the first, the second, the third?" So they all got a chance to think about it, and I then made a full plan, and the players had a commitment up front. We did something similar in 2014, but it was not as clear and as strict as in 2022.[/p][h2]Advice for Ronald[/h2][p]Of course, we still missed our first two penalties and still lost, but you cannot control that. You just have to make a plan, stick to it, and see what happens. That's absolutely key.[/p][p]At both World Cups, Louis had a plan for every possible scenario, and things went wrong when our goalplayer, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/noppert-andries/KK8ewbFG/"]Andries Noppert[/a], did not stick to the one we'd made with him and the other goalplayers.[/p][p]He decided the night before the Argentina game not to do what we'd been working out and practising; he picked a side early instead of waiting and reacting. We did everything in close cooperation with him and the other goalplayers, but he changed his mind.[/p][p]In 2014, Krul stuck to the plan perfectly. It was his first time in those high-pressure circumstances, and he did so incredibly well, better than you could expect. He went the right way for every penalty and saved two of them, because he did what we had practised: wait and react.[/p][p]Ultimately, when a player is in the spotlight at a World Cup, you don't know how they'll handle it, but what is important as a coach is that whatever plan you make, you and your players stick to it.[/p][p]If I could give one piece of advice to Ronald for the knockout stages of this tournament, it would be that: Whatever plan you decide on, make sure the players are fully behind you, and that everybody involved sticks to it.[/p][h2]You can follow Frans Hoek on Instagram [a href="https://www.instagram.com/frans.hoek/" target="_blank"]here [/a]and his company Goalplayer [a href="https://www.instagram.com/goalplayercom/" target="_blank"]here[/a].[/h2][image alt="Columnist" id="b97529b1-bbd0-4b51-adc3-bd1311e643de" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="121723d2-65d6-4f3c-ac0e-c04a6f35f200" original-width="1200" original-height="380" /]