Koeman Opens Discussion with De Jong After Criticism of His Performance Against Japan

The Dutch national team coach, Ronald Koeman, confirmed that he spoke with midfielder Frenkie de Jong about certain aspects that could be improved in his performance. This followed the controversy after the match against Japan in the World Cup, where criticism was directed at his positioning and role in the offensive build-up.

Koeman said that De Jong is a tactically intelligent player and contributes a lot to the team, but he pointed out the need to improve some details in the attacking system, especially regarding moving forward and supporting attacks at the right time.

Koeman added in his statement: "I spoke with Frenkie after the match. I think he does a lot of things well. He is very smart tactically. But I also talked to him about what I mentioned earlier: we need to be closer when attacking. Sometimes he takes a deeper position on the field, and he can also advance the ball forward because he is very fast. I believe this is an aspect he and the whole team can improve."

On the other hand, Koeman emphasized that the idea of excluding De Jong is completely off the table, affirming that he is an important element in his plan. He also pointed out that the player's participation in the upcoming match against Sweden is still uncertain due to a minor injury he sustained during training.