Would dedicate European title to Cruyff
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Whenever England and the Netherlands had something important to play on the football field in recent years, Ronald Koeman was there almost every time.
European Championship 1988 in Germany: Oranje wins 3-1, but is lucky that England’s striker Gary Lineker only hits the post of the empty goal after a serious mistake by today’s Dutch coach.
World Cup qualification 1993: The Netherlands win again (2-0), this time Koeman even scores and the English therefore miss the World Cup in the USA.
Nations League 2019: Koeman is now his country’s national coach, beats England in the semi-final after extra time (3-1) and then receives congratulations from his colleague Gareth Southgate.
This Wednesday (9 p.m./ARD and MagentaTV) both teams will meet again at the European Championships in Germany. It is another semi-final. And the Netherlands and England have probably never been more at stake.
Much criticism at home in the Netherlands and England
What is remarkable is that many Dutch and English players have already mentally fired their respective coaches several times during this tournament. When the Dutch striker Cody Gakpo was told at a press conference in Wolfsburg that the English team was being criticized even more heavily at home than the Dutch team, the Liverpool FC professional simply replied: “Oh, is that even possible?”
In any case, Koeman can now achieve something in the last two European Championship games that only the German Berti Vogts has managed in the history of football: becoming European champion as a player and as a coach. The 61-year-old is one of the 1988 champions – that is the only title the Netherlands has won to date. But despite this, Koeman is still constantly asked as national coach: What would the great Johan Cruyff have said about this or that game? But Koeman is probably not worried, as he himself described the Dutch legend to “Sport Bild” as the “most important person” in his life, “as a footballer and as a coach”.
He also had to justify himself again and again at FC Barcelona, especially in 2020 and 2021. Koeman scored perhaps the most important goal in the club’s history in the 1992 Champions League final. And when he later returned as coach, Lionel Messi was sold and debts of more than a billion euros were announced. Koeman described these conditions bluntly, but the public response was that he was a defeatist, not a realist. After just 15 months, he had to leave again.
Koeman no longer wants to work as a club coach
Koeman is difficult to grasp as a coach and as a person. His entire work is ambivalent. He criticizes his players very harshly in public, for example Xavi Simons a few months ago. But experienced professionals such as Virgil van Dijk and Memphis Depay particularly appreciate the fact that he gives the team more freedom and responsibility than his predecessor Louis van Gaal.
Koeman is a pragmatist – but he has coached two teams in recent years where winning alone is not enough. FC Barcelona and the Dutch national team are always expected to play beautifully and dominantly. But while that inevitably leads to conflicts in everyday life with this coach, his approach may be the right one for this tournament. Koeman has so far reacted successfully to adverse circumstances: to major injury problems and a mixed preliminary round. “We can be proud that we have reached the semi-finals,” said Koeman. “Nobody expected that. But the mission is not over yet.”
If he wins the title, he would dedicate it to his mentor Cruyff and set his sights on the next goal: the 2026 World Cup. His contract with Oranje runs until after the finals. Working as a club coach again is out of the question for Koeman – also because his wife Bartina has cancer. “No, I’m not thinking about returning to a club anymore. I’m the national coach now, and that makes me proud. It’s one of the most important jobs in the Netherlands. And compared to working as a club coach, you’re not under pressure every day. I think that after that it’s time to do other things in life.”
