Netherlands – Türkiye: Tactical Cracks Covered Up In Another Comeback Win (2-1)

The final EURO 2024 quarter final was by some distance the most open. It had an abundance of energy, excitement and it offered an emotional comeback win. Türkiye clearly dominated the first half with a smart tactical plan, but fell short defending their narrow lead in a deep second half block.

Tactical analysis and match report by Sander IJtsma.

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Both teams went into this EURO 2024 quarter final with vastly different sentiments. Türkiye came in with a lot of noise off the back of their underdog victory against Austria, where they put up an emphatic performance against the run of play, crowned by that heroic Mert Günok save deep in injury time. Their campaign has been emotional and hard-fought, but has also led to  suspensions for both Orkan Kükçü and Ismael Yüksek for collecting too many yellows, and for man-of-the-match Merih Demiral for his goal celebration.

The Dutch have seens highs and lows this tournament. They restored their pride with a dominant win against a quite poor Romania in the first knockout round. Before that, they barely scraped past Poland, sold their soul to the devil in an extreme off-the-ball performance to hold France at 0-0 and fell victim to Austria’s well-executed modern football tactics. It’s mainly the extremely unbalanced bracket and to a much lesser degree the performance level that fuels national optimism. 

Leading up the line-up announcement, most focus went to the Dutch right wing. Four games in – four different starters. Xavi Simons (Polen), Jérémie Frimpong (Frankrijk), Donyell Malen (Austria) and Steven Bergwijn (Romania) had been used at that position before this game. And let that very spot be where one of Türikye’s brightest lights shone, in the person of Dutch-born Ferdi Kadioglu. 

Koeman opted to continue with Bergwijn as inside right forward and Dumfries on the overlap to play the team’s own strengths, and rejected the option of adjusting by playing Frimpong – who had done a great job neutralizing France’s offensive left fullback Theo Hernandez earlier in the tournament.

Though mostly operating from a 4-2-3-1 formation, Vincenzo Montella opted to continue with the 3-4-2-1 / 5-4-1 setup that he played against Austria. Perhaps instigated by the painful 6-1 friendly loss earlier this year, Montella made significant defensive adjustments for that particular opponent. Ironically, the last meeting with The Netherlands, in September 2021, saw that exact same score in a painful defeat.

Certainties were the returns from suspension from midfield maestro Hakan Çalhanoğlu and central defender Samet Akaydin to come in for the now suspended Orkan Kükçü and Merih Demiral.

Positive Dutch start

The Dutch approach on the ball was visible as early as the first minute. With Türkiye in a 5-2-3 setup off the ball, the Dutch formed their box midfield with Xavi Simons in the left halfspace and Bergwijn on the right. Dumfries provided width on the overlap and Gakpo stuck to the left wing. Memphis drifted to overload his beloved left halfspace. The resulting Gakpo shot went over, but early signs were looking good for Oranje.

The trend continued over the first fifteen minutes, with the Dutch dominating possession in their designed 3-2-5 on the ball setup, and Türkiye limited itself to an abundance of long direct passes to their front three. Their 5-2-3 setup offered a clear three-on-three outlet, but their attackers were far removed from their back line and could only be reached through long passes. The talent of Kenan Yildiz, Baris Yilmaz and Arda Güler ensured they made the absolute most of it, but their offensive talents were far from optimally served in that phase.

The preferred setup by the Dutch in possession. A clear box midfield formed by inside right forward Bergwijn, left-drifted ten Simons and both double pivots.

With a Dutch push-through on the cards and a clear territorial dominance, we regularly saw all outfield players positioned in the Turkish half. However, hurried execution and a lot of ‘just broke down’ moments, prevented the Dutch from creating any serious chances. 

A lack of pressure shifting the odds

Having survived the opening phase, Türkiye found their way into the match from that point on. Dutch counterpressure was enough to dominate the early proceedings, but a lack of coordinated high press – hello Ronald Koeman – allowed Türkiye more and more sustained possession spells.

Their front three offered a lot of positional flexibility, with teenage talent Arda Güler particularly on song in a free role from the right wing. In a vertically stretched pitch, most of the offensive moves had a definite transition flavor to them, as spaces in midfield were huge. This clearly benefited the Turks, and the game plan to push the front three relatively high, also out of possession, shifted the odds in their favor.

