The Netherlands coach, on Cádiz’s refusal to participate in the Women’s Nations League: “They are the world champions, this is bad for football” | Soccer | Sports

The Dutch may sometimes seem rude because they put honesty first. Frankness is so intrinsic in society that they even have a word for it: negotiability [vendría a significar hablabilidad]. Sports, of course, are no exception. And an example of not mincing words is the Netherlands coach, Andries Jonker, who, as a good disciple of former coach Louis Van Gaal – he worked with him at Barça, the Dutch national team and Bayern, among others – is so direct as critical. “Totally, Andries is like that. “It’s just that he’s from Amsterdam…”, joked Esme Brugts, a Barça and national team player, from the Barceló hotel in Seville, where the team will spend the night before facing the Nations League semi-final. Jonker resolved from the Barceló hotel in Seville. “In the west of our small country, especially in Amsterdam and also Rotterdam, it is our way of communicating. I think it can work in football, but with respect,” Jonker responded.

The coach, however, turned his nose up when he found out about the change of venue for the match, since Cádiz refused to give up its field when everything was already closed with the Junta de Andalucía and the federation – but not the club’s signature -, He claimed that the grass would be damaged for his team’s league match, which must be held the day after the national team match. “That’s not the atmosphere we want to play in. “We prefer to play in a nice stadium, even if everyone is against us,” the coach decided a few days ago. “I have worked with men for many years and nothing like this has ever happened to me. They are the world champions and it is decided to change the venue two weeks before the match. “I was very surprised and it is very bad that this happens for women’s football,” he added from Seville. A complaint made by Jan Dirk van der Zee, director of women’s football at the KNVB. “It’s an amateur decision,” he said in the mouth of the staff, the players and fans and family members, who had to modify their accommodation reservations or will have to travel further distance to travel to the stadium. The team, for example, has changed its concentration location from Marbella to Estepona.

It is not the first time, however, that Jonkier and the Netherlands have cried foul, dissatisfied with what happened to them in the previous World Cup, ultimately eliminated by Spain in the quarterfinals. On the one hand, he complained about the number of flights and trips and, on the other, he attacked FIFA for the organization: after the inspection of a Dutch delegation at the Tauranga base camp and the Bay Oval stadium in New Zealand, they requested that They changed the grass because they played cricket there and the surface was very hard. “When we arrived I thought: ‘We won’t train like this.’ We are very disappointed and angry and we want to have a first-class preparation, a first-class tournament. We also consider ourselves a top-tier team, so something’s not right. If you fall on your knee or shoulder, you could have a problem. Also, this grass is not good for the muscles and tendons that are already under tension,” Jonker protested.

It happens that the accumulation of matches is also a source of problems for the KNVB, which a few weeks ago expressed its dissatisfaction, especially after a differential player like Jill Roord tore her ligaments. “I have had footballers who have told me: ‘I am empty, but I have to play in the Champions League when in reality I want to stay at home.’ There is a difference between being fit and being fresh,” she explained; “We cannot continue expanding the calendar indefinitely. The limit has been reached, we have to say something about it and we are going to do something in the short term,” she said without wanting to reveal the initiative. From Seville, she added: “Play, play and play. It never stops. All the teams have the same problems, so at night we will talk to the doctor to see what she thinks and what alignment I can do. It’s complicated”. Van der Zee also took a position: “Do you want the best film? You need the best actors. Do you want the best concert? You need the best singers. Do you want to show the best football to the world? “You need the best soccer players and that is not possible now.”

But in La Cartuja there will be a duel of many carats, with a Spain that intends to reach the Games for the first time. “They have changed coaches but they play very similar,” said Jonker, who focused on his team: “In the summer we already thought we could beat them and we were greatly disappointed, although the best team won. It is a great challenge to beat the world champion in his home, but we once again think that we can win because we have improved.” She is a Holland that has recovered touch and football, far from how she played with her predecessor Mark Pearson, who did not get along with the players and whose proposal was far from the roots. It surprised few that Jonker, after boasting about positional and offensive play, criticized where he was coming from in his first press conference as coach. “We’re still Dutch, right?” he asked acidly. Much. From Amsterdam.