Sweden face the Netherlands in a Group F match at the World Cup on Saturday. It will be a clash of confident opponents against frustrated opponents.
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Sweden face the Netherlands in a Group F match on Saturday. It will be a match between a confident team and a frustrated opponent. Sweden has made the best start to its 88-year World Cup history, having comfortably beaten Tunisia 5-1.
The Netherlands, on the other hand, drew 2-2 with Japan. The Dutch team took the lead twice in that match but were unable to hold on to it. Sweden was one of the teams in the European qualifiers that had to make the playoffs. So winning the first match came as a big relief for Sweden.
In contrast, the Dutch team was undefeated throughout the entire qualification. But the current start has also raised questions about coach Ronald Koeman's strategy. Koeman abandoned his defensive strategy before Japan equalized in the 89th minute. If the team now faces Sweden, they will have to improve their performance.
Sweden, on the other hand, have improved under English coach Graham Potter. It was the first time Sweden had scored so many goals in a single World Cup match since 1938. The Dutch still have players who can turn the game in their favor at any time. Such as Cody Gakpo, Frank de Jong and Denzel Dumfries.
All of these players were almost pale against Japan. The Netherlands will also be concerned about the status of their top scorer Memphis Depay. He came off the bench against Japan, but did not look impressive. The player, who is struggling to fully recover from injury, may otherwise be able to break down the defense against Sweden.
After the first match, Koeman said of him, "Memphis is ready now. I think he is eager to get on the field. But against Japan, the whole team did not build up any more attacks. I know very well that the team's performance needs to improve.' There is another reason why Sweden is really excited.
If they win the match against the Netherlands, Sweden will have a chance to finish the group stage at the top of the group. Porter only took charge last October. But since he arrived, the team has not only qualified for the World Cup, but the team's overall performance has also improved. Then again, Sweden also has players like Alexander Isak and Viktor Gökçen.
These two players will be responsible for breaking down the Netherlands' defense. Captain Virgil van Dijk was the first to score against Japan. But he himself looked a little frustrated in defense. Yashin Ayeri scored twice for Sweden in the first match and this emerging player will once again be an important player for the team.
Coach Porter says, 'There are many positives in the team right now. The way we have started the competition has also made us enthusiastic. But we cannot just sit here and wait. Now we are playing another game and the opponent will be different. For us, the next game has both great importance and meaning.’
