Key topics of discussion include whether Kees Smit impressed on his debut, how Teun Koopmeiners did as a right winger, the mistakes Ronald Koeman made against Ecuador and which 26 players he’s probably going to take to North America this summer.

You can follow Clockwork Oranje on Twitter and Bluesky, and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google!

Finley Crebolder is joined by Paul Winters for the first episode of 2026 World Cup coverage, and the two discuss how they feel about the group that the Netherlands have been handed, and look at who they’re likely to face in the following rounds.

They also look back at qualifying, picking out the key talking points, and look at what Oranje’s strongest starting XI is right now.

You can follow Clockwork Oranje on Twitter and Bluesky, and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google!

I’ve only taken into account what players have done in international football and obviously prioritised what they did at major tournaments, hence some choices that are maybe surprising...

So, let’s get into it.

25. Nathan Ake

Ake spent the first years of his Oranje career as a backup player but secured a place in the starting XI for the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 and was great in both.

24. Wout Weghorst

He’s not very consistent but steps up in the big moments, most famously with his incredible brace against Argentina but also at the Euros last summer. A valuable option at a time when we lack strikers.

23. Maarten Stekelenburg

Stekelenburg played a huge part in our run to the 2010 WC final and was great at Euro 2012 too as well as in the period between those tournaments. He returned to be our first-choice keeper for Euro 2021.

22. Denzel Dumfries

The right-back has been one of our biggest attacking threats in the last five years or so, getting a number of crucial goals and assists at major tournaments and elsewhere.

21. Mark van Bommel

Van Bommel was fantastic at the 2010 World Cup but didn't actually enjoy much success on the international stage outside of that. Still, that tournament alone is enough to put him on the verge of the top 20.

20. Cody Gakpo

The Liverpool man has established himself as our key attacker in the last few years with six goals in 11 matches at the last two major tournaments. A huge talent who will only get higher on this list.

19. Johnny Heitinga

A real stalwart for a decade with appearances at all five major tournaments from 2004 to 2012 and a particularly important role in 2010. He was never really amazing but consistently did a decent job.

18. Frenkie de Jong

De Jong has consistently been our best player when fully fit and played a bigger part than anyone in our post-2018 revival, but hasn't quite shown his best at the two tournaments he's played at. He’ll be much higher on this list in the future if he stays fit.

17. Stefan de Vrij

The centre-back had an incredible first tournament at the 2014 World Cup and did well at Euro 2024 but spent a lot of time on the bench in those 10 years between.

16. Virgil van Dijk

Van Dijk is undoubtedly the best Dutch defender of all time but hasn't had the best international career due to only making his debut in 2015 and only playing his first tournament in 2022. He’s a great captain and can still establish himself as an Oranje legend at the 2026 World Cup though.

15. Gini Wijnaldum

Gini did well as a young player at the 2014 World Cup and became absolutely crucial after that, being ever-present and one of our few consistent scorers with 28 goals and 96 games in an Oranje shirt.

14. Joris Mathijsen

One of the most underrated Oranje players ever. Mathijsen was our best CB at the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, and his tournament in South Africa was one of the best an Oranje defender has ever had. He held our defence together in an era when it was very weak.

13. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar

He never really got the chance to shine at a major tournament due to Robin van Persie but scored a crucial winner at the 2014 World Cup and was incredible outside of tournaments with the best goalscoring ratio of any top Oranje player since Johan Cruyff.

12. Rafael van der Vaart

Similar to Huntelaar in that he never got many chances at tournaments due to Wesley Sneijder but Van der Vaart was great at Euro 2008 and did well in qualifying campaigns. He has the fourth-most Netherlands caps of all time.

11. Daley Blind

Very underappreciated due to a difficult last few years, Blind was amazing at the 2014 World Cup and from that point onwards was absolutely crucial for a decade, racking up 108 caps. We were hugely reliant on his passing and vision due to a lack of creativity in the squad.

10. Ruud van Nistelrooy

Van Nistelrooy had two great tournaments at Euro 2004 and Euro 2008 and was absolutely prolific in friendlies and qualifiers, averaging a goal every other game across his Oranje career.

9. Phillip Cocu

Cocu was one of our best players at Euro 2000, Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, and in the qualifying campaigns. An incredibly consistent presence (101 caps) and an important leader.

8. Nigel de Jong

De Jong was so, so important for his role protecting our often weak backlines and allowing our attackers to flourish during the late 2000s and early 2010s, particularly at the 2010 and 2014 World Cup - we may well not have made it so far in those tournaments without him.

7. Edwin van der Sar

Van der Sar was simply incredible at all four tournaments that he played in for us in the 2000s, making save after save to give us a chance of success despite our poor defences.

6. Memphis Depay

Memphis was literally our only top attacker from 2017 to 2021 and created the vast majority of our goals in that time period. He never fully stepped up in tournaments but we may not have even qualified for them without him.

5. Giovanni van Bronckhorst

Gio was a very important player in five tournaments and was particularly good at Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup, where he captained us to the final and scored a stunner in the semis.

4. Robin van Persie

RVP misses out on the top three as he wasn't great at four of the five tournaments he played in but delivered at the 2014 World Cup and became our all-time top scorer thanks to his consistency in qualifying campaigns.

3. Dirk Kuyt

Kuyt was an absolute workhorse who played wherever the team needed him - striker in 2006, winger in 2010, defender in 2014 - and always delivered. His selflessness, work ethic and leadership were invaluable.

2. Wesley Sneijder

Sneijder retired with the most caps of all time and stepped up at the major tournaments, especially in 2008 and 2010 but he was really good in 2012 and 2014 too. One of the greats.

1. Arjen Robben

There was never any doubt about this one. Robben dazzled as a young talent at Euro 2004, was excellent despite not being fully fit at the 2010 World Cup and his 2014 World Cup was the best tournament a Dutch player has had this century. From then to 2017, he completely carried us.

“What’s the difference?” I hear you ask. Well, by Netherlands player, I mean the player that’s enjoyed the best national team career, the player that’s done more than anyone for Oranje.

There’s of course no objectively correct answer to this question, but we can see what the data says, and I thought it would be interesting to do so.

Before we dive into said data, I should point out that I set the following parameters when crunching the numbers:

1. I’m only considering matches played at major tournaments because they’re the ones that matter, not a qualifier against San Marino or a friendly against Ecuador.

2. To be considered, players have to have played in a minimum of three major tournaments for Oranje. Sorry Johan, but longevity matters.

Once I decided on the criteria, I started thinking about how I’d measure how good players have been for Oranje at World Cups and European Championship, and my first port of call was Sofascore, an app that has data-based player ratings for each World Cup the Dutch have been at since 1974 and each Euros since 1980.

That did create one problem in that while calculating the average ratings that players had across all of the major tournaments they played in, I couldn’t include ratings from Euro 76 for those who competed in it, which warped things a little for three contenders.

It would’ve helped Johan Neeskens, Rob Rensenbrink and Johnny Rep, who seemingly didn’t have the best tournaments but didn’t have their ratings dragged down by it, and it would’ve hurt Ruud Krol, who was named in the team of the tournament but couldn’t have his strong performances taken into account. That being said, the tournament only consisted of two Oranje matches, so it probably wouldn't have changed things massively.

With that being said, here’s who the 10 best Netherlands players of all time are based solely on Sofascore’s ratings, which take into account a number of statistics including goals, assists, key passes, duels won, dribbles completed and just about anything else you can think of.

Pretty interesting, right? According to those player ratings, Dennis Bergkamp is the greatest Netherlands player of all time.

Now, I’ll be the first to say that these ratings aren’t always reliable, but the case for Bergkamp only gets stronger when you take other factors into account too.

Perhaps the biggest argument in his favour is the fact that he’s scored more goals at major tournaments than any other Dutch player, finding the back of the net 10 times Half of those came in knockout matches too, so it’s fair to say he stepped up on the big occasions.

