Team Overview: Netherlands

The Netherland national team (also known as ‘Oranje’) has a history of early struggles and recent success. Netherland Women's made their debut at an official FIFA match in 1971 against France. The team had an early struggle as there was a ban on women’s football, as well as a lack of funding. Because of this, they struggled to qualify for any major tournaments. The KNVB (Royal Dutch Football Association) began to invest in women’s football in the early 2000s. This investment helped them qualify for their first major tournament - WEURO2009. This changed the oranje team, and helped them create many historic moments. 

📸via Soccrates Images [GettyImages]

The current Dutch squad is the strongest team that we have seen from them, with world class players scattered all throughout the team. Their current squad is as follows: 

• 3 goal keepers = Daphne van Domselaar, Danielle de Jong and Lize Kop

• 8 defenders = Caitlin Dijkstra, Lynn Wilms, Esmee Brugts, Ilse van de Zanden, Kerstin Casparij, Renate Jansen, Sherida Spitse and Veerle Buurman 

• 7 midfielders = Victoria pelova, Jill Roord, Wieke Kaptein, Jackie Groenen, Damaris Egurrola, Danielle van de Donk and Dominique Janssen

• 5 forwards = Vivianne Miedema (captain), Romee Leuchter, Lineth Beerensteyn, Chastity Grant and Katja Snoeijs

  
  

In this squad their are many key players, who make all the difference to the game. Main goal keeper, Daphne van Domselaar is highly regarded and a European Champion (helping Arsenal win the Champions League). While Sherida Spitse and Danielle van de Donk are experienced midfielders known for their leadership and player marking abilities. Lastly, Vivianne Miedema is an attacking threat to any team. 

As we all can see, the Dutch only have 5 forwards and this is a tactic made by the coaches. They prioritize midfield strength and defensive stability - this shows that they may need fewer pure forwards. They would be able to use wingers and attacking midfielders in a more forward-thinking role. 

The Netherlands hosted the UEFA Womens Euros in 2017 and they absolutely dominated the tournament. During the group stages, they powered through, gaining 9 points altogether - managing to beat Denmark, Norway and Belgium. In the knockout stages they beat Sweden in the quarterfinals, as well as beating England in the semi finals. This ensured their place in the finals. Oranje then beat Denmark 4-2 to take home the European championship. They achieved a historic victory, as that was their first time winning the tournament; that night ended Germany’s 22-year reign as champions.

From going to winning the tournament and making history, we definitely did not see that same Euro winning team this year. In the end, the Dutch only managed one win throughout group stages. They conceded a total of 9 goals, which left them with 3 points and a goal difference of -4. 

Oranje stats for the WEURO2025 were not as good as previous years. Here are some examples of them:

• Possession = 55.34%

• Passing accuracy = 80.34%

• Tackles won = 20 (6.67 average per match)