Ronald Koeman: Netherlands manager proud of Virgil van Dijk as captain
Netherlands director Ronald Koeman isreally proud to have Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk because the captain of his national team.
The group worked together for a season at Southampton later Koeman purchased his compatriot Van Dijk out of Celtic in 2015 for # 13m.
The 28-year-old picked up the award for UEFA Mens Player of the Year to 2018/19 and has won the Champions League with Liverpool.
Koeman picked Van Dijk as the captain for Netherlands in 2018 and the director says:He has a great personality and also one of the reasons hes the captain. Hes an example for the nation and a good example for the group. We are really pleased to own him as a priest in the national team.
Winning the title of best European player is an unbelievable accomplishment for him. He had support from the folks in Southampton.
He had excellent support with all the staff and fans of Liverpool. They gained the Champions League last year, theyre doing really well and they are strong.
The Dutch national team have endured a tough period recently, missing out on eligibility for the two Euro 2016 along with the 2018 World Cup, but Koemans side have been on the rise after hitting the Nations League final and hammering Germany 4-2 away from home to boost their Euro 2020 prospects.
Koeman stated:Weve got a little nation but we expect a lot of big things in soccer. Its not always ordinary you will qualify for a tournament that is huge. In the moment we are back.
First of all it is the caliber of the gamers. Producing in Holland talents that are big that are good than people expect, and they take more time.
We understood its a tricky situation because we didnt meet the requirements for the two major tournaments. Its like golf – it goes up, it goes down, up, down. It was the same for Holland but at the moment were currently enjoying the football.
We all know we have a great strong squad with leading players in Europe acting in large clubs. Its a really great example for the players in Holland playing soccer.
The results we achieved in the last few months are very positive. This makes the players convinced and the team stronger. The vision is essential to this squad right now because they are currently showing spirit and incredible belief right now.
Netherlands confront a crucial fixture, and sit three factors using a match in hand behind Group Cs joint-leaders Germany and Northern Ireland.
When asked about the match together with Northern Ireland, Koeman responded:They have a wonderful ambition. In Holland we have the players at clubs in Europe but that does not always make a team strong.
I was amazed by Northern Ireland and how they played against Germany at home. For one hour in the match they had an incredible spirit, made the better opportunities and had been the better team.
They were competitive and we expect that team and we have to prepare ourselves for that in the simplest way possible
Watch Netherlands take on Northern Ireland within their European Qualifier on Thursday, live on Sky Sports Main Event; kick-off 7.45pm.
Read more here: http://prawodobiznesu.ceranek.pl/?p=13118