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Dutch captain Virgil Van Dijk felt his side was 'sloppy' at times during their 3-1 win against Tunisia -Credit:Hakan Akgun/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Netherlands may have finished top of Group F, closing out the group stage with a solid 3-1 win against Tunisia, but it was far from a perfect performance - something both team captain Virgil van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders weren’t afraid to point out.
The three-time FIFA World Cup runners-up headed to Kansas City knowing that the Group F crown was still up for grabs, with both Japan and Sweden still in the hunt after what had proven a tough battle between the three.
Luckily for Ronald Koeman’s Dutch team, they were faced with the prospect of taking on a Tunisian side that had yet to score a point and was just a single game into its tenure under new head coach Hervé Renard.
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Tijjani Reijnders was also critical of their play in Kansas City -Credit:Bill Barrett/ISI Photos via Getty Images
Things got off to a lightning start at Arrowhead Stadium, with an own goal from midfielder Ellyes Skhiri and a third goal of the tournament from Player of the Match Brian Brobbey giving the Netherlands a 2-0 cushion within the opening 10 minutes.
As the half wore on, the intensity dropped off, and early in the second half, Hazem Mastouri brought Tunisia back into the game with a close-range header. Luckily for Koeman’s side, a header from Jan Paul van Hecke reestablished their two-goal lead less than 10 minutes later.
With Japan and Sweden drawing 1-1 in Arlington, Texas, that ensured the Dutch would finish as group winners, setting up a Round of 32 game against Morocco.
But despite winning the game and the group, Liverpool’s Van Dijk wasn’t exactly giddy. When asked if he was pleased after the game, he told ESPN, “In general, yes. You do what you have to do. I think we're off to a great start. As the first half progressed, play became a bit sloppier. Unnecessary.
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“But it's still not a problem. In the end, it’s just a real shame to concede that goal from a set piece. So that’s definitely something that needs to be mentioned. But scoring one helps, too. And ultimately, of course, you earn your way to the knockout stage as the group winner.”
Pressed on their first-half drop, Van Dijk suggested, “I suppose it’s just a matter of sloppiness—that sort of thing creeps in sometimes. It shouldn't happen, but it does slip in.
“It’s a combination of poor decisions and losing possession in dangerous areas, which naturally leaves you having to sprint back across huge spaces at times. That is something that needs to improve, but overall, I am very satisfied.”
This sentiment was mirrored by Manchester City’s Reijnders, who said, “But I think towards the end of the first half we got too sloppy and our ball speed dropped, which allowed them to become dangerous. So we just need to cut out those kinds of moments, but all in all, we achieved a great result.”
Asked if he felt ‘complacency’ was to blame for the drop off, Reijnders brushed this aside, stating instead that, “They defend so deep, and we sometimes made somewhat naive decisions—playing balls through the middle, which is exactly what they’re waiting for—and then they were able to break out very quickly in transition.”
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Ronald Koeman's side will now prepare to take on Morocco in the Round of 32 -Credit:Michael Steele/Getty Images
Regardless of why the Netherlands let ‘sloppiness’ creep into their performance - arguably something they’ve been guilty of at times in all three of their games this World Cup - the fact of the matter is that they are through to the first knockout round, where they will face Morocco on June 29, whilst runners-up Japan will take on Brazil that same day.
“My preference was simply to finish first and advance to the knockout stage. And that’s what happened,” Van Dijk said when asked about the next stage. “Now we know a very, very tough opponent awaits us in Monterrey. I’ve never been there—never even been to Mexico. So, I hope to see a lot of Oranje fans there, too—though, to be honest, I fully expect that to be the case.”
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