Koeman ahead of Oranje World Cup qualifiers: “We still need to dot the i’s and cross the t’s” | OneFootball

Ronald Koeman cut a semi-concerned figure yesterday, as he described his Oranje group as not being ready just yet ahead of clashes with Poland and Lithuania.

Dutch national coach Ronald Koeman is working with a fully fit squad for the World Cup qualifier against Poland, he confirmed at Wednesday’s press conference. “But we’re not ready yet. The reserve team was better this morning,” Koeman said of that morning’s training session. “I’ve experienced that before, and it doesn’t make me nervous. But we need to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.”

Tijjani Reijnders sat next to the national coach and, when asked about the morning training session’s result, responded: “The score was 0-0. There were too many sloppy mistakes on our part. We’re well aware of that, but we need to address it.”

According to the Oranje boss, both Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay are fit enough to start. Whether that will actually happen remains to be seen. Koeman is certainly pleased with what debutant Sem Steijn has shown so far. “The first impression is good, in every way. Today I’m going to look him in the eye and talk to him.”

Koeman was also asked about filling the striker role. “I don’t look at form on the day. I think every player in the Dutch national team needs to have a certain style of play. Some have that more than others, and we’ll look at that tomorrow. But you also need consistency in your squad; that’s the best part of the development we’ve made since the European Championship.”

Whether Wout Weghorst or Memphis will start remains to be seen. “It’s good that a player feels he should play,” Koeman said of Weghorst. “His role (as a super sub) is known, but that doesn’t mean he can’t ever start.”

Koeman is pleased with the squad he currently has at his disposal. “This is a fantastic group to work with. They want to form a squad together. The match against Spain was a fantastic development for us.”

“We’re definitely among the European elite,” the 62-year-old coach continues. “But to have more clarity about where we stand, we need to play a World Cup. Then we can measure ourselves against the best countries. We were already good, but we have to stay that way. With so many players from the Premier League, you also improve as a team.”

GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield