The Netherlands left the World Cup with more than regret.
After a 1-1 draw with Morocco in the last-32 round, Koeman’s side lost on penalties and ended a tournament that had started with attacking promise. The manner of the defeat, however, has become the larger issue.
Koeman moved away from the 4-3-3 system used in the group stage and started with a defensive 5-2-3 formation. It was a decision designed to bring more control, but instead it left the Dutch struggling to impose themselves.
Penalties end Dutch hopes
According to NOS’ match report, Cody Gakpo gave the Netherlands the lead in the 74th minute before Issa Diop equalised for Morocco in stoppage time.
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Extra time brought no further goals, and Morocco eventually advanced after a tense shootout.
The Dutch missed three of their five penalties. Justin Kluivert hit the post, Quinten Timber shot wide, and Crysencio Summerville saw his effort saved. Ismael Saibari then scored the decisive penalty for Morocco, who will face Canada in the last 16.
NOS described Morocco as the better side, while also noting that Koeman had chosen a five-man defence for the first time in two years.
Koeman accused of losing Dutch identity
The tactical switch has drawn sharp criticism in the Netherlands and beyond.
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According to TV 2 Sport, Zlatan Ibrahimović, speaking as a FOX analyst, placed the blame directly on the Dutch head coach.
“This defeat is Koeman’s fault. I didn’t recognise this Dutch national team. This was not the Dutch football philosophy,” Ibrahimović said.
He continued: “Koeman looked like an Italian coach today, who played not to lose. The Netherlands have always played to win. If you lose, at least lose with your own identity and don’t change it.”
The same concern was raised in the Dutch press.
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Valentijn Driessen wrote in De Telegraaf that Koeman and captain Virgil van Dijk had “thrown Dutch football up for grabs,” accusing them of abandoning the principles normally associated with the national team.
Koeman refuses to apologise
Koeman, however, rejected the criticism.
Quoted by NOS, the Netherlands coach said he had no regrets about the system change.
“I don’t regret it. If I had to do it again, I would do the same thing again,” Koeman said.
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He argued that the change was a response to problems seen earlier in the tournament.
“We chose to play this way because we had given far too much away in the past three matches. You can close your eyes to that and carry on in the same way, but I think it is then up to the coach to change things,” he said.
Koeman also pushed back against the reaction to the five-man defence.
“Everyone in the Netherlands asked to play with five defenders. Then you play with five and get criticised for it. I don’t give a… dot dot. This is all in hindsight. Afterwards, everyone has the truth. We did everything we could and cannot blame ourselves.”
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Van Dijk stands by the plan
The criticism has not only fallen on Koeman.
Van Dijk also defended the approach after the match, despite the Netherlands rarely looking comfortable in possession.
Quoted by NOS in a separate interview, the Dutch captain said: “This was the way to do it.”
He added: “If you look at all the big teams, they drop back and wait for the moment when they can press. That went well, but it can always be better.”
For many critics, that explanation will not be enough.
The Netherlands did lead until stoppage time, but the performance left a deeper question behind. Koeman set out to make his team harder to beat. Instead, the defeat has left him fighting a debate over whether the Netherlands lost not only a match, but also part of their footballing identity.
