“They will not want to play us”: Why Netherlands coach Mark Parsons’ claim about France may not be entirely correct – tactical analysis

Euro 2022 has been a rocky tournament so far for defending champions the Netherlands, which was expected given that former Portland Thorns boss Mark Parsons is taking charge of the Oranje Leuwinnen at a major tournament for the first time. Whilst the results have been positive, with two wins and one draw in the group stages, the performances have been more of a mixed bag, with elements of high quality alongside moments when they have struggled and not looked themselves.

However, once his side had secured progression from Group C to the knockouts, Parsons claimed that their next opponents, France, would not want to face his side because they are just as strong a team as Corinne Diacre’s. This is a bold statement and one that underlines the belief he has in his players but, with their performances highlighting areas of concern, there is some debate as to whether it is entirely true. In order to see whether it is or not, this tactical analysis will break down the Netherlands’ attacking and defensive tactics and highlight where they can still improve, as well as identify what they can be more pleased about at this stage of the tournament.

In the final third

There aren’t many issues when it comes to the Netherlands’ attacking play, which is an important point to start with. Across their three group games, they scored a total of eight goals, the same number as Sweden, and have plenty of players who are capable of shooting at goal whenever they get into dangerous areas of the field.

However, that can sometimes lead to problems, with this situation showing Wolfsburg Frauen’s Jill Roord and Lyon Féminin’s Daniëlle van de Donk both trying to go for the same ball and getting in each other’s way, squandering the chance to give their team the lead.

The problem here comes down to a slight fault with the roles that both have in the Oranje Leuwinnen’s 4-3-3 formation because Roord is a naturally attacking player who lines up behind former Arsenal Women teammate van de Donk. As neither starts in a wider role and both are attack-minded players, both will always want to get on the end of these deliveries and try to score goals. Therefore, there needs to be some communication or an understanding in place so that the players both know who is going to go for the ball and who will offer support in case of a rebound, or maybe a tactical adjustment in order to switch one to the other side of the field.