Three reasons why Netherlands crashed out early from Euro 2020

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Bengaluru, June 29: Netherlands were one of the only three nations to win all three games in the group stage of the Euro 2020 alongside Belgium and Italy. The Oranje army did not head into the Euros as one of the favourites but their flawless record in the group stage saw a rise in expectations.

The Dutchmen were clear favourites in their Round of 16 clash against Czech Republic but Jaroslav Šilhavý's boys came up with one of the biggest upsets of the tournament so far beating Netherlands 2-0.

In this article, we will take a look at three reasons behind the failure of Frank de Boer's side in the tournament.

Key players missing the tournament

It's quite evident that this is not the best generation of footballers the Netherlands have had and on top of that, they were missing some of their biggest players in Euros. Their biggest miss was skipper Virgil van Dijk and without their leader in defence, the Dutch backline never looked confident enough. It was the leadership of the Liverpool superstar the Netherlands were craving for and the Czech Republic did really well to take advantage of that. Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek has been another big miss for the Dutchmen as they looked to be clearly lacking the creativity and flair of the 24-year-old.

Matthijs de Ligt's moment of madness

In Virgil van Dijk's absence, Matthijs de Ligt was expected to take more responsibility but the €75 million men was the villain for Netherlands against Czech Republic. It was the 21-year-old's red card due to a foolish handball early in the second half that left Netherlands with 10 men and Czech Republic took advantage of that. Regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the world, De Ligt should have done much better and must improve his composure and decision making if he has to live up to his potential.

Frank de Boer's tactical setup

Frank de Boer, since taking the job following Ronald Koeman's appointment at Barcelona, has used almost the exact same tactics of his predecessor and it clearly does not suit the Oranje especially with Virgil van Dijk and Donny van de Beek both missing. With the players' de Boer had available for selection, he could have opted for a more attacking tactical setup rather than sticking to 5-3-2. De Boer's selection should also come under severe scrutiny. If Netherlands can rectify their mistakes and work on it, they can have a solid World Cup campaign in 12 months' time.