Before the upcoming UEFA A League second round match between the Netherlands and Germany at 2:45 a.m. Beijing time, Dutch national team head coach Ronald Koeman attended a press conference to give an in-depth account of the team's preparations, tactical adjustments, players' status and the changes in modern soccer, among other topics.
Koeman began by reviewing his coaching experience, particularly his record against Germany, saying humorously, "I know how things will go, but I'm looking forward to seeing if we can continue our challenging spirit against strong teams, play our own style and cause them problems against Germany." He emphasized that mistakes made against strong opponents such as Bosnia and Herzegovina will be infinitely magnified by Germany's best players, so the team must be well prepared.
Regarding the team's four-at-the-back tactical system, Koeman made it clear that it will remain unchanged: "We made a conscious decision to do this and will stick to it on Tuesday. Although there will be occasional adjustments depending on the game, it is best to stick to the established tactics in order to stabilize the team's process." He also pointed out that Germany may adopt the double 10 position tactic, and the Dutch team must be prepared to defend well, and also be wary of the opponents' in-depth study of the Dutch playing style.
Speaking about Germany's young talents Musiala and Wiltz, Koeman admits that he is always "jealous" of other teams' good players, but he is also proud to say that Holland also has strong attacking midfielders like Javi Simmons and Reinders. As for the question of who is better, he believes that there is still a lot of room for these young players to grow, and that in a few years' time it will be clearer who is the better player.
On the choice of starting lineup, Koeman explained why he used Zilkidze against Bosnia-Herzegovina and chose Brobeyi against Germany: "I wanted more space on the counter-attack, and I thought Brobeyi was better in that regard." He also emphasized that the selection of players is not based on the performance of a single game, but a combination of the player's form and the needs of the team.
Regarding the clash between Weghorst and Timberlake in training, Koeman said it was normal and had intervened to mediate, emphasizing the need to maintain unity within the squad. In addition, he also commented on the transfer and status of Depay and Berwin, saying that he would decide whether to call up Depay to the team based on the players' fitness and performance.
Finally, Koeman talked about the changes in modern soccer, especially pointing out the important role of data analysis and fitness coaching in team training. He recalled his own experience of improving his long-distance shooting ability through constant shooting practice when he was young, and lamented the diversity and scientific nature of modern soccer training methods.
