Oranje have what it takes to compete with the bigger sides

When the Nations Leagues groups were drawn, many feared for the fate of Netherlands after being drawn with the previous two world champions.

Despite defeat to France, the Oranje put in a good performance that showed a lot of positive signs.

In the first half, Netherlands were poor and France were gifted a goal after a poor header from Quincy Promes.

But in the second half, Oranje more went toe to toe with the world champions in their back garden and more than deserved their equaliser.

Koeman’s side looked as if they could have snatched a winner but were hit on the counter by the exceptional pace of Frances attack.

The Netherlands certainly held their own against one of the best teams in the world and showed that on another day they could have snatched something from the game.

Frenkie de Jong is ready for the starting eleven

Some people doubted whether de Jong would be ready for the first eleven but he continues to prove them wrong.

De Jong was the best performer for the Netherlands, consistently driving forward from deep positions and wasn’t afraid to dribble the ball against a world class side.

The youngster has grown so much since 2016 and he will most likely be a mainstay in the Netherlands team for years to come.

Blind seems a bit out of his depth

Daley Blind was not the right choice to play against France and simply felt out of his depth all game.

Blind made a number of mistakes at left back and simply couldn’t handle the pace of Kylian Mbappe.

If Koeman is determined to play the experienced head, he would be much more suited to play in midfield, with him struggling against Peru and France so far.

With options like Patrick van Aanholt and Terence Kongolo at left back, Oranje certainly don’t need to have Blind playing in a position that he appears to be less comfortable in.

Propper doesn’t offer enough in midfield

Davy Propper found his way into the starting eleven after an impressive second half against Peru, but couldn’t deliver against France.

The Brighton midfielder did well in his defensive role, but couldn’t impose himself in a attacking sense and made Netherlands feel weaker whilst in attack.

Marco van Ginkel feels a much more natural fit in the position, with a good defensive work rate and a great eye for pass to go with it.

Koeman needs to be ready to adapt

If the Netherlands are to return to the heights that we feel that they belong Koeman has to be ready to rotate his side and make changes throughout the game.

There were times through the first half that Oranje looked desperate for a change to the system, being bombarded by French attacks.

Particularly against the bigger sides, Koeman must be prepared to change his side if it isn’t working and make sure that he isn’t to stubborn to see that the system isn’t working.