- Author, Emma Sanders
- Role, BBC Sport journalist in Berlin
The Netherlands were written off by some after a disappointing group campaign at Euro 2024 – but should they now be considered contenders?
A quarter-final against Turkey awaits and they have avoided some European giants in their side of the draw.
“Of course, we are here with one mission and that is to win the Euros,” said Dutch defender Denzel Dumfries.
“We have a strong team with strong qualities. From the beginning we were focused and we don’t lose our focus. The bigger picture is clear.”
What is the perception back home?
After a strong end to their qualifying campaign and the return of injured players, there was growing optimism in the Netherlands before Euro 2024.
Manager Ronald Koeman had an array of talent to select from and players like Jeremie Frimpong, Nathan Ake and Virgil van Dijk had good seasons with their clubs.
But the mood dropped very quickly as they stumbled through the group stages, needing a late winner against Poland, drawing with France and losing to Austria.
A defensive collapse in their loss to Austria – with star captain Van Dijk at fault – led to widespread criticism from the likes of former internationals including Marco van Basten and Rafael van der Vaart on Dutch TV.
Koeman did not appear to have found his best XI and Van Dijk’s passion was questioned by Van der Vaart.
“The game against Austria was a bit of a wake-up up call,” former Dutch winger Bolo Zenden told BBC Sport.
“I don’t think they played particularly well. We knew how Austria would play but it seemed they were surprised by it. That was strange. I thought they would be prepared.
“They had some talks internally and put things straight. It paid off against Romania. They played solid and created a lot of chances. The confidence is totally back.”
Dutch fan Thomas, who has been supporting the team in Germany, said the “only way is up” now.
“There’s always a chance we can go all the way,” said Thomas. “Van Dijk is still our strongest defender. He is one of the best in the world and a great leader. He had a bad game against Austria but that’s it.”
Former Netherlands defender Mario Melchiot told BBC Radio 5 Live: “We were stronger and stood up well against Romania. This is the first game where everyone in the nation said they played well.”
Criticism of Van Dijk and Gakpo’s form
For many, hopes of progression will rest on the shoulders of Liverpool captain Van Dijk.
A clean sheet against Austria went some way towards silencing his critics – but Van Dijk is not the only one being questioned, with manager Koeman also under the spotlight.
“The manager always gets the most criticism when the team is not performing,” said Zenden.
“With the Dutch, you can lose a game but do it by playing in a certain style of football and confidence that reflects us – and that was lacking. That is why Koeman got criticism.
“The likes of Van Dijk got criticism because he was obviously not in the right position when the Dutch conceded those goals against Austria.
“That’s not what we expect from him because he plays at such a high level for Liverpool and so consistently. It was obvious he made mistakes.”
But former defender Melchiot believes the Dutch got the best out of Van Dijk against Romania as he was “left to do his job”.
“When he plays for Liverpool we cannot doubt his ability because of the way he has played, you cannot question it,” added Melchiot.
“He is a defender and that’s what he is good at – defending, playing simple balls and just doing his job. At Holland, they expect more than that.
“That sometimes goes against him because they expect him to set the tempo, lead the backline, play passes out from the back, etc, but then his focus might go.
“The way they played against Romania was better for him because the midfielders picked up the ball so he could just focus on his job. He plays totally different for Holland than Liverpool.”
Despite some struggles, there have been plenty of positives. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has received praise, while Cody Gakpo is the tournament’s joint-top scorer with three goals and one assist.
Across the last two major tournaments, the only European player with more goals than Gakpo (six in nine games) is France’s Kylian Mbappe (nine in 10 games).
“Cody has been playing at a high standard for the past four years at least. I see him every day and the hard work that he puts in,” said Van Dijk.
“He just keeps improving. He doesn’t worry about criticism. He is very important for us and he just needs to stay like that and take that responsibility.”
‘People are saying the Dutch can go all the way’
A lot can change in a tournament.
The Netherlands are the only third-placed team from the group stage to progress to the quarter-finals.
Seeing off Romania gave them a first knockout win at a Euros since 2004, and they want more.
Belief has returned and Zenden says “the sun is shining now” for the Oranje after receiving “a lifeline” with the draw.
“Usually if you finish third in the group stages you are home. Now, all of a sudden, you have this lifeline. That’s why people are talking about the Dutch,” said Zenden.
“Instead of facing Germany, France, Spain or Portugal, they play Turkey. It will not be easy, but if the Dutch had to play others then of course people would look differently at their chances.
“Now people are saying the Dutch can go all the way.”