Young playmaker was criticised after the quarter-final against Turkey but is still expected to face England in the last four
Just like England, the Netherlands have not quite worked out the jigsaw. For Ronald Koeman the main question centres on where to put Xavi Simons. Let him come in from the right wing? Play him as a No 10? The head coach has been tweaking and tinkering throughout the tournament and thought he had got the answers he needed when the Paris Saint-Germain playmaker excelled as a 10 against Romania.
But then, against Turkey in the quarter-finals, the 21-year-old was the worst player on the pitch and only improved slightly from a position on the right in the second half. He may be the squad’s most expensive – and youngest – player but he was heavily criticised afterwards, including for his facial expressions.
Continue reading…Young playmaker was criticised after the quarter-final against Turkey but is still expected to face England in the last fourJust like England, the Netherlands have not quite worked out the jigsaw. For Ronald Koeman the main question centres on where to put Xavi Simons. Let him come in from the right wing? Play him as a No 10? The head coach has been tweaking and tinkering throughout the tournament and thought he had got the answers he needed when the Paris Saint-Germain playmaker excelled as a 10 against Romania.But then, against Turkey in the quarter-finals, the 21-year-old was the worst player on the pitch and only improved slightly from a position on the right in the second half. He may be the squad’s most expensive – and youngest – player but he was heavily criticised afterwards, including for his facial expressions. Continue reading…