What’s more, his eight assists at major tournaments is the joint-most of any Dutch player, with only Arjen Robben getting as many.

Robben deserves to be in the conversation himself given he played in a joint-most six major tournaments, has the most goal contributions after Bergkamp and almost single-handedly led Oranje to third place at the World Cup in 2014.

So too does Sneijder, who also played in six tournaments, has the third most goal contributions and was the star man in the run to the 2010 World Cup final.

The only other player you could really make a strong case for when mainly factoring in the Sofascore ratings and longevity is Ronald Koeman, who deserves extra credit for the fact that he played a big part in his nation’s only-ever major tournament triumph to date and, unlike Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit and Frank Rijkaard, impressed at other tournaments too.

Ultimately though, the numbers don’t lie, and the numbers pretty definitively say that, only taking into account national team careers, Dennis Bergkamp is the greatest Oranje player of all time.

Personally, I’ve got no complaints. He deserves it for that goal against Argentina alone.

Given all the injuries we had, I would’ve been over the moon if you’d told me at the start of June that we were going to reach the semi-finals in Germany, but given the way the draw worked out, I’m barely above the clouds.

There were some good moments, but they were mere drops in an ocean of mediocrity if we’re being brutally honest. Unconvincing wins against Poland and Turkey, a bore draw against an unimpressive France side and a deserved defeat to an unimpressive England side. Like I said, mediocrity.

On that note, let’s dive into my five main takeaways from the tournament. It’s not all doom and gloom, promise.

Verbruggen could be our best goalkeeper since Van der Sar

I’ll start with a positive to stop us all from breaking down in tears, and it’s a big one, because Bart Verbruggen is the goalkeeper we’ve been waiting over a decade for.

Dutch keepers have been playing a 16-year game of musical chairs since Edwin van der Sar retired from international football in 2008, but Verbruggen looks to have finally brought that game to an end, with the Brighton man excellent throughout Euro 2024.

He was near-flawless with the ball at his feet, commanded his box well and made some unbelievable saves that we wouldn’t have made it to the semis without - that late one against Turkey was particularly special.

It would’ve been a great tournament for an experienced goalkeeper, let alone one that’s 21 years of age, had just six caps to his name before it started and has played barely two seasons of senior football.

He could have done better for a few goals, but with him this good at such an early stage of his career and now likely to establish himself as a first-choice goalkeeper in the best league in the world, he’s all but certain to be our number one for years to come.

It’s time to move on from Memphis

The main problem position in recent years other than goalkeeper has been at the other end of the pitch, and the only thing that became clear during the Euros is that Memphis Depay isn’t the solution.

He was until the start of the 2022/23 season, but he’s been ravaged by injuries since then. Both Louis van Gaal and Ronald Koeman kept faith in him for the last two major tournaments in the hope that he’d find form and fitness during them, but he failed to repay that faith at the 2022 World Cup and failed to repay it this month.

The 30-year-old missed three of the four big chances that fell to him over the course of the tournament and scored with just one of his 18 shots. He didn’t create a huge amount for teammates either, didn’t hold the ball up well and wasn’t fit enough to lead what was an already disjointed press.

We’ve persisted with him in spite of all his faults for the last few years because we haven’t had anyone better, but with both Brian Brobbey and Joshua Zirkzee now coming through, I really don’t think that’s the case any more. Both could prove themselves as real upgrades if given a chance.

The national team will always be indebted to Memphis for everything he’s done over the years - he’s really carried us at times and has become the second-highest scorer ever for a reason - but he’s past his best. Time to move on to the next generation.

Schouten is the partner De Jong has been waiting for

After the World Cup, I wrote a piece picking out five things Koeman needed to do before the Euros, and the two most important of them in my eyes were finding an alternative to Memphis and finding a partner for Frenkie de Jong. He didn’t accomplish the former, but has done the latter.

Jerdy Schouten had never massively impressed in an Oranje shirt before the tournament and that remained the case in the group stage, but in the knockout rounds in Germany, he became the holding midfielder that we’ve been crying out for.

The PSV man was near-perfect on the ball, rarely misplacing passes and progressing play with plenty of them, and was solid defensively too, making four tackles, three interceptions and three clearances while winning seven out of 11 ground duels. He was largely why Jude Bellingham was so quiet in the semi-final.

The kind of player you want next to De Jong is one who’s solid but not spectacular, who can do the simple things well and be a stabilising presence at the base of midfield, allowing the playmaker complete freedom. Schouten is proving to be exactly that kind of player.

I headed into this tournament expecting Tijani Reijnders to be the breakout star who would establish himself as a key player for the team, but Schouten’s done so instead, and he may just be the biggest positive we can take from the Euros.

Xavi will be our number 10 for years to come

Schouten wasn’t the only positive in the midfield, with Xavi Simons finally impressing for his country once he was given a proper chance in the number 10 position rather than being played out wide.

After coming off the bench to play there against Austria, the RB Leipzig man got three assists and one goal in the final four games of the tournament, consistently posing a real threat in the middle of the park.

Since Wesley Sneijder retired, our number 10s have been players who make dangerous runs in behind and get on the scoresheet but do little else such as Gini Wijnaldum, Davy Klaassen and Donny van de Beek. In Xavi, we have a real playmaker there again, someone with the dribbling and vision to be a proper creative force.

He can do the dirty work too as he showed with his stunning goal against England, closing down and tackling Declan Rice before firing the ball into the top corner. On paper, he has everything needed to be the perfect attacking midfielder.

Football obviously isn’t played on paper and the Oranje shirt weighs heavily, but if he can continue to do what he did in Germany on a consistent basis, he’ll quickly become our star man.

Ronald Koeman is the team’s biggest problem

Unfortunately, all of the above positives are pretty heavily outweighed by one huge negative: our manager.

Sure, Koeman led us to the semi-finals of the Euros, but we couldn’t have had a much easier draw and could hardly have stumbled through it less convincingly, largely because of his tactics.

In four of the six matches, he got his starting XI and initial plan so wrong that he was forced to make tactical adjustments and/or substitutions at or even before half-time, leaving us playing catch-up. For a manager to make the same mistake that many times just isn’t acceptable.

He wants us to press high up the pitch but is completely incapable of implementing an effective pressing system, so much so that we look hugely vulnerable at the back unless we sit deep despite having the best centre-back options in the world.

Another issue is his undying loyalty to the old guard, with Memphis our first-choice striker throughout despite struggling and Wijnaldum getting more minutes than Zirkzee and Jeremie Frimpong, two of the nation’s biggest talents.

It’s not all bad, he has created a good atmosphere within the camp and we’ve played some good stuff going forward, but he’s lost five of the six matches we’ve played against major nations and drawn the other. We’ve got no chance of winning anything under him if that doesn’t change.

He’ll get the chance to stay in charge and change that, but if he wants to achieve any significant success as Bondscoach, he has to improve. Picking a young, exciting squad in September and bringing aboard a new assistant manager who’s better tactically than he is would be a good start.

Squad

There weren’t too many shocks in the final squad announced by Ronald Koeman, with most of the big names that were excluded missing out because of fitness issues.

That was the case with Marten de Roon, Jurrien Timber, Sven Botman, Noa Lang, Quilindschy Hartman and Mats Wieffer. Only Hartman was all but guaranteed to start but all would have played a part in the tournament if fit, so their absence is a blow.

One surprise was the exclusion of Ian Maatsen, who many expected to replace Hartman. Instead, Daley Blind, Nathan Ake and Micky van de Ven will be the left-back options.

Joshua Zirkzee was also left out after picking up an injury at the end of the season, but selecting Wout Weghorst over him and Thijs Dallinga was an unpopular decision with fans given the Bologna man is expected to be fit again by mid to late June and the Toulouse player enjoyed a strong season in Ligue 1.

