FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - Netherlands v Turkey - Berlin Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany - July 6, 2024 Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman before the match REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen/File Photo
(Reuters) - Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman liked what he saw in their opening two Nations League games and wants his side to show more of the same when they meet Hungary in Budapest in their Group A3 clash on Friday.
Koeman told a Thursday press conference he had been pleased with their performances as they beat Bosnia 5-2 at home and then played out a 2-2 draw with Germany last month.
"I’ve showed the players what was good and why it was good. The football was good," he said of the preparations for the game at the Puskas Arena.
"We always had depth in our game, created many chances and the transitions were very good. I want us to keep that up. The energy was also good, and I saw that this week in training too," Koeman added.
"I see that the bar is going up in the training. There is a lot of competition for places. We’ve had quite a few injuries at the back and in midfield, which gives others a chance."
The Dutch will be without Nathan Ake, injured in the game against Germany in September, while a return for the Juventus midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who missed the European Championship, was stymied when he suffered another injury playing for Juventus against Cagliari in Serie A at the weekend.
Hungary will be a tough opponent, the Dutch coach predicted.
"To be honest, I was quite surprised that Hungary had a good chance of reaching the final four of the last edition of the Nations League," he said.
"They still have many of the same players. I don’t understand why their recent results have not been as impressive, but we should not think that we are just easily going to win this," he added.
Koeman did not reveal his plans when pressed by reporters on who would lead the attack with Memphis Depay again absent. "I know but I’m not saying," he said.
Against Bosnia he used Joshua Zirkzee as the lead attacker but for the clash with the Germans it was Ajax Amsterdam’s Brian Brobbey in a pre-determined plan to give both an opportunity.
They are both in the squad for the matches against Hungary and against Germany in Munich on Monday.
(Reporting by Mark Gleeson; Editing by Toby Davis)
