It was none other than Wout Weghorst who rescued the Netherlands from a futility to secure three precious points against Poland, and Ronald Koeman needs him – if he’s used properly and not in the style of Erik ten Hag.
The Netherlands missed chance after chance against a poorly defended Poland team, and came close to missing chances against a team that was poorly able to attack.
Poland were a bit at the mercy of the Netherlands in their opening match of Euro 2024. Their few chances to attack the Dutch defence exposed their weaknesses. Virgil van Dijk was unimpressive and Ronald Koeman’s team took advantage of their chances. Poland’s game plan was clear but far from perfect.
Nathan Ake impressed not only defensively but also with his ability on the ball, as he expertly recovered an intercepted ball and contributed to Cody Gakpo’s equaliser in the 29th minute.
Gakpo had a chance to score but unleashed an Olivier Giroud-like outside-of-the-foot flick shot in front of the post, which proved to be the best chance of the day. The Netherlands’ first big chance fell to Tijani Lijnders, who fired just wide of the post, and he also attempted to set up Memphis Depay, who was wearing a white headband, but missed when he could have taken a shot himself.
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Depay, wearing a headband, entertained the crowd with a deft flick over Piotr Zielinski’s head, but despite some early chances and fast-paced play, the Netherlands were beaten by a Polish set-piece, after Zielinski fed Adam Buksa, who exploited slack Dutch zonal marking.
Koeman’s ‘shoot as you see it’ approach certainly produced a good game, but the intensity of the play also illustrated how lacking Frenkie de Jong’s calming presence in the middle of the pitch was. The Dutch team as a whole lacked composure, and too many of their chances saw the ball sail over the bar or wide of the post.
But then the moment came and out came the man, Wout Weghorst, who, two minutes after coming on as Manchester United’s flop, produced an instinctive finish to put the Netherlands 2-1 up with eight minutes remaining.
Memphis Depay and Cody Ngakpo are two players Koeman will be counting on for goals, but neither are necessarily goalscorers. This isn’t ideal, and it became clear throughout the afternoon just how far from ideal that was until an actual striker emerged.
Weghorst has been a prolific goalscorer throughout his career, even before the Premier League. He joined Burnley in January 2022 for around £14 million but was unable to help them avoid relegation in the 2022/23 season. He spent the first half of the following season on loan at Besiktas before finishing the season at Manchester United. Last season, the big striker spent time at German club Hoffenheim.
His best form has always been in Germany, where he scored 70 goals in 144 appearances for Wolfsburg between 2018 and 2022. This comes after 51 goals in 124 appearances in the Eredivisie. Weghorst was a reliable goalscorer before moving to Burnley. Seven goals in 30 appearances for Hoffenheim is proof he is past his prime, but part of that is down to him being misused in England.
Weghorst was once again playing centrally for Hoffenheim after Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag decided to use the big man as an attacking midfielder, second striker and occasionally as a number 9. You wouldn’t put Peter Crouch anywhere but up top, so why do the same with poor Wout?
Koeman is ready to use Weghorst as a top centre and goalscorer because that’s what the team needs more than anything.
The Netherlands may not be great defensively, but they do have a high level of depth. The aforementioned injuries to De Jong, Martin de Roon and Teun Coopmeiners have left the midfield weak, but Joey Vehrman, Jerdi Schouten and Tijani Lijnders remain reliable. Of course, everyone would be missed without a player of De Jong’s calibre.
Depay is a fine footballer but far from ruthless, and Gakpo, good-looking despite his long limbs, is no striker. The Netherlands need a striker and the player who did none for Manchester United, his game-winning left-footed strike against Poland, showed that Koeman’s hectic regime needs a mature player who can lead from the front and be in the right place at the right time.
Despite Big Weg’s appearance at Old Trafford, he that He is a natural goalscorer and if he is in good form, an attacking Dutch team has a chance. Look forward to the France vs Holland match. It will be a great match.
