Ronald Koeman has taken over from Louis van Gaal as the Netherlands’ head coach after the team crashed out of the 2022 World Cup.
The Netherlands opened their World Cup campaign with a late 2-0 win over African champions Senegal. They settled for a draw against Ecuador and wrapped up their group games with another win over host Qatar to win the group.
They qualified for the knockout clash as a group winner, where they battled the USA in a thrilling round of 16 clash, which ended in a 3-1 win for the Dutch.
The Louis Van Gaal-led team set up a quarterfinal clash with Argentina. It was a thrilling encounter between the South American giants and the European side.
Argentina opened the scoring with Molina on the score sheet, assisted by Lionel Messi. Messi again doubled the Argentine lead, scoring from the penalty spot to boost their semifinal chances.
In a dramatic turn of events, the Netherlands scored two late goals, including a stoppage-time heartbreaker to drag the game to extra time.
Louis Van Gaal made a statement in his tactical ingenuity when he secured the two late goals courtesy of his substitute – Wout Weghorst.
The match headed into extra time with a 2-2 scoreline. The two sides failed to break the tie and ended up in the penalty box, which Argentina won to reach the semifinals, with the Dutch crashing out of the tournament.
After his long spell with the team, it was pretty clear that Van Gaal would step down from his role following the World Cup exit.
The 70-year-old, who replaced Frank de Boer as the Dutch national team coach, had a contract with the team, which was set to expire after the 2022 World Cup.
It was his third stint with the Dutch national team, having admitted how Dutch football is close to his heart. His first spell with the team was from 2001-2002. After his departure, he returned to the team in 2012 and led the team to the 2014 World Cup, where he finished as the third-place winner.
The Dutch national team job will likely be his last spell with any national team job.
Meanwhile, another Dutch tactician Ronald Koeman is set to take over from van Gaal as per Fabrizio Romano. It will be Koeman’s second stint on the job. He previously coached the team from 2018 to 2020.
Ronald Koeman is a well-bread coach with spells across top clubs in Europe and top leagues in the world.
He has managed Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Vitesse, AZ Alkmaar, Benfica Southampton, Everton, and La Liga giants Barcelona.
It will not be a new terrain for the prolific coach. Just like his predecessor, Ronald Koeman understands the metrics and dynamics of Dutch football.