Even more unpopular was choosing Georginio Wijnaldum over young talent Quinten Timber, who enjoyed an excellent campaign in the Eredivisie while Wijnaldum was plying his trade in Saudi Arabia.

Wijnaldum is one of many experienced players in the squad with eight of them in their 30s and 18 of them having been to at least one major international tournament before. It’s not an ageing group by any means though, with an average age of 26.5.

Most are used to playing at a top level every week too with 19 of the 26 playing for a club in one of Europe’s top five leagues and just six competing in the Eredivisie. At the 2022 World Cup, 12 played in one of the major leagues and 11 in their home country.

Tactics

Koeman initially ditched Louis van Gaal’s 5-3-2 system for a 4-2-3-1 but reverted to a back five after losses to France, Croatia and Italy. He’s since switched back and forth but is likely to opt for five defenders at the Euros after his side played poorly in a back four against Scotland in March, even if they did win 4-0.

The system used in the match that followed that, a narrow 2-1 defeat to Germany, and in the final games of qualifying is a 5-2-1-2 that can become more of a 3-4-2-1 in possession, with the wing-backs pushing up and one of the strikers dropping deeper to sit alongside the attacking midfielder.

It’s a setup that is tailored to the opponent. Wing-backs sometimes stay high and wide, sometimes sit deeper and sometimes drift inside to add an extra body to the midfield, while an attacker can come in for a third midfielder against weaker sides that are expected to sit deep.

The 4-2-3-1 creates the same 3-4-2-1 shape in possession, with the left-back staying deep and forming a back three while the right-back bombs forward with the right-winger - most likely Xavi - moving inside.

Koeman wants his team to be tactically flexible enough to seamlessly switch between this 5-3-2 and a 4-2-3-1, but while the regular use of the two setups has made them somewhat comfortable with both, it also means they haven’t fully mastered either.

Likely starting XI

Both Mark Flekken and Bart Verbruggen have enjoyed solid debut seasons in England but the latter has looked the better of the two for the national team and so is set to start between the posts in Germany.

Virgil van Dijk is likely to be flanked by Matthijs de Ligt and Nathan Ake at the back, and with Stefan de Vrij and Micky van de Ven the other options, there are few if any nations stronger than Oranje in this area of the pitch.

The same can be said for the right wing-back spot, where Denzel Dumfries will probably just about get the nod over Frimpong having always delivered for his country.

Things aren’t looking so good on the other side following the injury to first-choice Hartman. Oranje veteran Daley Blind will probably start in his absence, but while the Girona man is excellent on the ball, his lack of pace makes him a liability defensively. Given that, Koeman could test Van de Ven there in the pre-tournament friendlies.

The biggest question mark is who will join Frenkie de Jong and Tijani Reijnders in midfield. Holding midfielder Jerdy Schouten is most likely to do so against top sides, but Reijnders could play deeper with a more attacking number 10 coming in against supposedly weaker opponents.

You’d think Xavi Simons would be a shoo-in given he’s been the best Dutch player in the world this season, but he’s yet to convince for Oranje and Koeman has stated a preference for playing three “proper” midfielders. Teun Koopmeiners has also enjoyed an excellent campaign but struggled for his country, meaning Wijnaldum could get a lot of playing time if neither of those two can impress in pre-tournament friendlies.

If fit, Memphis Depay will start up top, most likely alongside Cody Gakpo, who will drop deeper and wider to the left in possession. Donyell Malen is probably third in line while Brian Brobbey and Weghorst offer more physical options should Koeman wish to go more direct in search of a goal.

Key players

Virgil van Dijk - One of the biggest boosts for Oranje is that captain Van Dijk is playing much better now than he was at the 2022 World Cup after a strong season with Liverpool. If he’s at his best, the team will feel confident of dealing with any strikers they come up against.

Frenkie de Jong - The fact that Koeman never even thought about leaving De Jong out of the squad given he’s been out injured says it all. The Barcelona man is the heartbeat of the side, dictating the tempo of the game and driving the team forward. Generally, if he plays well, the Dutch play well, and if he doesn’t, they don’t.

Xavi Simons - With Memphis Depay failing to produce his best at major tournaments, what the Netherlands have lacked on the big stage is a forward that can create something out of nothing, that can break down defences on his own. If he can replicate his club form for his country, Xavi will be that spark they’ve been longing for.

Route to the final

Image credit: The Telegraph

The Netherlands have been placed in a difficult group in which they’ll go up against France, Austria and Poland. They should just about be good enough to beat a dangerous Austria side to second, but finishing above France will probably be too tall an order.

Should that be the case and everything else goes as expected - which is obviously a big if - they’ll then face Ukraine in the round of 16, Portugal in the quarter-finals and Germany or Spain in the semis, if they make it that far.

If they manage to finish above the French, the most likely outcome is them facing Turkey in the round of 16, Belgium in the quarters and England in the semis.

In the first scenario, their most likely opponents in the final would be France or England, and in the second it would be France or Germany.

Prediction

Since being taken over by Koeman for the second time, the Netherlands have beaten all of the teams they’ve been expected to beat and lost to all of the top sides they’ve faced, and there’s little reason to believe things will be any different at the Euros.

There’s plenty of talent in the squad, but injuries in the last year or so have prevented Koeman from finding and testing his strongest team, both in terms of personnel and formation, which is a big issue.

So too is the lack of a world-class striker with Memphis not heading into the tournament in the best shape after an injury-plagued season and Brian Brobbey not quite ready to lead the line.

Brobbey is one of many players who should be ready to help the nation challenge for the World Cup in two years, but this tournament has probably come too soon for them.

Given the above problems, it’s difficult to see the Dutch finishing above France in the group stage and getting through a likely quarter-final clash with Portugal that would follow if they do go through in second place.

Prediction: Quarter-finals

First things first, what is the box midfield?

Well, as the name says, it's a midfield that forms a box shape in possession, with two deeper midfielders directly behind two more advanced ones. Man City, Barcelona, Arsenal, Liverpool and many other top sides use it.

Given the teams need two wingers and a striker too though, they can only have three defenders when they play such a shape and so, to ensure they’re not too defensively vulnerable, don't start with it but instead form it when they move forward and revert to their original system when defending.

Why do they use it?

With four players in the middle of the park when you have the ball, you can usually outnumber the opponent's midfield and therefore control the centre of the pitch.

Having one player on the left and one on the right in both lines also ensures that your wide players don't get too isolated - it also provides strong protection to counter-attacks through the middle and strong support for the forward players.

How do you form it?

In simple terms, there are three ways. You can have a central defender step up into midfield, a full-back invert into midfield or a winger move inside and the full-back move up to take their place out wide.

The first option is what Oranje did in their last matches, with Lutsharel Geertruida stepping up alongside Frenkie de Jong from centre-back and Mats Wieffer moving up alongside the number 10 from defensive midfield, with the four creating a box.

Is that the best option for the team?

In my opinion, no.

It requires the right-back to play as the right-sided centre-back of a back three when the team has the ball, and Denzel Dumfries, given his attacking nature and defensive vulnerabilities, is not at all suited to that role as was obvious in the matches.

What's more, it would mean only playing one of Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt and Sven Botman as none of them are suited to stepping into midfield, which is a waste of the enormous amount of talent at our disposal in that position.

The other options would be Geertruida starting at right-back and inverting into midfield, or Dumfries starting at right-back and moving into the right-wing spot with the original right-winger moving inside.

Both would leave us with a very stable back three - probably Nathan Ake, Van Dijk, De Ligt - so are already improvements.

Which option is best?

While Xavi Simons could maybe do it, there's no player hugely suited to starting at right-wing and moving into midfield; Calvin Stengs would be an interesting option if he performs well at Feyenoord, but he’s not in the national team picture right now.

