Koeman shrugs off hiccups and insists Netherlands have fighting chance
Squad has been rocked by injuries to key midfielders but coach is quietly optimistic going into opener against Poland
“Welkom Oranje!” is the loud Dutch welcome on billboards dotted around the factory town of Wolfsburg, home to the Netherlands for the next few weeks; many of Ronald Koeman’s side have a direct view of the steaming chimneys of the mammoth Volkswagen plant – the size of about 700 football pitches – from their plush hotel rooms opposite. Those words sit above what can only be described as a little friendly one-upmanship from the locals. “Aber nach Berlin fahren wir”, but we are going to Berlin, which will host Euro 2024’s showpiece finale.
That all feels a while away yet but the Netherlands will board a Deutsche Bahn train – hopefully theirs runs on time – to the capital for their final Group D match, against Austria, by which point they will hope to have proved why they, too, can go the distance despite the endless injury-shaped hiccups that hampered preparations. First they have an opener against Poland in Hamburg on Sunday to navigate. Regardless, back home the mood is bright if not realistic, evidenced by the colourful Marktwegt street in The Hague, which has been given considerably more than a lick of paint by residents intent on showing their support.
