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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Netherlands team guide – a stellar squad with injury issues and a daunting task
As former European champions, having won this competition on home soil when managed by Sarina Wiegman in 2017, the Netherlands know what it takes to win. But this summer looks to be one of their toughest challenges yet on the big stage. They have struggled of late, affected by injuries to key players, including top scorer Vivianne Miedema, and being drawn into the tournament's most difficult group alongside title holders England and Euro 2022 semi-finalists France makes for plenty of jeopardy. Who is the manager? Euro 2025 is a finale of sorts for Andries Jonker. The 62-year-old former Barcelona assistant manager's contract expires following this tournament and it was announced in January he would be leaving the role after three years, with Arjan Veurink — Wiegman's current assistant with England — succeeding him. Advertisement Jonker's legacy is complicated. After the Euro 2022 debacle that ended in a quarter-finals exit under Mark Parsons, he became a salvation figure, reinvigorating a team and a nation that once threatened to dominate the global game. That Jonker did so is unsurprising. His CV includes being on Louis van Gaal's coaching staff at Barca and Bayern Munich, roles at FC Volendam, MVV Maastricht, Willem II and Wolfsburg, as well as being director of the academy at Arsenal for three years. However, some uninspired performances and constant rotations over the past year have led some fans to question whether his magic touch might be deserting him. How do they play? Jonker has been known to use various formations, switching from a 5-3-2 to a more familiar 4-3-3 depending on the opposition. Dominance in possession is still the ideal and, in both tactical setups, the defenders are asked to push high up the pitch in order to pressure the opposition quickly, particularly in the centre, to force turnovers. Who are their three most influential players? The Netherlands are not short of candidates here, but a player growing in stature for Jonker's side is Wieke Kaptein. The 19-year-old Chelsea midfielder has had a breakthrough year with the serial Women's Super League champions and has consistently shown a work ethic, composure and intelligence beyond her years in the centre of the pitch. Advertisement Equally important is Wolfsburg forward Lineth Beerensteyn. The 28-year-old was the Netherlands' top scorer during the qualification campaign for Euro 2025 and her 17 league goals in 20 appearances this season will inspire confidence. And of course, no list would be accurate without including Miedema. The Manchester City striker is one of the global game's most ferocious and intelligent goalscorers. All of this is to say: fitness is the biggest influential player for the Dutch. In their final round of Nations League matches a month ago, they were without first-choice goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, as well as attacking totems Beerensteyn and Miedema. What is their biggest strength? The Netherlands' quality on the ball is inarguable and young talents such as Kaptein and Barcelona's Esmee Brugts are complementing more established players such as Danielle van de Donk, Beerensteyn and Miedema well. Even these young players already have major tournament experience — a huge strength given their tough group. Getting to the knockout phase will take guile as much as craft, something the Dutch boast in abundance. What weakness might other teams be able to exploit? The Netherlands head into the European Championship without an established starting XI. That is not inherently bad and tactical flexibility, particularly during a major tournament, is usually a boon. But with recurring injuries to key players such as Jill Roord, Miedema and Victoria Pelova — and regular rotations in defence — chemistry has been hard to hone. Often, players look unsure of team-mates' positions and can consequently concede possession in dangerous situations. Any notable absentees? They have not had good luck when it comes to fitness. Beerensteyn, Miedema and Van Domselaar were the most recent names on the injury list and the impact was clear as the Dutch were thumped 4-0 away to Germany in the Nations League at the end of May. Beerensteyn is said to be ready to return to competitive play ahead of the summer and Miedema left their training camp altogether before that international break finished due to fitness issues but returned to action and scored twice in a 2-1 friendly win over Finland on Thursday. What is their strongest starting XI? How have they performed over the past 12 months? The Netherlands have quietly gone about their business since the start of 2024, losing five of their 18 matches. Yet performances have not always been convincing and results have begun to suffer. Draws with Finland and