Having Geertruida invert from right-back instead would allow us to play anyone on the right-hand side of the attack - probably Donyell Malen - and the only sacrifice would be Dumfries. Everywhere else on the pitch, we’d simply be able to play our best players in their best roles.

I think this is the best option and also the one that Koeman will go for in the upcoming matches. He obviously likes Geertruida moving into midfield and will most likely bring De Ligt back into the team now that he's available again.

So, this is how I think the team will line up against Greece. Tijjani Reijnders and Joey Veerman could come in for Xavi and Wieffer, but I’m fairly confident about the rest of the side.

It’s a team and setup that is more than good enough to comfortably beat Greece and Ireland. Over to you, Ronald.

Kevin from Oranje Canada joins us for the latest episode, which we begin by going through those matches, giving our thoughts on what exactly went wrong and what went right, if anything.

We then have more specific discussions about players that impressed us across the two games, players that didn’t, and the new system - similar to Manchester City’s - that Koeman introduced, which we don’t think suits the squad too well.

Some of the biggest questions surrounding Oranje right now include who should start in goal, whether Virgil van Dijk should be replaced by Sven Botman, and why Koeman is struggling when he did so well in his first spell; we talk about all of that before looking ahead to the next matches and debating whether anything but two wins is enough for the manager to keep his job.

You can follow Clockwork Oranje on Twitter and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google!

One of my earliest memories is seeing us do so in 2004, and I can vividly remember each match they’ve played at a World Cup or European Championship since then, which is both a blessing and a curse given there have been some real highs and some real heartbreak.

I’ve often thought about which of those Oranje sides were best and which were worst, and decided to put those thoughts down in writing, for my own clarity of mind and, hopefully, to give you something interesting to read.

So, let’s get into it…

PS: I’m too young to have watched the team of Euro 2000 live, but have spent many an hour reading about that side and watching highlights of their matches, so I like to think I have a pretty good knowledge of them…

9. The class of 2021

When the Netherlands qualified for Euro 2020 after missing out on the previous two major tournaments, they looked to be in with a chance of winning it having performed excellently under Ronald Koeman. However, the outbreak of COVID-19 pushed it back a year, and in that year, Virgil van Dijk got injured and Koeman left to manage Barcelona, being replaced by Frank de Boer.

Given how poorly he’d done in his previous jobs, De Boer’s appointment decreased expectations hugely, and while three wins in the group stage against Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia provided some hope, he ultimately didn’t prove the doubters wrong with his side losing 2-0 in the Round of 16 to the Czech Republic.

Matthijs de Ligt getting sent off played a big part in that defeat, but the team looked like losing even before that red card against an opponent that they should have beaten comfortably. Unsurprisingly, De Boer was sacked a few days later.

8. The class of 2006

Manager Marco van Basten played down expectations ahead of his first major tournament in charge of his nation, saying it was just a practice run for him and his young squad with the Euros that would follow two years later being the priority. Even bearing that in mind though, it was a disappointing World Cup for Oranje.

After picking up solid but unspectacular wins against Serbia & Montenegro and Ivory Coast and a 0-0 draw against Argentina in the group stage, they went out to Portugal in the Round of 16. There’d ordinarily be no shame in narrowly losing to what was a strong side, but the manner of the defeat meant that wasn’t the case.

In a match now known as the Battle of Nuremberg that consisted of 16 yellow cards and four reds, the Dutch were unable to strike back after going 1-0 down early on despite having one more player on the pitch than their opponents for the majority of the second half.

The results alone weren’t that bad, but that match and Van Basten publicly falling out with star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy meant it was a month full of bad vibes and not much fun.

7. The class of 2012

Statistically, this was the worst Netherlands side to ever play at a major tournament, with them losing every single match, but they weren’t as terrible as that record alone would suggest.

After dazzling in qualifying with some beautiful football, they completely dominated Denmark in what was an excellent performance but just couldn’t finish their chances, held their own in a 2-1 defeat to a strong German side and lost to Portugal after going 1-0 up largely because they had to throw caution to the wind in pursuit of the two-goal victory they needed to progress.

That being said, the side did have serious problems. They lacked team spirit, with various players unhappy for various reasons; a left-back, with an injury to Erik Pieters leading to youngster Jetro Willems being played long before he was ready; and a manager who made the right calls, with Bert van Marwijk’s decisions not to start the in-form Rafael van der Vaart and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the first two games highly questionable ones.

I genuinely think this team could’ve gone far if he did so given how many chances Robin van Persie missed and how good Huntelaar had been for Schalke that season (48 goals in 48 games) and in qualifying (12 goals in eight games), but ultimately the above issues, some bad luck and a tough group meant that, despite playing well at times, the side didn’t fulfil the enormous potential they showed glimpses of.

6. The class of 2022

Many people - myself included - went into the last World Cup believing the Dutch could win it. The squad was strong and managed by Louis van Gaal, who had done excellently since returning and had taken a weaker group of players to the semi-finals eight years prior. However, what worked in Brazil didn’t work in Qatar.

As he did in 2014, Van Gaal prioritised defensive solidity, but this time around he didn’t have forwards who were talented enough to take care of matters at the other end on their own. As a result, the team played pretty diabolical football, with only the performance in the Round of 16 against USA being a good one.

Despite that though, this side was only a penalty shootout away from the semi-finals, coming back from 2-0 down against eventual winners Argentina with 10 minutes to go, thanks largely to the genius of LVG and the team spirit in the group, which was as strong as any a Netherlands team has ever possessed.

Those two factors alone made this side a strong one, but they were held back by a lack of top forwards and their manager’s overly conservative approach which saw them flatter to deceive in four of their five matches.

5. The class of 2004

The Euro 2004 squad was one of Oranje’s oldest ever, with the tournament being a swan song for a number of players that had represented their nation since the 90s such as De Boer, Edgar Davids, Jaap Stam and Marc Overmars. It wasn’t the dream international send-off for them, but wasn’t a terrible one either.

They only won one game - a 3-0 victory over Latvia - in open play on their way to the semi-finals but arguably deserved to beat the Czech Republic and Sweden too, hitting the woodwork a number of times before giving away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2 in the former match and having a goal incorrectly disallowed before winning on penalties in the latter.

The team’s performance in their opening match against Germany, which ended 1-1, wasn’t bad either, but the 2-1 semi-final defeat to Portugal was disappointing - given the talent Dick Advocaat’s side had in their ranks, they really should have done better.

They did have moments of real quality courtesy of the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Arjen Robben and Clarence Seedorf though, and weren’t that far off reaching the final.

4. The class of 2008

This side only played four matches at Euro 2008 before being knocked out, but their first two performances alone were good enough to propel them towards the top of these rankings.

The thrashings of Italy (3-0) and France (4-1) were simply extraordinary, not just because of the results but because of the quality of the goals too. There were volleys, long-range stunners, team moves and an array of devastating counter-attacks that completely tore the World Cup finalists from two years prior apart.

The game against France was particularly special, with the very best attacking talents the country have produced since the turn of the century - Van Nistelrooy, Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Robin van Persie, Rafael van der Vaart - all on the pitch at the same time and producing some glorious football.

Van Basten wasn’t blessed with such strong options at the back though and that ultimately cost the team with the defence unable to handle Andrey Arshavin in the quarter-final clash with Guus Hiddink’s Russia, who won 3-1 after extra time. It was an unworthy ending for a team that had dazzled as much as any Dutch side, but took nothing away from how obscenely good they were in those early clashes.

3. The class of 2010

The team that went to the 2010 World Cup weren’t nearly as entertaining as the side that came two years prior but were far more successful, coming agonisingly close to becoming World Champions.

Van Marwijk’s approach was to make sure his side was tough to break down and hope that Robben or Wesley Sneijder could do the business at the other end, and it proved to be an effective one, with the side only conceding three times from open play and the two superstars of the team creating or scoring eight of the team’s 12 goals.

