The Netherlands are not one of the frontrunners to win the World Cup. At least with the bookies. Despite the abundance of talent in their ranks, a lack of an elite level forward is the main reason why.
While there may be some concerns around Ronald Koeman particularly in comparison to the likes of Thomas Tuchel and Carlo Ancelotti, the national team head coach has enjoyed a solid second stint in charge.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Plenty of goals but no elite forward
Having returned to the post at the start of 2023 in the latest Dutch managerial merry-go-round following an ill-fated spell at Barcelona, results have been relatively impressive.
They came close to making the EURO 2024 final only for Ollie Watkins to knock them out in dramatic fashion, and they qualified with ease for this summer’s tournament.
Six wins and two draws saw them finish above Poland – who could yet be in their group – while there was a total of 27 goals scored from eight games.
Finland, Lithuania and Malta were not exactly the toughest opponents but it was still an impressive haul.
Memphis Depay topped the charts with eight, breaking the national team goal record in the process, and there was four apiece from Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen. Tijjani Reijnders and Xavi Simons got in on the act as well, both scoring three times.
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However, it’s not a stretch to state that none of these players are operating at the highest levels of the game. Or able to stand up to the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi or Lamine Yamal, who will be tasked with leading their nations’ all-star attacks.
No Dutch player has hit double figures in a top five European league this season. Depay also now plays in Brazil for Corinthians where he is far from prolific.
| Player | 2025/26 league goals |
|---|---|
| Donyell Malen (Aston Villa & Roma) | 9 |
| Wout Weghorst (Ajax) | 6 |
| Brian Brobbey (Sunderland) | 5 |
| Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) | 5 |
| Tijjani Reijnders (Manchester City) | 5 |
| Justin Kluivert (Bournemouth) | 2 |
| Noa Lang (Napoli & Galatasaray) | 1 |
| Xavi Simons (Tottenham) | 1 |
A total contrast to total football era
It is a very curious development in recent years given both their history of incredible forwards and the strength of the rest of their current squad.
Not too long ago, the Dutch could boast an attack to rival any in the world. Dennis Bergkamp, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Patrick Kluivert, Marc Overmars, Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink and Roy Makaay were just some of the forwards they had at the turn of the century.
That was followed by Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart. It was a quartet that continued to thrive until the 2014 World Cup, where the Dutch fell on penalties to Argentina just as they did in Qatar in 2022.
Most football people in the Netherlands attribute the lack of top-level forwards to youth coaching where players are not allowed be as free as they once were. The influence of Pep Guardiola and tiki-taka across the world has also reduced the number of out-and-out no. 9s in multiple countries, notably great rivals Germany.
Instead, these days and in almost total reverse of eras gone by, the Dutch’s strength is at the back where they have a remarkable number of centre-backs and full-backs to choose from.
Defence is the new Oranje
Virgil van Dijk is both captain and lynchpin while his defensive partner could be any of Micky van de Ven, Matthijs de Ligt, Nathan Ake or Stefan de Vrij. Or two of them depending on how Koeman sets his side up.
While 4-3-3 has been his most used formation, the former Southampton boss has also played a 3-5-2 at times. It’s easy to see why when you look at the wing-back options at his disposal.
Jurrien Timber is more right-back than wing-back but could easily slip into a back three allowing one of Denzel Dumfries or Jeremie Frimpong to bomb on ahead. On the other side, there is the likes of Ian Maatsen and Jorrel Hato.
Depending on the form of his forwards, Koeman could move to that formation and push Reijnders further forward just behind a front two. Midfield seems an obvious pick with Frenkie de Jong and Ryan Gravenberch both capable of dominating big games.
Overall, the Dutch have a strong side and should have little problem getting out of a group featuring Japan, Tunisia and one of Poland, Albania, Sweden or Ukraine. It is in the knockouts where their shortcomings will likely be exposed.
In the long history of the World Cup, and particularly in recent times, no side has lifted the trophy without a world class forward leading the line. Germany didn’t have a pure striker in 2014 but did have Thomas Muller and Mesut Ozil at the peak of their powers.
There is little doubt the Netherlands are the biggest football nation not to have won the World Cup having lost three finals. Their wait will go on unless an unlikely hero emerges up front.