Netherlands are on a mission to end their long title drought when they’ll compete in World Cup 2022, which is less than a week from now.
Compared to teams like Brazil, Argentina, or defending champions France, the Oranje are seen as one of the outside contenders according to the World Cup 2022 odds, which is a bit of a surprise considering they’re the eighth-ranked nation in the world according to FIFA.
They don’t care about being overlooked, but they would want to remove the label of being underachievers since they haven’t won anything for the last 34 years despite their wide array of talent.
Their last major trophy dates back to Euro 1988, although they picked up a silver and a bronze in their last two World Cup campaigns.
Read on below as SBOTOP breaks down why Netherlands are a going to be a force to be reckoned with.
Group A is a good place to start
The Oranje travel to the Middle East to compete in Group A alongside Ecuador, Senegal, and hosts Qatar. They are the favourites to win the group since they’re in great form following a strong qualifying campaign.
Frank de Boer was in charge for the first three games of qualifying, but he stepped down and was replaced by Louis van Gaal. Under the former Manchester United manager, the Dutch went undefeated in their last seven qualifying games (W5, D2) while scoring 21 goals.
Their form has carried over in the UEFA Nations League where they also dominated their group. In League A Group 4, the Oranje went undefeated with five wins and one draw en route to 16 points – which is over the likes of Belgium, Poland, and Wales.
The top spot of Group A is for Netherlands to lose. Getting positive World Cup 2022 results would surely give them a more favourable draw in the knockout phase since they would face the runners-up of Group B.
Netherlands have multiple breakout candidates
While much of the focus is on their captain Virgil van Dijk, Netherlands are poised to make some noise with their unique blend of youth and experience from all sides of the pitch.
Up front, you have the experienced Memphis Depay, Luuk de Jong, Wout Weghorst, and Vincent Janssen. And then there are youngsters such as Steven Bergwijn, Noa Lang, Xavi Simons, and Cody Gakpo.
Gakpo is certainly one to watch given his unique profile. Wingers aren’t supposed to be 6’2” and he’s also fast with the ball. The 23-year-old primarily operates from the left wing, but he can also play as the No. 9 or 10.
In midfield, veterans like Davy Klaassen, Marten de Roon, and Steven Berghuis are going to bring leadership, but their key player there is Frenkie de Jong. The Barcelona star is the ideal box-to-box midfielder since he disorganises the opponent’s offences and he’s great at progressing the ball forward.
And then at the back there are the likes of Matthijs de Ligt, Tyrell Malacia, Jeremie Frimpong, Jurrien Timber, and Denzel Dumfries. These youngsters are playing at a high level for their respective clubs this season, and they’re going to make their opponents earn their goals the hard way.
The only thing you can nitpick about the Dutch is their collective inexperience. Virgil van Dijk hasn’t played in any major international tournament, while Frenkie de Jong, Memphis Depay, and Daley Blind are they’re only ever-present members in the national squad.
Is third time the charm for Louis van Gaal?
After crashing out early in Euro 2020, Louis van Gaal returned to the coaching post for the third time last year and World Cup 2022 is expected to be his final act before Ronald Koeman takes over anew.
LVG is one of the most successful managers in the last three decades, winning trophies with Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United with his attacking brand of football.
But van Gaal has shown the ability to adjust by turning the Oranje into a defence-first team and it worked when they finished third in Brazil 2014 as they’ve conceded only four goals in seven matches, and they eventually lost on penalties to Argentina in the semis.
No nation has reached the final more often than Netherlands without yet winning the title. Besides 2010, they also finished second in 1974 and 1978.
Louis van Gaal will do everything in his power to bring back the trophy to the Oranje and it will be the perfect ending to a decorated coaching career.
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