So effective was it that it got the team past Brazil in one of the nation’s all-time great games and probably would’ve won them their first World Cup if Robben had converted a huge chance after being played through on goal by a glorious Sneijder pass an hour into a final in which Oranje held a Spain side that is statistically international football’s best ever at bay for 116 minutes.

Given that, why are they only third on this list? Well, asides from the Brazil game, the draw was fairly easy - Denmark, Japan, Cameroon, Slovakia, Uruguay - those wins weren’t particularly impressive and the football wasn’t nice to watch, especially in a downright dirty performance in the final that will live long in infamy.

The team did have a lot of quality though, functioned extremely well and, in terms of results alone, were as successful as any Netherlands side.

2. The class of 2014

You might be surprised that I put this side above the one that went a round further at the previous World Cup but I did so with a fair amount of confidence, because the class of 2014 had two things that the class of 2010 didn’t: Louis van Gaal, and Arjen Robben at his very best.

Robben was scarily good in Brazil, giving the team a huge attacking threat all by himself, and that allowed Van Gaal to ensure the defence was strong despite not consisting of particularly strong personnel. Thanks largely to that combination, the side beat Spain 5-1, a strong Chile side 2-0, hosts Brazil 3-0 and drew 0-0 with Argentina in a semi-final they very nearly won.

The last-gasp 2-1 win over Mexico and a 0-0 draw with Costa Rica don’t look as impressive at first glance, but the team performed well in those games too and just struggled to take the chances that they created. On both occasions, some masterstrokes from Van Gaal were enough to get the team through anyway.

It was a team that had the best Dutch manager of the century, the best Dutch player of the century in his prime, and a squad all giving everything they had to the cause. That led to a bronze medal and one of the greatest Netherlands performances of all time, with precious few matches providing as much joy as the thrashing of Spain.

1. The class of 2000

If they could have taken penalties, this side would have surely been the second Oranje team ever to win a major tournament, and they would have been more than worthy of that title.

They won every match in the group stage on home turf and did so in style, thrashing Denmark 3-0 and beating World Champions France 3-2 in two vibrant attacking displays spearheaded by the sumptuous duo of Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert.

Things got even better in the quarter-final, in which Frank Rijkaard’s side put six past Yugoslavia, and they then dominated Italy in the semis. However, they missed two penalties in normal time and three in the shootout to be undeservedly knocked out.

This was one of the rare occasions in which the Netherlands had a squad full of top players in every area that also operated well as a team. That led to some of the best football the nation has ever produced and most likely would have led to a second European Championship if they were half as good from the spot.

Before you get too down about the fact that they fell short, click here and watch one of the most beautiful sights in the world: Dennis Bergkamp being really, really good at football.

He inherits a squad that's generally in good shape, full of talent, experience and real team spirit, but it's not yet the complete package.

Here are the things the new manager most needs to do to get it to that point in the next 15 months.

End the goalkeepers' game of Musical Chairs

Since Koeman last took over in 2017, key players have established themselves in defence, midfield and attack, but no goalkeeper has been able to make the spot between the posts his own.

Jasper Cillessen was Koeman's first choice but was dropped by Frank de Boer just before Euro 2020 with Maarten Stelekenburg coming out of nowhere to take his place. A similar thing happened at the World Cup when the uncapped Andries Noppert leapt ahead of Cillessen, Justin Bijlow, Mark Flekken and Remko Pasveer on the eve of the tournament.

This isn't an ideal situation. A team needs an established number one that can develop a strong connection with his defenders and a strong understanding of how he needs to play in terms of positioning and distribution. Koeman knows this, sticking with Cillessen throughout his previous spell as manager, so expect him to bring an end to the chopping and changing.

Who exactly will be his goalkeeper this time around is unclear with the NEC player performing well for his club, Noppert impressing at the World Cup, Bijlow getting back to his best for Feyenoord and Bart Verbruggen emerging as quite the talent at Anderlecht. The boss needs to figure out which of them is best and stick with them throughout Euro 2024 qualifying.

Replace Daley Blind

Daley Blind was one of Koeman's most important players during the manager's previous spell in charge of Oranje, being one of the team's primary ball-progressors and creators from left-back.

However, time has taken its toll on the Bayern Munich man and his on-the-ball abilities are now arguably outweighed by his physical deficiencies, which leave him hugely vulnerable defensively. Add in the fact that those issues will only become bigger in the next year and that he's hardly playing at club level and it becomes clear that a replacement is needed.

That replacement could be Nathan Ake, who - while more comfortable at centre-back - was excellent at the World Cup and has been excellent for Manchester City since, or it could be Tyrell Malacia, who is enjoying a solid first season at Manchester United and will only get better. Both could be big improvements on Blind.

Give Frenkie de Jong the perfect partner

The Netherlands couldn't wish for a better player to take one of the spots in the double pivot of Koeman's 4-2-3-1 formation, but finding the perfect partner for Frenkie de Jong has been something he, De Boer and Van Gaal have all struggled to do since the Barcelona man emerged in 2018.

Marten de Roon was Koeman's go-to man but his inability to create much with the ball at his feet is a problem against sides that sit deep or when De Jong is neutralised, while Steven Berghuis isn't good enough defensively - Frenkie is best with a holding midfielder beside him - and Teun Koopmeiners hasn't really impressed when given the chance.

The 25-year-old could well improve if given more games to get used to the role, while youngster Mats Wieffer is impressing at Feyenoord and veteran Jordy Clasie - who has done well on Koeman's teams in the past - is at AZ. Figuring out which of them is the best partner for De Jong is absolutely vital, because when he plays well, the team usually plays well.

Thankfully, if anyone can do so, it's Koeman. After initially struggling at Barcelona, the midfielder played some of his best football when played just ahead of Sergio Busquets by his compatriot, so there's reason to believe the manager will know how to get the best out of him again.

Find a right-winger

Since Arjen Robben left the scene in 2017, the right-winger situation has been pretty dire. Javairo Dilrosun hasn't developed as well as was hoped, Steven Berghuis has generally done well but is better as a number 10 these days and pretty much every other Dutch winger around prefers to play on the left.

This is largely why De Boer and Van Gaal both switched to a 5-3-2 formation at the Euros and World Cup respectively, but that switch didn't work out too well on either occasion and Koeman has decided he wants to play a 4-2-3-1 again, so he'll need to find a solution.

Last time, that solution was to play left-winger Steven Bergwin on the right, but while that worked out okay and could again, the Ajax man has been poor there for his club this season. Being left-footed, Berghuis is a better fit and probably the best option for the time being, but it's not his best position anymore either, so the team could really do with an upgrade.

That upgrade could be Noa Lang or Xavi Simons, both of whom are performing well for their clubs but don't usually play on the right; it could be Dilrosun, who is better suited to the role and is starting to get back on track at Feyenoord; it could Million Manhoef, who is emerging as one of the Eredivisie's most exciting talents at Vitesse.

Get an alternative to Memphis Depay

Memphis Depay was unstoppable under Koeman before and hopefully will be again, but the manager needs a backup plan in case the Atletico Madrid forward doesn't turn things around at club level - he's barely played for the past year - and get back to his best.

Wout Weghorst, performing well at Man Utd even if he isn't scoring much, is the most obvious alternative and has earned a chance as the first-choice striker in the upcoming matches with Memphis lacking match fitness. 22-year-old Thijs Dallinga is impressing in France and should also be looked at.

Other possibilities include Brian Brobbey, Vincent Janssen and playing Lang, Simons or Cody Gakpo as a false 9, and all should be considered given how things are going for Memphis at the moment.

That's saying something, because the match did inflict *a lot* of pain, perhaps as much as any other asides from the 2010 final.

When we were 2-0 down, I felt disappointed but somewhat at peace with us being knocked out. We'd come up against a better team who, with the greatest player of all time firing on all cylinders for them, were too good. Fine.

