Koeman says the duel between the Netherlands and Morocco "arrived too soon"
The clash between the Netherlands and Morocco in the second phase of the World Cup could have taken place later in the tournament, according to Dutch coach Ronald Koeman. On the eve of the duel in Monterrey, the coach highlighted the strength of the two teams and stated that the meeting brings together teams with the potential to advance further in the competition.
Both teams finished among the top eight in the last World Cup, in 2022. Morocco made history by becoming the first African and Arab country to reach a World Cup semi-final, while the Netherlands fell in the quarter-finals to Argentina, on penalties, against the future champion. "It's a big thing that this game happens now, because we are two teams that should go further than this stage," said Koeman.
"It's a very important match between two teams who want to go as far as possible in the tournament. A game of this level comes a little too early in the World Cup, I would say. But it's what we have, and it will be a very attractive match. We'll play offensively", he added.
The coach and captain Virgil van Dijk showed confidence when talking about the preparation for the duel. "They have a lot of talent, but so do we. We know where we need to stop them, how to break their game, and we're not worried," said Koeman.
Van Dijk highlighted right-back Achraf Hakimi as one of the best players in the position in world football. The Dutch defender also mentioned striker Ismael Saibari, from PSV Eindhoven, and midfielder Brahim Díaz as important names in the Moroccan team.
"They have a lot of good players. The midfielder who is emerging now, a young man who is doing well, is also another one," he said, referring to 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The Dutch captain stated that the team studied the opponent and is prepared for the challenge. "We analyzed them, we trained, we had two very good sessions and now it's all done. It's up to us. I'm really looking forward to it. It will be a challenging game, in difficult circumstances, but these are the games you want to play in."
Van Dijk also rejected the idea that the Netherlands need a convincing victory to prove they can win the world title: "I don't think we need to make a statement. We're just in the situation we're in. It's a fantastic game for anyone watching. For us, it's reality. We're here now and we're going to prepare for Morocco."
The Netherlands and Morocco duel on Monday night (29). The ball rolls at 10pm (Brasília time).
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Source: CNN