Off the ball, Türkiye pressed the Dutch buildup man-for-man. A rigorous three-plus-two setup of Aké-Van Dijk-De Vrij was assisted by the double pivot of Reijnders and Schouten as designed receivers. Türkiye matched this with their front three and pushed their central midfielders onto the Dutch double pivot. This game them clear control over the match as the first half developed.

Koeman failed to adjust – or opted not to – as Simons was clearly instructed to stay high, and not help out to create a free man, as was Dumfries who stayed quite high on the right wing.

Classic Dutch 3+2 buildup stifled with a brave man-for-man scheme. Dumfries failed to offer the passing option, and probably wouldn’t have the skills to assist under pressure. Simons clearly would, but he seemed instructed to stay high.

Türkiye reward themselves

The Turkish reward came in the 35th minute, when Samet Akaydin headed home from close range after a cleared corner was crossed back into the Dutch box. A well-deserved goal for the way the Turkish planned setup saw them get back into the match over the first half. 

Türkiye immediately retreated in a deeper 5-4-1 block though, with the stunned Dutch unable to master more than a long range Bergwijn shot. For the fourth time in five EURO 2024 matches, Koeman got tactically outclassed. For the third time, the Dutch suffered the opening goal, and had it all to do.

A painful lack of interplay between all four most offensive players.

Wout!

With most managers, one would identify the tactical issues and shift things around to adjust for the opponent’s game plan, or at least improve things tactically on their own end. The fifteen minute break is perfect for tactical adjustments to counter the threats in play and present new challenges to the other team. With Koeman and a failed game plan, it’s Bring On Wout.

It’s not that Bring On Wout didn’t have an effect. With a clear big man leading the line and putting in a serious defensive shift as well, the team had more focus and radiated more energy. Bergwijn was subbed off, and Simons moved to the right wing, in a very free inside role.

The Turkish deep 5-4-1 block was not a success. Initially, The Netherlands had a tough time creating offensive plays – as has been a weak spot before – but this setup also deprived the Turks of any meaningful offense themselves. The brilliant long driven Arda Güler freekick that hit the outside of the post was the exception here. As a result of their deep stance, they got camped in deeper and deeper and we saw more and more long Dutch possession spells, albeit mostly circulation outside the block.

Dutch draw blood

With time ticking and a growing need to create something, Koeman did… nothing. He basically let the Wout-rejuvenation run on. One shot from inside the box, two from outside of it was perhaps enough in his mind for the first twenty-five minutes of the second half on a 0-1 score line.

The beauty of football analysis is that it’s not just tactics. There’s also a lot of things just happening, there are players passionately throwing everything they have into it to get – or prevent – the much-needed goal. Here, Stefan de Vrij turned up as the man of the moment, as he headed home from a corner earned from a close Weghorst chance.

Goals chance games, as the old cliché goes. The score line in balance, the momentum with the Dutch, it took only five minutes for another goal to fall. One of the absolute and underrated highlights of the match saw Simons hit a perfect one-time pass to play on Dumfries on the right wing. In a scramble off his nice low cross, Gakpo and his marker Mert Müldür pushed the ball over the line together.

Hanging on

What followed was the Dutch hanging on by a thread. Türkiye – understandably – went completely gung-ho, and had a lot of nearly successful attempts with it. Substitute Micky van der Ven cleared an 84th minute Zeki Çelik shot off the line and goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen pulled off a miracle save in injury time from a close Semih Kiliçsoy shot.

It was emotional, it was hard-fought from either side, and it could easily have resulted in a Turkish comeback goal. In the end, it finished 2-1 for the Dutch, who – once again – papered over the cracks to earn a comeback win.

Takeaways

You just got to feel for Turkish football. Few countries feel it as deep as the Turks do, and they crashed out here. Their quarter final result may – on paper – sound like a good tournament result, but they were close here after dominating the first half, and nearly equalizing in the final stages of the match. Of course there were tears, and if they’re past that phase there should also be pride. And perhaps a rethink of defending a lead in a deep block.

For the Dutch, the players papering over tactical cracks parade goes on. Into the semifinal of a major international tournament, where in ten years time no-one will remember the extremely skewed bracket effect. The nature of football is such that this is now a success. Tactically outclassed and with only one opening goal to their name, the players have carried a ton of responsibility and earned a third comeback win now.

A semi-final against England awaits, and it’s kind of a situation that one of these teams will play the final of this tournament. Two seriously deficient sides that have sailed through one way or the other. Isn’t the beauty of football that you just never know?

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