Italy were disappointing, but not as damaging as that heavy defeat in Germany, who finished top of their Nations League group. There was also a dull 1-1 draw with Scotland in their final Nations League game a few days later. What are they expected to achieve at these Euros? Ask a Netherlands supporter what the likelihood is of their team going far in Switzerland this summer and the answer is textbook: let's make it out of the group first. Advertisement True enough, Group D is not for the weak of heart: France and England, plus a Wales side making their major tournament debut. Conclusion? At least one big hitter is going home early. The Dutch boast an elite squad and have nous in stepping up on the big stage (you don't win a European Championship and then reach the final of a World Cup two years later by fluke). Yet, recent performances have been shaky and without an established starting XI, they remain a bit of a mystery. Get through the group, however, and this lot could go far. Did you know? The Netherlands announced in April that England women's assistant head coach Veurink will replace Jonker after Euro 2025. Veurink served as an assistant under Wiegman when she was in charge of the Dutch women's side from 2017 to 2021, winning Euro 2017 and reaching the 2019 World Cup final. Advertisement The 38-year-old then followed Wiegman to England in 2021 and helped them win the Euros on home soil the following year. He is considered a 'tactical genius' by some in the English squad. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Netherlands, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Euro 2025: Netherlands team guide – a stellar squad with injury issues and a daunting task
As former European champions, having won this competition on home soil when managed by Sarina Wiegman in 2017, the Netherlands know what it takes to win. But this summer looks to be one of their toughest challenges yet on the big stage. They have struggled of late, affected by injuries to key players, including top scorer Vivianne Miedema, and being drawn into the tournament's most difficult group alongside title holders England and Euro 2022 semi-finalists France makes for plenty of jeopardy. Euro 2025 is a finale of sorts for Andries Jonker. The 62-year-old former Barcelona assistant manager's contract expires following this tournament and it was announced in January he would be leaving the role after three years, with Arjan Veurink — Wiegman's current assistant with England — succeeding him. Advertisement Jonker's legacy is complicated. After the Euro 2022 debacle that ended in a quarter-finals exit under Mark Parsons, he became a salvation figure, reinvigorating a team and a nation that once threatened to dominate the global game. That Jonker did so is unsurprising. His CV includes being on Louis van Gaal's coaching staff at Barca and Bayern Munich, roles at FC Volendam, MVV Maastricht, Willem II and Wolfsburg, as well as being director of the academy at Arsenal for three years. However, some uninspired performances and constant rotations over the past year have led some fans to question whether his magic touch might be deserting him. Jonker has been known to use various formations, switching from a 5-3-2 to a more familiar 4-3-3 depending on the opposition. Dominance in possession is still the ideal and, in both tactical setups, the defenders are asked to push high up the pitch in order to pressure the opposition quickly, particularly in the centre, to force turnovers. The Netherlands are not short of candidates here, but a player growing in stature for Jonker's side is Wieke Kaptein. The 19-year-old Chelsea midfielder has had a breakthrough year with the serial Women's Super League champions and has consistently shown a work ethic, composure and intelligence beyond her years in the centre of the pitch. Equally important is Wolfsburg forward Lineth Beerensteyn. The 28-year-old was the Netherlands' top scorer during the qualification campaign for Euro 2025 and her 17 league goals in 20 appearances this season will inspire confidence. And of course, no list would be accurate without including Miedema. The Manchester City striker is one of the global game's most ferocious and intelligent goalscorers. All of this is to say: fitness is the biggest influential player for the Dutch. In their final round of Nations League matches a month ago, they were without first-choice goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, as well as attacking totems Beerensteyn and Miedema. The Netherlands' quality on the ball is inarguable and young talents such as Kaptein and Barcelona's Esmee Brugts are complementing more established players such as Danielle van de Donk, Beerensteyn and Miedema well. Even these young players already have major tournament experience — a huge strength given their tough group. Getting to the knockout phase will take guile as much as craft, something the Dutch boast in abundance. The