And then Louis van Gaal launched his Plan B and took us all on a journey full of the most intense emotions.

I can confidently say I've never celebrated a goal as much as I celebrated Wout Weghorst's equaliser and have never been more amped up during a football match than I was after it.

At that point, I really, deeply believed that we'd go through and the match would become one of Oranje's greatest ever, I felt it in my bones, which made the eventual loss far more painful than it would have been had Weghorst not taken us to extra time.

In the immediate aftermath, I wished that he hadn't, feeling that the elation wasn't worth the agony that followed, but I've since changed my mind.

I still don't think the joy of that goal outweighed the pain of the defeat, but the pride I feel for my team does.

I've seen the Netherlands in dire situations a number of times in my 24 years supporting them and so often they haven't been mentally strong enough to get out of them.

On multiple occasions, our players have given up, lost their heads and/or started to argue with one another when the going has gotten tough.

They have also of course risen to the occasion at times too, such as when they turned things around against Brazil in 2010 and Mexico in 2014, but I don't think I've ever seen a Dutch team quite as unified and determined as this one.

Van Gaal obviously deserves a huge amount of credit for getting us back into the game, with his substitutions and tactical changes being spot on as they usually have been with him, but even more impressive for me in the closing stages of the opening 90 minutes were his players.

Not a single one of them lost hope or let their head drop for a single second, even when two goals behind with just 10 minutes of normal time remaining, even with refereeing decisions constantly going against them, even with their opponents doing everything they could to rile them up and make them lose focus of the task at hand.

And when the game did descend into chaos, every single member of our squad was willing to fight for one another, showing a togetherness that has rarely before been seen in a Netherlands camp.

They gave absolutely everything for their manager, for their country and for each other, and we haven't always been able to say that about Oranje sides.

Team spirit has always one of our biggest weaknesses, but now it's one of our biggest strengths.

That would have made the defeat all the more depressing if this was the last tournament this group had together, that we couldn't make the most of it.

However, it won't be. While there will inevitably be some changes, the core of the squad should remain the same for Euro 2024.

Given that, I think that we should all leave this World Cup with some real excitement for the future. It's a close, cohesive group full of multiple players that are only going to get better in the next year or so and many others who shouldn't be any worse than they are now.

They'll be led by Ronald Koeman, a man who got us to a Nations League final, ensured we qualified for the Euros with ease and masterminded impressive victories over Portugal, France, Germany (x2) and England.

Things weren't perfect, with the football often being painfully dull and some personnel choices he made being baffling, but I'm still confident he'll be able to build upon the strong foundations Van Gaal has laid in the last year and a half.

All of that excitement is mixed with some sadness over the fact that we're losing Van Gaal and couldn't give him the send-off he deserved so much.

Sure, this tournament may not have been his finest hour, but the excellent recovery job he did to get us to Qatar shouldn't be forgotten, and in the final page of his Oranje career he reminded us all of what a genius he is with the way he got got us back into the game.

Ultimately, he didn't lose any of our 12 World Cup matches that he took charge off and could well have been the man to make us World Champions for the first time if we were better at taking penalties. In a fairer world, he would have been, and I for one will miss him dearly.

When one door closes though, another one opens, and I can't wait to see what's behind it.

Finley Crebolder

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/stand-lgbtq-people-qatar-proud-stadium

"Quality without results is pointless. Results without quality is boring," Johan Cruyff once said.

He never tried to hide the fact that he valued good, entertaining football so highly that he thought the above options were equally bad, that an ugly win was no better than a beautiful defeat.

Many Netherlands fans share his view, with my dad for instance to this day saying he preferred our 2008 team that were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Euros to our 2010 team that so nearly won the World Cup, because they played far more exciting football.

I've always strongly disagreed and have spent many hours of my life arguing with him, explaining that it's quite frankly absurd to think that anything is more important than results in a competitive sport.

In those arguments, I've often brought up Louis van Gaal to back up my claims. LVG has always proudly been the antithesis of Cruyff, valuing discipline over expression, control over creativity and substance over style.

He's always been out to prove that his approach is the right one and said as much when, at the start of his coaching career, he said he'd like to manage his nation one day.

“Even if it were just to prove my way is right, I would like to give it a try," he said.

I must admit though, that so far in this World Cup, he's been testing my faith in his way of doing things.

The Netherlands playing a more pragmatic brand of football isn't a new thing by any means; we did so throughout the World Cup in 2010 and for the final four matches in 2014, not counting the third-place play-off.

I was fine with it on both occasions because it made sense to do so. We had bad defenders that we needed to ensure weren't exposed and great forwards that were capable of providing a serious attacking threat on their own.

Nowadays though, things are the other way around, the great players are at the back and the weaknesses are at the front, and yet Van Gaal is taking the same approach as he did eight years ago, with far less enjoyable results thus far.

For one, playing in such a defensive way is quite frankly unnecessary given the obscene amount of talent we have at the back.

We have five objectively world-class centre-backs to choose from and have three of them on the pitch at the same time. Personally, I think they're more than good enough to keep things steady in a more attacking system.

What's more, the way we're playing at the moment leaves us completely toothless going forward.

Back in 2014, we had one of the best forwards in the world in Arjen Robben, who was able to create chances on his own, while Wesley Sneijder and Robin van Persie, although past their best, still had enough quality to cause defences problems too.

It's impossible to overstate just how much our attacking play relied on one of these three producing a bit of magic - 10 of our goals on our run to the semi-final were scored or created by them.

Unfortunately, we simply don't have a front line capable of consistently producing such magic this time around.

Sure, Cody Gakpo has scored in all three of our matches, but he's been entirely incapable of causing the opposition any problems or creating anything for his team-mates asides from those three moments.

As for Memphis Depay, he's good enough to create and score goals on his own when at his best, but he's clearly not at his best right now having played next to no football in recent months.

The only other player in the squad that could consistently create something out of nothing is, in my opinion, Xavi Simons, and he hasn't been taken off the bench yet.

Things have still worked out fine in terms of results thanks to our defensive solidity and Gakpo, but resting all of our hopes of scoring goals on the PSV man isn't a sustainable strategy, especially given his tendency to go missing against top sides.

Van Gaal did at least start to address our attacking issues against Qatar, bringing Marten de Roon in to allow Frenkie de Jong to get further forward, and that worked well, but more is needed.

Specifically, Steven Berghuis (Xavi would be even better but let's be realistic) and Jeremie Frimpong should come in for Davy Klaassen and Denzel Dumfries.

Our opponents have often focused on dealing with the left side of our team given that's where our most creative players - Daley Blind, Frenkie de Jong and Memphis Depay - are, leaving Dumfries and Klaassen completely free, but they haven't had the ability to take advantage of the space afforded to them. Berghuis and Frimpong would.

Those changes alone would make us so much more dangerous, and I'm confident we'll at least be able to beat USA if Van Gaal makes them.

If he doesn't, we might still be able to grind out a win, but unless we're unbelievable at penalty shoot-outs, I can't see us getting any further.

Finley Crebolder

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/stand-lgbtq-people-qatar-proud-stadium

I woke up on the day of our first match feeling nervous, but those nerves were quickly replaced by anger when I looked at my phone.

Every day, all over the world, LGBTQ people are killed solely because of who they're attracted to or how they identify, and countless others give up their own freedoms and lives to stand up for the rights of those people.

Bearing that in mind, receiving a yellow card in a game of football is an absolutely minuscule sacrifice, and one that the KNVB would surely be happy to make given they claim to be committed to fighting for equality, right?

Well, in the words of the late great Meat Loaf, they would do anything for #OneLove, but they won't do that.

The fact that they, along with the other football associations that backed out, won't is quite frankly pathetic.

