De Boer warns his ‘sloppy’ players
DUTCH coach Frank de Boer changed his system after accusing Holland of a “sloppy” first half and warned: “I will pick the best team, not just the best players.”
De Boer was satisfied to see the Dutch reach the last 16 with a 100 percent record, with captain Gini Wijnaldum taking his hot streak to 18 goals in his past 29 games, and new Barcelona striker Depay taking his tally to 28 goals and 22 assists for his country.
De Boer said: “We had some great moments but also some very bad ones.
“In the first half we were sloppy and there were too many midfielders high up the pitch which left us short of cover on the counter-attack.
“We need to focus and make sure everything is all right in
defence and possession. Gini and Memphis play as a great combination and there is a real dynamic between them.”
Former Liverpool midfielder Wijnaldum, who is enjoying an outstanding tournament, insisted: ‘It’s not all about Memphis and me – there are other players who can make the difference.
“It was a game where North Macedonia tried to test us and we needed to show how sharp we are as a team.” North Macedonia coach Igor Angelovski revealed it was his last game in charge as his contract expires next month.
He said: “When our emotions have died down, I can only say it was a huge pleasure to lead this team into its first major tournament.
“We can’t be too unhappy as it was our first experience at this level and we are the ones who broke the ice.”