SM
Watford vs. Oxford Utd: 6 hrs 8 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
NN
- | -
Jun 6, 2019 at 7.45pm UK
 
EN

3-1

de Ligt (73'), Walker (97' og.), Promes (114')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Rashford (32' pen.)

Netherlands in focus ahead of Nations League semi-final with England

:Headline: Netherlands in focus ahead of Nations League semi-final with England: ID:361158: from db_amp
We take a close look at the Oranje ahead of Thursday's semi-final clash in Guimaraes.

Ronald Koeman's Holland stand between England and the Nations League final in Portugal.

Here, Press Association Sport takes a close look at the Oranje ahead of Thursday's semi-final clash in Guimaraes.

History

Louis Van Gaal led Holland to the European Championship in 2014 (Adam Davy/PA)

Holland are one of the most loved international teams thanks to their thrilling football, sparkling talents and bright orange shirts. European champions in 1988, they have finished as World Cup runners-up on three occasions. The most recent of those final appearances came in 2010 and four years later they reached the semi-finals under Louis Van Gaal. However, things went awry after the World Cup in Brazil as Holland missed consecutive major tournaments for the first time in 32 years. Having failed to make it through to a bloated Euro 2016, the Oranje faltered in another qualification campaign as they finished behind France and Sweden in their group for last year's World Cup.

Reaching the Nations League finals

Ronald Koeman had the upper hand on England in the 1990s (PA Archive)

Former Southampton and Everton manager Koeman's first match in charge of the country he represented with aplomb was a 1-0 friendly home defeat to England in March 2018. Their next game was a 3-0 win against Nations League hosts Portugal and they have not looked back, with some solid friendly results followed by a stirring Nations League campaign. Koeman's men topped Group A1 ahead of World Cup winners France and condemned 2014 world champions Germany to relegation from the top tier. Bouncing back from a 2-1 loss at France in their opener, they beat Germany 3-0 in Amsterdam before overcoming France 2-0 in Rotterdam. Late Quincy Promes and Virgil Van Dijk goals sealed a 2-2 draw at Germany in November to snatch top spot. The Germans gained a little revenge by beating them 3-2 in March's Euro 2020 qualifier.

Players

Virgil Van Dijk is a commanding presence in the Holland defence (Nick Potts/PA)

With the likes of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder having moved on, an exciting new crop of players is replacing them. Holland skipper Van Dijk has established himself as one of the world's best centre-backs – a conversation Ajax teenager Matthijs De Ligt looks set to join him in sooner rather than later. Frenkie De Jong was another key component of the Ajax side that captured the imagination with their run to the Champions League semi-finals and will be looking to impress ahead of joining Barcelona. The squad's talent is offset by experience, too, with the likes of Georginio Wijnaldum, Daley Blind, Ryan Babel and the divisive Memphis Depay.

amp_article__361158 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-06-05 10:28:18:
html db last update - 2019-06-05 10:28:18 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Read more about Ronald Koeman Football
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .