Ronald Koeman has stepped down as Netherlands coach after the side’s World Cup knockout against Morocco.
The Netherlands shone in the group stage, but headed out early at the hands of previous semi-finalists Morocco, losing on penalties.
Koeman announced his decision to step aside in an Instagram post.
“Last night I made the decision to end my tenure as head coach of the Dutch national team,” he wrote.
“When I look back on my career, I feel above all pride and gratitude.
“I have had the privilege of working at Vitesse, Ajax, Benfica, PSV, Valencia, AZ, Feyenoord, Southampton, Everton, FC Barcelona, and of course two spells with the Dutch national team.
“Clubs and people that have shaped me and given me memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
“That is precisely why it hurts that my time with the Oranje ends like this. We all dreamed of a World Cup in which we would make history. That didn’t happen.
“No one is more disappointed about that than I am. As national coach, you bear that responsibility. I have always felt it and will always continue to feel it.”
Koeman then appeared to suggest a possible retirement amid his wife’s ill health.
He continued: “Moreover, the past years have made me realise again that there are more important things than football. Football has been my life, but health is priceless.
“When someone you love is fighting a tough battle, your perspective changes. My wife Bartina has supported and encouraged me every day to finish my work as a national coach, despite her own illness process.
“That is a testimony to incredible strength. I appreciate her more than I’ll ever be able to put into words.
“I want to thank all the players I had the pleasure to work with. Your efforts, character and confidence have motivated me every day. Thanks also to my staff, the KNVB, all the employees behind the scenes and the clubs I’ve allowed to work with.
“But above all thanks to the supporters. For being supportive even in times when it was difficult. It was a great honor to be able to represent the Netherlands as a head coach.
“Saying goodbye to mixed feelings. Of course I would have liked to end my time at Oranje with a world title. Unfortunately, that dream was left unfulfilled.
“But above all pride prevails. Proud of everything football has brought me, the people I’ve met and the fact that I’ve been able to make my biggest passion my profession.”
Ronald Koeman’s Netherlands record
| Competition | G | W | D | L | GS | CG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| Friendlies | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 26 | 11 |
| Euros | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 7 |
| UEFA Nations League | 16 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 33 | 25 |
| Euro Qualifying | 16 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 41 | 14 |
| World Cup Qualifiers | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 27 | 4 |
Arne Slot possible next Netherlands coach
Leading AD columnist Maarten Wijffels predicted Koeman’s resignation, and then talked about possible replacements.
“Anyone who listened to him at the press conference in Monterrey on Monday evening knows the score,” he wrote.
“Koeman is drawing the conclusion and stepping down—possibly as early as today.
“He bows out with a painful statistic: throughout his entire second tenure, the Dutch national team failed to beat a single country from the top 25 of the FIFA world rankings.
“And not because the majority of those nations possess significantly more quality than the Netherlands.”
Wijffels went on to take aim at Koeman’s reliance on veterans and their poor performances.
Van Dijk blamed
“He brought back Georginio Wijnaldum – unsuccessfully,” he wrote.
“He stuck with Memphis Depay for too long, and perhaps with Virgil van Dijk as well.
“Van Dijk wasn’t useless at this World Cup, but he was virtually invisible.
“Opponents of the Dutch team deliberately left him unmarked during the build-up play, while his own defensive pressing was inconsistent – sometimes he stepped up to close the gap, other times he didn’t.
“He bore partial responsibility for goals conceded against both Sweden and Morocco.
“The same could have happened against Tunisia, but he was let off the hook.
“In the second minute, the striker he was supposed to be marking fired the ball over the bar from eight meters out, completely unmarked.
“The final image of Van Dijk at his last World Cup was him standing apart from the line of penalty takers at the decisive moment in Monterrey.”
Slot to replace Koeman
Wijffels then went on to identify possible replacements for Koeman, taking a look at Austria as an example.
He continued: “Why did a country like Austria – even with substitutes – play a recognisable brand of football at Euro 2024, while the Dutch team, in Koeman’s own words, raced around the pitch “like a headless chicken”?
“Austrian head coach Ralf Rangnick is a hands-on coach through and through – much like Erik ten Hag, Peter Bosz, and Arne Slot are in the Netherlands.
“It would be unfair to fault Koeman for not being that type of coach; he has always positioned himself more as a manager. And, generally speaking, a good one.
“But it would be interesting to see, starting next summer, how the tactical philosophy of a Slot, Bosz, or Ten Hag type of coach would fare with the current Dutch squad.
“Or perhaps a Jürgen Klopp/Pepijn Lijnders duo, if you want to think outside the box.
“Would that lead to structural improvement in the team’s play and results? Or is this simply the current team’s ceiling?”
Of those three Dutch names, only Slot is unemployed.
The Premier League winner was dismissed by Liverpool after spending £450million on a trophyless season, but he remains very highly-rated in his home country.
Erik ten Hag is currently director of football at boyhood team FC Twente and seemingly enjoying himself, while the same can be said for Bosz at league winners PSV.
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