Ronald Koeman no longer looks as energetic and inventive as he did in his first period as national coach

In an air-conditioned room at the Hilton Garden Inn on the outskirts of Kansas City, Ronald Koeman sat comfortably next to Virgil van Dijk on Wednesday. Captain on the left, national coach on the right. They appeared relaxed – although they were cautious about their chances at the World Cup. “We all have dreams, big dreams,” Van Dijk told the international media. But he “didn’t want to look too far ahead.”

One of Koeman’s first decisions after his appointment as national coach more than eight years ago was the appointment of Van Dijk as Orange captain. It marked a new, fresh era after dark years in which the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup were missed. They, Koeman and Van Dijk, led the Dutch national team to significantly better times.

This World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico will most likely be their last final tournament together. It is expected that Koeman (63), whose contract expires this summer, will retire from the Dutch team after the World Cup. For Van Dijk, who will turn 35 next month, the World Cup final on July 19 in New Jersey could be his hundredth international match. “That would be possible full circle are.”

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Their bond is still strong, just as Koeman is good with all his key players – Memphis Depay, Frenkie de Jong, Denzel Dumfries, Nathan Aké. “This team has been playing together for some time,” KNVB director of top football Nigel de Jong said in early May in conversation with some media, including NRC. Those „core” is important to “get the right people in place”, “create belief” and have the “right dynamics and energy”.

Koeman is now entering the decisive phase of his career as national coach. A generation of players that was partly shaped by him is nearing the end of their international career – in addition to Van Dijk, also Aké and Depay. They came close to a (main) prize, with the lost final of the Nations League in 2019 and the semi-final of the 2024 European Championship.

The question is what is left in this team at this World Cup. The signs are not very encouraging. And this undeniably also has to do with Koeman.

Putting out fires

He no longer looks as energetic, inventive and decisive as in his successful first term as national coach (2018-2020). In his press appearance he does not seem very inspired (something his wife told him about: “You have to be a bit more fun”). In his tactical solutions he often lags behind the facts – such as at the European Championship against Austria (3-2 defeat). Sometimes he has to put out fires after clumsy statements – such as in widely publicized conflicts with Joey Veerman and, earlier, Steven Bergwijn. Since Koeman’s return at the beginning of 2023, no top country has yet been defeated.

The difficult preparation for the World Cup provides little guidance for the first match against Japan on Sunday in Dallas. Two of the three friendlies resulted in a defeat – the A-choice narrowly won against Uzbekistan on Monday, the reserves lost to that country’s second choice and last week Algeria too strong. The game was changeable. In a podcast by The Athleticthe sports branch of The New York TimesOrange is not even mentioned as an outsider.

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The team is surrounded by uncertainties. There are doubts about the fitness of attacker Depay. There are questions about the performance of intended starting striker Donyell Malen after missing big opportunities. The midfield needs to be tinkered with, due to a lack of variation and depth. There is a lack of aggressiveness and mentality, Koeman said after the match against Algeria. There are concerns about combating the fast Japanese attack with emerging wingbacks, because the Dutch had problems with that style of play against other countries.

Above all this hangs a more elementary question: how ambitious is Koeman still? The last World Cup of the Dutch team – 2010, 2014, 2022 – were characterized by national coaches (Bert van Marwijk, Louis van Gaal) with a sophisticated plan for their big goal: winning the world title. Something that rarely occurs under Koeman – at least in his public appearances.

Conservative approach

Do you think you can become world champion with these 26 players? Koeman was asked at the end of May, shortly after the announcement of his selection.

“Well, we are in it to win. But I know quite well what the reality is and what other countries can bring,” he said. “Beating a few times against a big country is still a long way off.”

Koeman emphasized the attacking power of other countries. The attack is the weakest line of the Dutch team, while Spain and France have a lot of offensive quality. He added: “I realize that everything has to go well if we want to go very far.”

It can be a strategy: keeping expectations low through a conservative approach. This way he can take the pressure off his players.

But that is not the line of director De Jong, himself a World Cup finalist in 2010. “The ambition is to become world champion,” he says. “I think you should pronounce that. How are we going to try to load that word (world champion)? You have to keep repeating it.”

In December 2025, Koeman was asked how much room there was left in the Dutch national team. “I think we can still add 20 percent to really be that team that can do well at the World Cup,” he said. That progress has not yet been seen this year. In the colossal AT&T Stadium in DallasSunday afternoon local time, it must become clear where Koemans Oranje really stands.

“The feeling is good,” Koeman says twice, Saturday evening local time in Dallas. To immediately make a reservation. “You can have a good feeling, you can have doubts… But the race doesn’t always go the way you think it will.”

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