Calmly? Panic! The Dutch team got their shoes wet before landing

Sports Weekly All-Media Special Correspondent Yang Jian

did not qualify directly, but basically landed, just stepping on the water. This is the impression of the most critical match of the Dutch team's World Preliminary Group. From the European Cup group stage to the World Cup preliminaries, from a narrow victory to two consecutive draws, the Netherlands, which has looked up and down with Poland, has seen its advantage shrinking visibly. Although the Orange Army, which leads by 3 points and has a 13-goal difference, can accept any result in this battle, and a 1-1 draw is not bad, the game still continues the inertia that Koeman has had since his second entry into the palace - there is basically no chance of playing against a strong team, and mid-lower opponents are not so cleanly won.

Dumfries suffered a slight ankle injury and left the team early, Frimpong was not called up. Before the game, it was generally predicted that Koeman would use Ryan Timber as the right goalkeeper. Unexpectedly, the Orange Army coach was unconventional. Although the Arsenal defender entered the starting lineup, it was his partner Van Dijk who served as the right center back. The right back was Heitreida, who was avoided by Dutch fans. The formation of four quasi-center defenders seems to be able to detect and fill in each other's gaps, but in fact there is still a lack of coordination with each other.

Looking back at the Polish team, after Urban took office, the team not only bid farewell to the turbulent atmosphere in the locker room, but also played a particularly concise and pragmatic style. Only 2 minutes into the game, the home team widened the field and sent a cross. The Dutch team's defense line, which had three people in place, unexpectedly missed Zalewski who came in behind. If the latter's shot was not really a clearance kick, the Orange Army might have started in a sinkhole.

After escaping a disaster, the Dutch team gradually gained possession of the ball, but its offensive conversion was still too low. It lacked a front three to respond. The only threatening shot was Mullen's forced kick after cutting inside. As the game progressed, the two explosive battles between Cash and Van der Ven became the focus of the field: Aston Villa tried several iconic cross-cut shots from the right gate, but their footwork was also outrageous; Van der Ven, who was not willing to be played by Cash, also made a half-court raid that passed three people in the first half, but before reaching the core area, he was blocked by Zelinski's tactical foul.

Just when the fans thought that the two sides would end the half with a goalless draw, the Dutch team seemed to have missed Lewandowski, who was blocked in the last round of La Liga and was in recovery. The Polish captain looked behind him and sent a through ball. Kaminski, who was single-handedly facing Verbruggen, succeeded decisively. The Dutch team's defense made many mistakes when they lost the ball. When Timber pressed Lewandowski, he only stared at people but not the ball. Heitreida, who was chasing Kaminski, suddenly gave up in the middle of the run. Februgen was also hesitant to attack.

fell behind and changed sides, which seemed to wake up the lazy Orange Army. At the beginning of the second half, the forwards of Chicken and Duck finally successfully connected. Huckpo, who was no longer obsessed with cutting in and shooting, sent a cross. Mullen's header from the back was bravely saved by goalkeeper Grabala. However, when Memphis added another kick, the home team was unable to recover.

This goal also allowed the Orange No. 10, who scored 6 goals on the road this year, to equal Wilkes' away output in 1946 and second only to Basten's 7 goals in 1990. Although the game was a bit sticky (conceded 14 times), Memphis, which scored two shots on goal, has been able to transition to a ball-free style of play as it ages and its explosiveness declines.

A draw was enough for the Dutch team to clock out, but the home team fans were obviously not happy. Fireworks were thrown down from the stands and the game was temporarily interrupted. The Dutch team seemed to be distracted by this episode. Only Verbruggen remained focused. In the second half, Brighton's goalkeeper resolved Lewandowski's outflanking and Skurahi's shot from a small angle. The home team managed to keep the goal open despite 12 shots in the game.

Compared with the home team's clear-cut offensive, the Orange Army's frontcourt was particularly stagnant. The shot that was most likely to change the score came from Hrafenberch's volley from the penalty area. However, the Polish team's defense was already in place at this time, and it was helpless to barely get started. The scene was boring, and the coaches of both sides seemed to have forgotten about substitutions. Koeman did not replace Reinders and Van Herk until the 74th minute, and center Emerga, who was regarded as the new highlight of this roster, only got garbage time in injury time.

At the end of the game, the Dutch team controlled the ball 20 percentage points higher than their opponents, but they took 4 fewer shots. Koeman lacked creative starting and substitutions, so he really couldn't score high points. Especially since De Ligt, who has recently gained confidence in Manchester United, did not get even one second, it was really difficult to hold on. The only good news is that before the final round, the Dutch have a huge advantage of 3 points and +13 goal difference. Their opponent is Lithuania, which is at the bottom of the group and has a hard time winning. The qualifying fault tolerance rate is richer than Norway. Perhaps the exhausted main players such as Van Dijk and De Jong will get a rest in the final game, but even if Koeman bravely tries, what he will serve at the World Cup next year may still be the same old thing.