Players against coach: There is a lot of friction at the Oranje
Since Wednesday evening at the latest, it has been clear: There is very little going right for the Dutch women's national team at this European Championship.
Ice Age: The mood in the Oranje camp after the final whistle was frosty. IMAGO/Passion2Press
Paul Bartmuß reports from Zurich
After the final whistle of this humiliation, Andries Jonker gathered his team in the middle of the pitch and gave a short speech. The Netherlands had just lost 4-0 to England and delivered a dismal performance.
"He said it wasn't good enough and we had to move on," goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar summarized the apparently not-so-uplifting content of Jonker's speech. Striker Lineth Beerensteyn confirmed this, but added that she couldn't hear everything because of the noise in the stadium.
A lot could be read between the lines, but at the same time, the experienced Danielle van de Donk offered a more direct answer to the TV channel NOS . The question was whether the central midfielder would have been ready for the starting eleven. "I had a slight soreness in my groin after the game against Wales," she reported. "Today I felt well enough to play from the start. But the decision had already been made yesterday."
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Apparently from Jonker, who expressed himself differently shortly afterwards at the press conference. "I think there's been a misunderstanding here," said the 62-year-old after being confronted with van de Donk's statements. "We had previously discussed with the doctor and her: She could play for a maximum of 20 to 25 minutes."
In the 66th minute, the 33-year-old finally came on for her 170th international match, but the score was already 3-0. European champions England hadn't been as strong, and the Netherlands were so weak. At halftime, Jonker made three substitutions, switching from a back four to a back three. It was all to no avail.
Going into the European Championship with a "lame duck" was not the best idea"We were completely confused," observed goalkeeper van Domselaar, and Beerensteyn said: "They taught us a lesson today." When asked if she was ready to start, last season's top scorer raised her eyebrows meaningfully and replied in the affirmative. However, the decision had been up to the coach. There, too, there wasn't much understanding.
Going into the tournament with Jonker as a "lame duck" was obviously not the best decision for the Dutch FA. It has been clear since January that the former coach of VfL Wolfsburg and FC Bayern Munich II would have to leave his post at the end of the European Championship. He had already made it clear before the tournament that he was not particularly comfortable with this decision. He had even considered resigning.
Now the end is in sight for this Sunday in Basel, unless a positive surprise against France (9 p.m., LIVE! on kicker) is achieved. His successor, incidentally, will be a man who was also on the pitch at the Letzigrund Stadium that evening: England's assistant coach Arjan Veurink .
