With the World Cup looming, Ronald Koeman may have a big decision to make in his defence. Zach Lowy looks at the choice he faces with Micky van de Ven and Matthijs de Ligt in good form.
Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman was in a bullish mood after his team secured their place at the 2026 World Cup with a 4-0 victory over Lithuania.
Koeman’s side won six and drew two of their eight fixtures to claim to top spot in Group G and automatic qualification for next summer’s tournament.
The manager has now set his sights on guiding the Netherlands to their first ever World Cup title and he believes they can achieve the feat.
“We simply have a great squad,” Koeman said. “There’s a lot of competition, and you can see that again with the players coming on (as substitutes).
“These are difficult choices, because there’s so much quality. If we tighten our expectations on each other a little bit, to make each other even bigger, stronger, and better, then a lot is possible.
“Virgil (van Dijk) plays a role in that, Frenkie (de Jong) plays a role in that, Memphis (Depay) plays a role in that. That’s the core of our team.
“Nathan (Ake), Denzel (Dumfries) – they’re experienced guys who have been playing at the highest level for years and therefore know what’s expected of them.
“When young players come in, you need leadership. And that can’t always come from the coach.
“We talk about that regularly. We can and must improve on that, demanding even more from each other because if you don’t believe there’s more to it, there’s no point.”
Koeman’s confidence in Van Dijk is misplaced
Van Dijk’s status as being part of the core of the team is undoubtedly the key takeaway from Koeman’s comments about the Netherlands’ World Cup hopes.
While the Liverpool defender has been a standout performer for club and country, his performances have not hit his usual high standards for some time now.
Van Dijk has been widely criticised for a series of underwhelming displays for Liverpool, while the Dutch media jumped on the bandwagon after the Netherlands drew 1-1 with Poland.
Their criticism was undoubtedly justified, particularly given that there are major doubts about whether he should still be a regular starter for the national team.
For all that Van Dijk is rated as ‘one of the best defenders of his generation’, his talents have not translated into silverware with the Netherlands.
His record at Liverpool is also questionable for a so-called top-class defender, with the club failing to enjoy sustained success with him in the team.
Given that Van Dijk will celebrate his 35th birthday during the 2026 World Cup, Koeman’s insistence that he is a guaranteed starter is questionable.
His stance looks even shakier when considering that he could pair Matthijs de Ligt with Micky van de Ven in central defence next summer.
De Ligt has been in fine form for Manchester United this season, as evidenced by his standout performance against Spurs, and looks nailed on to figure on the right hand-side of a two-man centre-back pairing.
However, if Van Dijk is alongside him, the Netherlands can probably kiss goodbye to their chances of winning the World Cup. It would be a different story with Van de Ven in the line-up.
Boulahrouz backs Van de Ven
Former Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz has backed up that argument, claiming that the 24-year-old is the perfect replacement for Van Dijk for both club and country.
“Liverpool aren’t crazy – if you’re looking for a world-class left centre-back and you have the money, you’ll quickly end up with Van de Ven,” he told ESPN.
“The same goes for the Dutch national team. I think Koeman has long since realized that Van Dijk’s successor is already out there.
“He’s (Van de Ven) really outperforming them. He’s physically strong and incredibly quick. Opponents know that, so they don’t even try to get past him anymore.
“He could still do better on the ball – he makes the occasional blunder. But overall, I think he’s fantastic.”
Van Dijk captained the Netherlands to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup and the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championship.
However, that is as good as it has got for him on the international stage and persisting with him next summer makes little sense in the grand scheme of things.
Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity, and is a phrase that can be applied to Koeman’s thinking.
De Ligt and Van De Ven have the potential to be a truly elite pairing in international football and Koeman cannot afford to waste the opportunity to build his team around them.
Van Dijk has earned the right to be part of the squad, but should not be a starter if the Netherlands are serious about the World Cup.
A total off night for Virgil van Dijk tonight.
Gave away a silly penalty and looked suspect for some of the PSV goals.
Koeman will need him to improve greatly by the time the World Cup comes.
— Dutch Football 🇳🇱 (@FootballOranje_) November 26, 2025
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