FIFA gave them the chance to make the armband more than just an empty gesture - a player receiving a yellow in front of the world for supporting LGBTQ rights in Qatar would be a powerful moment, and damning of the governing body and the regime - but they turned down that chance because they feel the cons of a slight sporting disadvantage outweigh the pros of such a protest.

I don't have the words to describe just how depressing that is, but needless to say, I didn't head into our first World Cup match in eight years in particularly high spirits. Still, I had faith that our performance could cheer me up. I was wrong.

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it was our worst performance since Van Gaal returned, partly because of his decision to play Matthijs de Ligt over Jurrien Timber but mainly because of how sloppy the players were.

Daley Blind was the only one in the starting XI to have played in a World Cup before and I think that showed. Everyone else looked really nervous and made uncharacteristic errors in possession, making it impossible for us to build any momentum.

That, along with the fact that De Ligt was producing a disasterclass in a position he clearly wasn't comfortable in, we were being heavily outnumbered and outbattled in midfield, and didn't have Memphis Depay to create something out of nothing, made for grim viewing indeed.

Don't get me wrong, Senegal are a good side, better than I was expecting to be honest, but we were still our own worst enemies more than anything.

Ultimately though, all that mattered was that we got a good result, and we ended up getting a great one thanks to the usual suspects. Blind and Memphis linked up nicely on the left as they so often do, setting up Frenkie de Jong who put in a glorious cross which, thanks to an equally glorious run, Cody Gakpo headed in.

Davy Klaassen wrapped up the win with a typical Klaassen goal and that was that. Three points in the bag against presumably the strongest team we'll have to face in the group stage. Happy days.

I didn't feel that happy at first given our performance, but Argentina and Germany's losses since then have put things into perspective. Unlike them, we know that, as long as we improve, we'll finish top of our group, and with Memphis returning and Van Gaal learning lessons from the Senegal match, there's reason to believe that we will.

In terms of what I'd like to see against Ecuador, top of my list is Timber coming back in for De Ligt, and I'm certain that will happen.

Asides from that, I think Teun Koopmeiners needs to come into the midfield to add a bit of muscle and ensure Frenkie isn't overrun again, and I'd like to see Gakpo tried as one of the two strikers given how well he did when moved there on Monday. On paper, with his pace, power and finishing, he's a good fit.

I'd love nothing more than for Xavi Simons to fill the number 10 spot he leaves empty - with so many other teenagers impressing in Qatar, I'm desperate to see him - but it would be a big shock for him to start ahead of Klaassen and Steven Berghuis.

More than anything, I want us to look as good as we did in the last international break and show the world that we mean business as England, France and Spain have. Oh, and an anti-FIFA gesture such as Germany's would be lovely too.

Finley Crebolder

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/stand-lgbtq-people-qatar-proud-stadium

Prior to recording, we asked all of you to send in any questions you had about Oranje ahead of the tournament, and the preview is based around our answers to those questions.

Who should start in goal? How big a part will Xavi Simons play? How far can the Netherlands ultimately get? We give our opinion on all of that and much more.

We also rue the fact that the tournament is being held in a country that treats LGBTQ people so abhorrently, and if you feel the same, you can support those people at the link below: 

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/stand-lgbtq-people-qatar-proud-stadium

These days, I relate to Harry more than any other character, but when I was younger and devoid of deep and meaningful thoughts, I saw myself more in his best friend, Ron Weasley.

There are a number of reasons for this - his hatred of schoolwork, for instance - but there's one particular thing that made him relatable to me more than any other; what he saw in the Mirror of Erised.

The Mirror of Erised is a magical mirror that shows the person looking into it the deepest, most desperate desire of their heart. While Harry sees his dead parents, Ron sees himself holding the Quidditch Cup, and as a kid, I imagined I'd see something similar.

I grew up being told the stories by my family of how the Netherlands had somehow never won it; they'd had great teams in 1974, 1978 and 1998 in particular, arguably the best at the tournaments, but had always fallen just short.

I wanted nothing more than for us to become World Champions for the first time, not least because I was growing up in England and constantly being reminded by friends of the fact that they'd done so and we hadn't. It was genuinely all I wished for whenever I saw a shooting star or blew out birthday candles.

Since then, I've seen us come second in 2010 and third in 2014, and those near-misses have only increased my desire for us to finally get the golden star above our badge that we deserve.

So, that's where I'm at heading into my fourth time watching Oranje at a World Cup - simply put, desperate for us to win it.

I perhaps wouldn't be so desperate if I didn't think we had the quality to prevail, but I do. I really, really do.

In my honest opinion, this is the best squad we've taken to a World Cup since 1998. Granted, it doesn't have the level of attacking talent that our selections in 2006, 2010 and 2014 did, but the quality further back more than makes up for that.

I'd say we have as good a backline as anyone, one that's so strong that Matthijs de Ligt and Stefan de Vrij can't get into the starting XI and Sven Botman can't get into the squad.

As for our midfield, Frenkie de Jong is one of the best number 6s we've ever had, Xavi Simons is a generational talent and I'm a big fan of Steven Berghuis and Teun Koopmeiners too.

Things may not be quite as good in terms of goalkeepers or forwards, but Memphis Depay and Cody Gakpo are world-class players and I won't hear otherwise.

What gives me even more confidence than such a strong collection of players though is the man leading them, arguably our greatest manager ever: Louis van Gaal.

Every single time we've gone into a match with him at the helm since he first returned in 2012, I've been obscenely confident that, whatever happens, he can find a way to win or at the very least avoid defeat, and the vast majority of the time, he's proved me right.

In that time, he's taken charge of 44 Oranje matches and has lost just two in open play, winning 29. That's some record.

In 2014, he took us to the semi-finals - where we only lost on penalties - with a squad far weaker than the one we have this time around. I'd say, of that starting XI, only Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and maybe Nigel de Jong would get into our current one.

If he could take home a bronze medal with that group of players, there's good reason to believe he could get a gold one with this selection, especially given he now has experience of an international tournament under his belt. I'm not saying he will, but I genuinely think we've got a real chance.

Mind you, the only other time I've felt that way heading into a major tournament was in 2012, and we ended up losing every match and crashing out in the group stages, so what do I know?

My high expectations made that experience all the more painful, so I probably shouldn't be getting my hopes up this time in case that happens again, but I just can't stop myself.

It's a strange feeling, heading into a month-long period knowing for a fact that at some point you're either going to be utterly heartbroken or experiencing one of the greatest moments of your life. It's thrilling and terrifying in equal measure.

There's a fair bit of sadness and anger mixed in there too about where this World Cup is being played, in a country that treats migrants and LGBTQ people so abhorrently.

Speaking about that rather than turning a blind eye is something I feel strongly about, because equality and basic human rights are quite frankly far more important than football and respecting inhumane cultures, and I'll be doing so throughout the tournament.

If you feel the same way, please consider donating to charities such as Stonewall, who do a lot of great work to protect LGBTQ people, and signing up to campaigns such as their's, #ProudStadium - I'm going to leave a link to it at the bottom of each post I do during the tournament.

And if you don't feel the same way, well, to paraphrase the aforementioned Ron Weasley and finish this post in the same Harry Potter vein that I started, you need to sort out your priorities.

Finley Crebolder

https://www.stonewall.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/stand-lgbtq-people-qatar-proud-stadium

In the first of a few episodes looking back at select World Cups ahead of this year's in Qatar, we kick things off by looking at the squad the Dutch were taking to South Africa and what the pre-tournament expectations were for the side.

We then go through the month that followed chronologically, discussing the events of each match as well as what our states of mind were at the times. 

Particular attention is of course paid to the glorious victory over Brazil and the heartbreaking defeat against Spain, with this being the first time ever that both of us have discussed the final in-depth.

After doing so, we move on to considering the legacy of the team. It's the joint-most successful Dutch World Cup side ever and yet is not that highly rated or loved by many - why is that and is it fair?