Netherlands head into the European Championship without an established starting XI. That is not inherently bad and tactical flexibility, particularly during a major tournament, is usually a boon. But with recurring injuries to key players such as Jill Roord, Miedema and Victoria Pelova — and regular rotations in defence — chemistry has been hard to hone. Often, players look unsure of team-mates' positions and can consequently concede possession in dangerous situations. They have not had good luck when it comes to fitness. Beerensteyn, Miedema and Van Domselaar were the most recent names on the injury list and the impact was clear as the Dutch were thumped 4-0 away to Germany in the Nations League at the end of May. Beerensteyn is said to be ready to return to competitive play ahead of the summer and Miedema left their training camp altogether before that international break finished due to fitness issues but returned to action and scored twice in a 2-1 friendly win over Finland on Thursday. The Netherlands have quietly gone about their business since the start of 2024, losing five of their 18 matches. Yet performances have not always been convincing and results have begun to suffer. Draws with Finland and Italy were disappointing, but not as damaging as that heavy defeat in Germany, who finished top of their Nations League group. There was also a dull 1-1 draw with Scotland in their final Nations League game a few days later. Ask a Netherlands supporter what the likelihood is of their team going far in Switzerland this summer and the answer is textbook: let's make it out of the group first. True enough, Group D is not for the weak of heart: France and England, plus a Wales side making their major tournament debut. Conclusion? At least one big hitter is going home early. The Dutch boast an elite squad and have nous in stepping up on the big stage (you don't win a European Championship and then reach the final of a World Cup two years later by fluke). Yet, recent performances have been shaky and without an established starting XI, they remain a bit of a mystery. Get through the group, however, and this lot could go far. The Netherlands announced in April that England women's assistant head coach Veurink will replace Jonker after Euro 2025. Veurink served as an assistant under Wiegman when she was in charge of the Dutch women's side from 2017 to 2021, winning Euro 2017 and reaching the 2019 World Cup final. GO DEEPER Arjan Veurink, England's 'tactical genius' who is Sarina Wiegman's right-hand man The 38-year-old then followed Wiegman to England in 2021 and helped them win the Euros on home soil the following year. He is considered a 'tactical genius' by some in the English squad.
BBC News
02-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Can Scotland capitalise against 'wounded' Dutch?
On Tuesday night Scotland will face a Netherlands team - live on BBC Scotland -which is wounded, both in a physical and emotional sense before their final Nations League match in some of their key stars, the Dutch were walloped 4-0 by Germany in their penultimate game, which set off alarm bells back home as they prepare to play in the Euro 2025 group of death this summer alongside England, France and goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar was missing with injury, as well as attacking totems Lineth Beerensteyn and top scorer Vivianne latter will definitely not return to face Scotland, while Beerensteyn missing out would be music to Scotland's ears given she has scored three goals across the last two Victoria Pelova and key midfielder Danielle van de Donk were not fit enough to start in Bremen meant a switch to a back-three formation, which seemed to bring confusion rather than stability as Germany ran riot, scoring three in the first Andries Jonker, whose contract is not being renewed after the Euros this summer, said too many players were below par as questions surround his can Scotland capitalise? Well, they will need to be far better than they were for the first 70 minutes against Austria in Melissa Andreatta's first the reverse fixture, Emma Lawton's first international goal gave Scotland the lead before the Dutch turned things around in the second half to win in truth, the gap between the two teams at Hampden in February was much more than one goal as the Netherlands squandered numerous expectation on Scotland, already relegated and on the back of six straight defeats, could hardly be lower. That tends to be how they like it, though.A victory against even this version of the Dutch seems unlikely, but if Andreatta could grab a result it would jolt her tenure to life ahead of another summer when Scotland watch on from a distance as others enjoy a major tournament party.
The Hindu
30-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Arsenal women overcome adversity to win Champions League under new manager Renee Slegers and set the stage for future success.
