2026 World Cup: despite the Netherlands' victory, Willem van Hanegem points to defensive weaknesses

After the great victory of the Netherlands on Saturday evening against Sweden, marked by enthusiasm, critical voices were nevertheless raised. Former international and Dutch football figure Willem van Hanegem did not hesitate to point out the difficulties of certain key players in the Oranje selection currently led by Ronald Koeman.

In his column published by Algemeen Dagblad, Van Hanegem was delighted with the collective success, while highlighting several areas of concern. “I don’t find Virgil van Dijk in great shape. On the goal conceded, he could have intervened earlier in midfield. Micky van de Ven, for his part, suffered in the duel against Elanga, which is surprising given his reputation for speed... But he was overtaken when I thought that no one was faster than him,” he analyzes.

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Van Hanegem continues his review by discussing Bart Verbruggen's performance in goal: “The goalkeeper did well just before the break with a goal disallowed; honestly, he didn't reassure me. They say he made a lot of saves, but they were balls he was supposed to catch. » Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders does not escape his criticism either: “Once again, like against Japan, I found that we had not seen him. He seems too focused on the goal instead of helping the collective. » Finally, the performance of Memphis Depay upon his entry clearly did not convince the consultant, who calls for strong choices to be made in the future.

Kenneth Perez, consultant for ESPN and former player, agreed on the Micky van de Ven case: “He is extremely fast, but often misplaces. This time, he found himself facing an equally fast opponent, which highlighted his defensive weaknesses, particularly on the goal conceded. »

Between collective satisfaction and worried looks as the 2026 World Cup approaches, the debate is open within Dutch football.