Tiktukno: summary of the day's events in sports, 30.11 (Sport1)
To summarize the group stage of a team that finishes first in the early group stage, without a loss, that concedes only one goal, and be disappointed.
The Netherlands of the 2022 World Cup have not yet reached the tournament, but are already preparing for the round of 16.
So why sum it up as a disappointment?
First of all, in Holland they expect from the national team not only results but also attacking and absorbing football.
True, the absence from the last World Cup instilled a little modesty in the expectations of the Dutch, but when they see the team play, the desire is always to see oranges dancing and attacking.
Therefore, when after the first two games the statistics showed that the Netherlands threatened only 12 times to the goal (only Costa Rica threatened less among all 32 teams) the Dutch audience began to lose faith in their team.
And it's not that there was great enthusiasm beforehand.
The protest against Qatar meant that very few Dutch people came to support the team.
Moreover, even in Holland itself the World Cup tournament is less interesting.
In terms of ratings, this is the tournament with the lowest viewing percentages in the current millennium.
Even in 2018, when the Netherlands did not participate, the numbers were higher.
The reason for this is not only football: it is a matter of status, of conversations over coffee at work, of values.
The protest is so big that people keep their distance.
Just as a Dutchman would not dare to say today that he does not recycle garbage or alternatively leaves the heating on when he is not at home, so the average Dutchman will talk less and be less interested in the current tournament.
The fact that the tournament is played in the winter and not during the holiday season also has an effect, of course.
For the full World Cup broadcast schedule World
Cup 2022 in Walla!
sport
winners and losers.
Memphis (Photo: Reuters)
The Netherlands beat Senegal 0:2 in the first match, squeezed a draw against the favored Ecuador and easily passed the weak Qatar in the last match at home.
It is difficult to draw conclusions from the match against the host team.
It is not at the level of any other team participating in the tournament.
In the first two games Holland did not impress at all, but knew how to get the result they wanted.
In terms of football, Van Gaal has been playing a somewhat defensive method with three brakes for a long time.
Throughout the qualifiers Daley Blind and Denzel Dumfries were great and played as attacking players for all intents and purposes.
For this tournament the two defenders on the wings arrived in bad shape and they do not threaten the goal at all.
Moreover, their average location is very low compared to where you expect to see them.
Dumfries, who until the tournament averaged two threats per game in the team's uniform in the last two years, did not threaten the goal at all in the first three games.
In goal Van Gaal surprised everyone when he promoted Andries Neufert to be the first goalkeeper.
The goalkeeper Harnbein, who made his debut in the team at the World Cup tournament, made no mistakes, and one mandatory goal in three games is a great statistic.
The three brakes in front of him are stable and solid, and it doesn't seem like Holland's problem is there.
But in the front part - that's where the problem starts.
Van Gaal has not yet put together the puzzle in the link.
Frankie de Jong with an assist and a goal and a lot of turnovers (against Senegal he recorded an 85% passing accuracy percentage - his second most scattered game ever in the national team).
De Jong is the most important player in the team, he dictates the pace and determines in every attack how and where the team will attack.
That's why it's important to have the team on his side and Louie still hasn't found someone to help Frankie.
In each of the three games, a different player started next to Barcelona's midfielder: Steven Berghaus, Ton Koopmeiners and Maarten de Roon all tried the role.
None of them impressed.
More in Walla!
Hospitalization in your home instead of a hospital: this is how it is done right
Served on behalf of VODoctors
Looking forward to more.
Van Halen with De Jong (Photo: Reuters)
It looks like Owen Hale has found his front three.
Davey Klassen with a goal and two assists in the 10th position, Cody Gakpo (who equaled Alessandro Altobelli's record from 1986, scoring the first goal in the three early home games) and Memphis Depay who is still looking for his best form in the team after two months of injury.
The United States will be a very tough opponent in the round of 16.
The Americans are running, energetic, conceded only one goal and never stop threatening the goal.
Holland is more experienced and will arrive as favourites, but after the early home games nothing is certain.
Holland got the results but did not impress in football.
Van Gaal already said in 2014, when he led the team to the semi-finals, that efficiency is more important than beautiful football.
It goes against everything the Dutch believe in, but if there are good results the criticism against the team's style will soften.
Will the criticism against Qatar and traveling there to see the team fade away if the team goes far?
It's too early to tell, but it will be an interesting test of the values and durability of the Dutch.
sport
world football
Tags
The Netherlands team