In the summer of 2024, the Arsenal women's team lost its record goal-scorer, Vivianne Miedema, on a free transfer to Manchester City. The departure of the club's talismanic forward, widely considered one of the world's greatest strikers, was followed five months later by the resignation of manager Jonas Eidevall after a string of poor results. For Arsenal, statistically the most successful club in English women's football and among the most decorated in the world game, this was unfamiliar territory. The Gunners, after all, have won the most doubles and trebles in English history, completed a record seven unbeaten league seasons, and assembled a staggering, unrivalled cabinet of trophies. The club has also played a significant, often pioneering, role in the rise of women's football in England. Inspired response So, the situation the team found itself in last October demanded an inspired response. Renee Slegers, Eidevall's assistant, was promoted as manager on an interim basis — not a particularly imaginative decision on the face of it, but the club knew what it was doing. This wasn't a stopgap arrangement but an educated punt, and she was appointed permanently in January. The former Dutch midfielder, whose playing career was cut short by injury, had a reputation for being an intelligent student of the game. She, moreover, had a longstanding bond with Arsenal, having joined its academy as a 17-year-old in 2006. She had made a senior appearance by the time the club became the first English side to win the women's Champions League in 2007. Eighteen years later, Slegers steered the team through a spectacular European campaign, winning Arsenal's second Champions League title. It remains the only English team to claim the prestigious continental trophy. The side built its confidence from come-from-behind wins over Real Madrid and eight-time champion Lyon in the knockout rounds before laying low the almighty Barcelona with a tactical masterclass in the final. Stina Blackstenius' 75th-minute goal, after coming on as a substitute, decided the title clash, producing an incredible finish to a rocky season for the Gunners. Arsenal was better organised, calmer, and executed a meticulously detailed gameplan to perfection against Barcelona, which was in its sixth final in seven years with a team widely regarded as the best in the world, featuring Ballon d'Or winners and influential midfielders Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmati. ALSO READ | How Conte's Napoli and Inzaghi's Inter delivered a Serie A title race for the ages Slegers delivered an expert coaching performance, getting her substitutions right and devising a way to stop the highest scoring team in the tournament. 'What we did so well was using all possible tools to speed the game up, to disrupt it, but to stay true to who we are. This was key to why we won,' Slegers said. 'Barcelona are so good, but we tried to exploit weaknesses where we could. We said beforehand that the midfield of Barcelona was the engine, they are the conductors. So we wanted to stop them.' Leah Williamson excelled at the back and veteran Kim Little and former Barca midfielder Mariona Caldentey in particular helped shut down the Catalans' star-studded engine room Slegers explained that Arsenal's other players chipped in to flood the midfield and help their own central trio. She hailed her squad for pulling off everything they had planned. '[I'm] super proud, because you can have all these ideas in your head, show videos, use your tactics board, do it in training, but when the moment is actually there against an opponent that is so good, to then execute in the Champions League final, it says so much about the players,' she added. Composure and courage Captain Little said the team's composure on the big stage was a consequence of focusing on the task and not the occasion. The team wanted to play without fear. 'It was fairly calm [in the dressing room] and that is one of the key things in these big games,' explained Little, who first joined the club a year after the 2007 triumph. '[Sleger's team-talks were] task-focussed... small details on how we can stop them and some details around set pieces. I think that showed in our performance, how we approached the game was very controlled, with little pointers of the belief that we have and the courage we wanted to show.' Defender Katie McCabe said it was all about the work rate the entire side put in. That started up front, where England striker Alessia Russo was a rock, using her size to win balls and keep the attack going. Russo had jumped ship from Manchester United to join the Arsenal project in 2023 on a free transfer, just months after the Red Devils turned down a then women's world record £500,000 bid by the Gunners. Russo struggled to match the hype of her arrival during a difficult first season, but Slegers has sparked a transformation in the striker's fortunes — Russo was recently named as the football writers' women's player of the year. 'Any player who plays for Arsenal understands that it's a winning club, so ambitious, and wants to be at the top,' she said. The squad had lunch in the week leading up to the final with the team that won the 2007 trophy, and Russo said it was a 'special' experience. 'We're very aware of what's come before us as well... we had lunch with some of the 2007 winners earlier in the week and to understand how much it still means to them is really special for us current players,' she said. ALSO READ | Bruno Fernandes — The man who made the Theatre dream again In addition to the lunch, Slegers picked the brains of some important figures from that team, including coach Vik Akers and his assistant Emma Hayes, now manager of the United States' women's team. 'I was at the club in 2007 so I have a little bit of an idea of where the club comes from, and I had lunch with Vic, and it was fantastic to see him bring the perspective. There's so many people who have been investing for such a long time, I'm just a very small part of it…' When magic delivers England captain Williamson, a lifelong Gunners fan who joined the London club at the age of eight and was a mascot when Arsenal triumphed in 2007, said the win felt like 'magic'. Standing in front of some 10,000 fans outside the club's Emirates Stadium during the trophy celebration, she said, 'I've been saying the whole time, 'Do you believe in magic?' I knew it was going to happen against Lyon, I knew it was going to happen in the final. And magic delivered.' Arsenal is determined to use the triumph as a springboard for further success. Slegers said her players are hungry for more and the future could be 'scary' — in a good way. 'There are signs that when you are a winning team, you struggle together, you suffer together, you find ways to win,' Slegers said. 'I think there's even more in this team, that's the scary part of it, we achieved something enormous but I think there's still more to give.'
BBC News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Is 'magic' Caldentey Arsenal's key in Champions League final?
