Today's Talking Points
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1The Netherlands haven't won a major trophy since Euro 1988 — which, given the quality of players they've produced since, is a remarkable track record of almost-but-not-quite. They reached the 2010 World Cup final and lost in extra time. Still waiting.
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2The squad includes Virgil van Dijk at the back, Cody Gakpo up front, and 22-year-old Xavi Simons, who's been brilliant for PSG and is the player Dutch fans are most excited about. Mentioning Simons makes you sound like you've been paying attention.
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3Their manager Ronald Koeman scored the winning goal in that 1988 final. He's been through a difficult rebuild to get to this point — lost his job once, came back — and this squad might genuinely be the one capable of ending the wait.
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4Netherlands are in Group F with Japan, Sweden and Tunisia. Japan beat Germany and Spain at the last World Cup. They are not a comfortable opener. Nobody in Europe has quite worked out how to play Japan yet, which is going to make that first match very interesting.
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5The Dutch are one of those teams where the sum is somehow less than its parts at every tournament. Individually brilliant, collectively inconsistent. If they've solved that, they could go very deep. If they haven't, they'll go out in the quarters and everyone will have opinions about why.
🍺 Top Thing To Say Down The Pub
Netherlands haven't won a trophy since 1988. With Van Dijk, Gakpo and Simons, this might genuinely be the squad that ends that. Or they'll go out in the quarters dramatically. One of those two.
🚫 Avoid Saying
"Total Football" — that was the 1970s. Nobody playing in this tournament was alive then. There are much better things to say about the Dutch.