Koeman: The Match Against Tunisia Will Be Difficult, and This is Our Ambition

The coach of the Netherlands national team, Ronald Koeman, spoke at the press conference before facing Tunisia in the final match of the group stage of the 2026 World Cup. He discussed several topics related to the lineup, the team's stability, the condition of some players, and the team's ambitions in the tournament.

Koeman said about striker Brian Brobbey: "In my opinion, since Brian joined the team and started playing, he has been involved in everything. In the last match, he was substituted as a precaution. He is ready to play. There may be moments in the game where the risk is too high, and then we will take a player off the field, but this can happen with any player."

Koeman added about midfielder Ryan Gravenberch: "Ryan's situation was that he hadn't played much for two years. You only truly develop when you play week after week. That's what happened. When he went to Liverpool, he became a regular starter there. I believe there is more development in him, in terms of verbal expression and understanding situations. But he has made significant strides."

Regarding the rotation method for the striker position, Koeman said: "I don't think it works if you're constantly changing. Naturally, you try to achieve stability in the lineup. These are decisions you make as a coach. We have 26 players, and everyone shows themselves daily. Clearly, you want to reach a stable lineup, but you can definitely make changes as well."

Regarding the team's ambition, Koeman said: "The ambition is to win the championship, and we are trying to demonstrate that as well. We want to be good and improve more during the tournament. The goal is to win the match on your own and not rely on others. In football, anything is possible. Perhaps theoretically we are contenders, but you have to prove that on the field."

Koeman concluded his remarks by emphasizing the difficulty of the match and its conditions, saying: "We expect a tough match. We can't prepare for everything; we can prepare for a lot, but we can't prepare for the weather."