Having reached the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup, you would have got long odds on the Netherlands being absent from the next two international tournaments that followed. But the reality is that it’s been seven years since the Dutch graced a major tournament, and now they have a chance to make up for lost time at the upcoming European Championships.
The Netherlands are considered as slight outsiders according to the Euro winner odds, and coach Frank de Boer will be desperate to deliver a memorable month of football for the Dutch football fans who have been so starved of success in recent years.
With a favourable group stage draw and the advantage of being able to play their group matches in the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, there is an opportunity for the Netherlands to go far in this summer’s Euros. After missing out on the last two major tournaments, is it beyond the bounds of possibility for them to make it to the latter stages of the European Championships this year?
Group opponents
As mentioned, the Netherlands couldn’t really have asked for a kinder draw in the group stage. They’ll be facing Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia, and you’d expect them to advance comfortably as the group winners.
Of course, all 24 teams at Euro 2020 will be hugely motivated to produce their best football, and so the Netherlands players will need to at their sharpest to ensure there are no nasty shocks. Ukraine bowed out of the previous Euros at the group stage, and then failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, so they shouldn’t cause too many problems.
Austria are perhaps the toughest opponents the Netherlands will face, and they demonstrated that their battling qualities in the recent warm-up game against England. North Macedonia, meanwhile, are making their debut at the European Championships, and so it’s hard to know what to expect. On paper, they should be easily swatted aside, but you can bet they’ll be eager to prove themselves against the toughest opponents. Overall, though, it should be an easy route of progression to the last 16 for De Boer and his team.
Star players
If the Netherlands are to advance far in the competition, they’ll need their attacking stars in top form, none more so than Memphis Depay. The attacker has restored his reputation at Lyon in recent years after a difficult spell at Manchester United earlier in his career, and he’ll be one of the team’s main goal threats throughout the tournament.
Another key player is Georginio Wijnaldum, who has been played such an important role in Liverpool’s success over the last few years. Wijnaldum is deployed in a more attacking role for his country than his club, and this allows him the opportunity to get forward and notch goals and assists.
One to watch
Ryan Gravenberch is one of the Netherland’s most exciting young talents, and the Ajax man will be eager to make an impression on the biggest stage. He became Ajax’s youngest Eredivisie debutant in 2018, and has recently caught the eye of De Boer. It’s unclear how big a role he will play at Euro 2020, but he could certainly be an exciting option off the bench.