You can follow Clockwork Oranje on Twitter and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google!

In the months leading up to the World Cup, we're going to do a piece every few months looking at who Louis van Gaal is most likely going to take to Qatar.

Going through position by position, we'll pick out which players will definitely be going, which ones will probably be joining them and which ones are in with a shot.

Here's our first take on what the squad, which - while not confirmed - will likely consist of 26 players, is going to look like...

Goalkeepers

On the plane: Justin Bijlow Likely to go: Jasper Cillessen, Mark Flekken In with a chance: Tim Krul, Joel Drommel

If Bijlow is fit, barring a dreadful run of form upon his return from injury, he will be Oranje's first-choice goalkeeper in Qatar. There's little doubt about that.

In his absence, Cillessen and Flekken have been the two to deputise for him and are definitely the ones most likely to join the Feyenoord man on the plane.

Krul asked not to be selected for the rest of this season to focus on club duties but could be taken for the purpose of penalty shoot-outs as he was in 2014 if he makes himself available again. As for Drommel, he has been selected by Van Gaal before but would need to improve his club form considerably if that's to happen again.

Central defenders

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On the plane: Virgil van Dijk, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Jurrien Timber, Nathan Ake, Daley Blind Likely to go: In with a chance: Sven Botman

We're all but certain to play with three central defenders at the World Cup, and which players will compete to fill those spots seems all but certain too.

If they all stay fit and in decent form for their clubs, the six players seen above will all go and rightfully so as they are excellent options. In our eyes, the only potential change in this area if fitness and form aren't issues for them is Botman coming in.

Van Gaal has said he wants a left-footed player on the left of the back three and there's a chance he'll use Blind as a wing-back. If so, Botman is the player most likely to be called up, especially if he moves to a bigger club/league this summer, to provide competition for Ake.

Right wing-backs

On the plane: Denzel Dumfries Likely to go: In with a chance: Jeremie Frimpong, Hans Hateboer, Rick Karsdorp, Devyne Rensch

Dumfries has been the Netherlands' first-choice right-back for a long time now, and with him being even better as a wing-back, the change in formation has only solidified his place in the starting lineup.

Rensch was backup to the Inter Milan man in Van Gaal's first few selections while Frimpong was going to be last time out before getting injured and therefore replaced by Hateboer. Karsdorp has yet to be called up but will surely come into contention if he continues to impress for Roma.

Right now, if we had to pick one of them, we'd say Frimpong is most likely to be in the squad as the second RWB, but it's very much an open spot.

Left wing-backs

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On the plane: Tyrell Malacia Likely to go: Owen Wijndal In with a chance: 

Malacia has been impressive when given a chance by Van Gaal and will definitely be in the World Cup squad in our opinion.

As for the person that he'll be competing with for a place in the starting XI, it will be Blind if the manager sees the Ajax man as an option there rather than at centre-back.

If not, we're pretty confident that Wijndal will be called up and could be far more than just a backup option if he moves to Ajax as has been rumoured and does well there.

Central midfielders

On the plane: Frenkie de Jong, Teun Koopmeiners, Gini Wijnaldum Likely to go: Marten de Roon, Ryan Gravenberch In with a chance: Jordy Clasie, Pablo Rosario

De Jong will definitely start at the World Cup, and Koopmeiners will battle Wijnaldum for the spot next to the Barcelona player in the midfield.

Marten de Roon is very likely to be in the squad as a more defensive alternative when we're protecting a lead, and we're confident Gravenberch will find some form again, whether at Ajax or elsewhere, and fight his way back into the selection.

If he doesn't, Van Gaal-favourite Clasie could come in for him as he did in the last squad, while Rosario continues to impress in France and is a potential alternative to De Roon.

Attacking midfielders

https://twitter.com/ClockworkOranje/status/1510379844332306432?s=20&t=sFtmw2l3hQ5HTdTpRVA2KQ

On the plane: Steven Berghuis Likely to go: Davy Klaassen In with a chance: Guus Til, Donny van de Beek, Joey Veerman

Berghuis has impressed as a number 10 in the new system and is quite comfortably Van Gaal's first choice in that position.

Klaassen has a real eye goal in an Oranje shirt and if anyone is to replace Berghuis, it'll most likely be him for that reason.

Til has been a permanent fixture in the squad since Van Gaal took over but his place could come under threat if Van de Beek finally starts to impress at club level again or if Veerman continues to dazzle for PSV. If both do well between now and November, they could also surpass Klaassen in the pecking order.

Forwards

On the plane: Memphis Depay, Arnaut Danjuma, Cody Gakpo Likely to go: Donyell Malen, Steven Bergwijn In with a chance: Wout Weghorst, Noa Lang, Luuk de Jong, Brian Brobbey

Memphis will obviously be going to Qatar and given their quality and form, Danjuma and Gakpo will be too. Where they fit into the 3412 system is not yet clear but they're excellent backups to the Barcelona man as the left striker at the very least and our two best wingers should we revert to a 433 at any point.

Bergwijn was excellent as Memphis' striker partner against Denmark and Germany and will be selected as long as he starts playing more at club level, and Malen is seen as the alternative to him.

Van Gaal has spoken of his desire to have a more traditional number 9, and Brobbey could be that man if he plays often and well somewhere. Weghorst and De Jong are ideal Plan B options should we want to play more direct, while Lang has been a regular in Van Gaal's squads, but unless one of the above players struggles with fitness and/or form, it's hard to find space for them.

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Well, it's actually just me - Finley - rather than we this time around, and I kick things by giving my thoughts on the first matches of the year against Denmark and Germany and the 3-4-1-2 system that we used for the first time in them.

Specifically, I pick out what I see as the main pros and cons of the formation and suggest ways in which Louis van Gaal can address such cons going forward, not that he needs my advice...

After that, I then turn my attention to the World Cup draw, sharing my opinion of the group we have been given which contains Qatar, Senegal and Ecuador; as you can probably guess, I'm pretty happy with it.

Van Gaal will be leaving after said World Cup, and it has been confirmed that Ronald Koeman will return to replace him. I finish off the episode by looking at that decision before picking out players I'd like to see given a chance in the next international break and paying tribute to our current Bondscoach following news of his cancer diagnosis.

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The last episode was recorded before Louis van Gaal had taken charge of a match, so we start this one by giving our views on how he had been doing prior to the last two games of qualifying.

We then turn our attention to them, discussing what went wrong, what went right, the sickening nerves we felt before qualification was secured and the joy and relief we felt afterwards.

After that, the state of the team is discussed, with it being agreed that the midfield is the big problem to solve going forward and Steven Bergwijn and Memphis Depay were the bright sparks this time around.

Finally, we talk about the importance of not turning a blind eye to the problematic issues regarding next year's tournament being held in Qatar, even if you're going to watch it.

While we'll do our best to raise awareness about such issues, we're going to. After eight years away by the time it starts, we wouldn't miss it for the world.

Oranje are back, and it feels oh so good.

You can follow Clockwork Oranje on Twitter and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google!

First things first, we take a look back at his last spell as the Oranje boss from 2012 to 2014 in which he led the team to third place at the World Cup. Just how good a job did he do that back then? And how does that squad compare to the current one?

Based on what he did in that job and the many others he has had, we also discuss what we can expect from him this time around, from the use of young players to potential tactics he'll implement. Will he stick with the 5-3-2 setup? Or is a return to 4-3-3 on the cards. 

Van Gaal isn't the only new man in the camp, with Henk Fraser and Danny Blind coming aboard as the new assistants, and their appointments are also looked at, with conversations about whether the former could take the top job after the World Cup and whether concerns over the latter given his failed stint in that very job are valid.

Finally, we look ahead to the crucial World Cup qualifiers coming up and sum up our overall thoughts on Oranje's new coaching team.

You can follow Clockwork Oranje on Twitter and subscribe to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Google!