In the third round of Group D at the Euros, the Netherlands will battle for a qualification spot against Austria in their final match. Van Dijk spoke to Reuters about the scrutiny the Dutch team is facing, stating that criticism is an inherent part of the game, and that they need to step up their performance.
In this tournament, the Netherlands started with a 2-1 victory over Poland, followed by a goalless draw against France. Reflecting on their performances, Van Dijk said, “For the first 60 minutes against Poland, we played well and created many chances. But we also had to deal with pressure. Against France, we played more as a unit. To keep a clean sheet against the World Cup runners-up is a good achievement. However, our ball possession was poor.”
Following the match against France, Dutch media and pundits were highly critical. Addressing this, Van Dijk explained, “Everyone is entitled to their opinion. That’s fine. It doesn’t bother me; criticism is part of football. If it bothers you, you’ll have a hard time. There are high expectations on us, we’re a good team, and we want to show that in crucial matches. Our players have also been discussing privately where we can improve after the last game.”
Finally, he looked ahead to the encounter with Austria. He said, “We can, and must, do better than we did against France. We are still improving.”
Van Dijk: Criticism of the national team is part of football, we must perform better against Austria. Author：Sports UEFA.Please indicate the source when reproduced：https://www.sportsuefa.com/football-world/van-dijk-criticism-of-the-national-team-is-part-of-football-we-must-perform-better-against-austria.html