Mariona Caldentey was kissing the Women's Champions League trophy a year ago, clutching the badge on her chest while donning the blue and red stripes of Barcelona, having won her 15th major trophy with the she is preparing to face her former team for the first time since leaving them last summer to join Gunners will attempt to win a first European title since 2007 in Lisbon on Saturday (17:00 BST) and it helps to have a star in their team who lived and breathed opponents Barcelona for a did not come through Barcelona's youth ranks, but spent 10 seasons at the home of the defending European champions, scoring 114 goals in 302 games. There will be no holding back in Saturday's Champions League final though as Caldentey hopes to spearhead Arsenal - the place she now calls home - to success. "I feel really confident, I can play my football, I can enjoy it. I am in the right place. I am where I want to be," the Spain international, 29, she cap off an impressive debut season for Arsenal with the ultimate club prize she became so accustomed to winning at Barcelona? 'We always knew she was like magic' Caldentey arrived in north London at a rocky time for Arsenal in July 2024 and some in Spain doubted if she had made the right decision. Gunners legend Vivianne Miedema had been allowed to leave for rivals Manchester City weeks before and fan unrest was building towards former boss Jonas was on Caldentey - a World Cup winner with Spain - to help guide Arsenal safely through a potentially treacherous Champions League qualification she did not take long to settle as 10 months later, Caldentey was awarded the Women's Super League Player of the Season having scored nine goals and assisted five in 21 games. It should not have come as a surprise."She was a crucial player for Barca's style," Spanish journalist Maria Tikas, who writes for national newspaper Sport, told BBC Sport."The fans and media didn't value her enough for how important she was. We always said that she was like magic."It was sad she left, but I knew she was going to be good in England. She really showed quickly the kind of player she was and now at an important moment of the season she has showed it again."Caldentey's first goal came in a 4-0 win over BK Hacken, sealing Arsenal's progression to the Champions League group stages in club believed Caldentey could take them to the next level when they signed her but she could not have predicted how impressive her first season would be."Not at all. I didn't have any expectation. I just made my decision and went for it," said Caldentey. "Everyone helped me a lot from the first day so it was kind of easy to adapt to the new challenge. I've just had fun playing football." 'A total footballer' "She's a total footballer. She's got everything," Arsenal manager Renee Slegers said of Caldentey earlier this impact was instant and went from a struggling side at the start of the season to a team marching up the table, sealing second spot in the WSL and competing with Europe's elite. Caldentey's role was to be the creator, linking up with WSL Golden Boot winner Alessia Russo and providing stardust from midfield."She's given us so much," Slegers added. "There are so many things to say about Mariona, because she does so many things so well. She has given us that next level."Technically and tactically - her intelligence is really high level. Her work ethic is unbelievable. You can see it in games, but you can see it on the training pitch as well."Last but not least, she's a winner."After Arsenal beat Tottenham 5-0 at Emirates Stadium, a journalist described Caldentey as the conductor of an orchestra, with eight legs like an analogy surprised Slegers but she admitted it was a good captain Kim Little, who has played alongside Caldentey this season, said she has been "incredible" for the team."She came in from Barcelona and had a great impact on the team, on a personal level and also with how we play," she told BBC Radio 5 Live. 'If one player is going to lead the pack, it's her' There will no doubt be mixed emotions for Caldentey when she faces Barcelona in was "underrated" but "now finally appreciated" by those in Spain, said Tikas, but will she come back to haunt them?"When we talked to Barca players after the semi-finals, they were really happy to face Mariona and said it will be really special for them," Tikas added."She knows how Barcelona play and how Arsenal can damage Barcelona."Caldentey has spoken to some of the Barcelona players - they remain "close friends" after all - but they have avoided speaking about the final."We did exchange some messages but it is a bit weird so we didn't speak too much about [the game]," she added. "I didn't tell them [we would win] but they know that is what I want!"From Arsenal's perspective, they hope Caldentey's close links with Barca will give them an advantage."I did an interview with Aitana Bonmati the other day and mentioned Mariona," journalist Alex Ibaceta told BBC Radio 5 Live. "She said we know the player she is, we know what she is capable of."Mariona is going to be key in letting the players know what disturbs Barcelona. If there is one player that is going to lead the pack, it's going to be her. Arsenal have enough quality to be able to put out a gameplan so Mariona can give them the tips and tricks on how to defeat Barcelona." Head here to get involved
