Ronald Koeman, the Netherlands coach, is looking for a first goalkeeper. Under Louis van Gaal there was no clear number one and newcomer Andries Noppert eventually won the World Cup. Koeman hopes to find a real number one.
During his presentation to the Dutch national team on Monday, it quickly became about the goalkeepers. In addition to Noppert, Remko Pasveer and Justin Bijlow went to Qatar. Mark Fleks and Jasper Cillessen stayed home. “We don’t have many top keepers,” said Koeman, “but we have enough options to choose the three best.”
Goalkeeper coach Patrick Lodewijks has already been in contact with the potential Orange keepers and has already visited Cillessen. The manager remarked, “We collect what comes out of the conversations. I want to select the three best keepers. Of course, the second and third keeper must help the first, but there must always be a battle. We choose based on Patrick’s ideas, he knows the most about it. But I can’t remember that we ever looked at it completely differently.”
Koeman did not yet know who will be the first goalkeeper. He commented, “But I prefer to choose a permanent first keeper. Whoever is good, stays. We want a keeper we can trust. This is a different position from the other ten. It’s nice when you have a keeper who does well and who everyone knows will keep the next international match.”
Koeman has snubbed a discussion with Van Gaal
Koeman also discussed the training of penalty kicks, something that Van Gaal previously paid a lot of attention to. “We started training on it in my previous period, but let’s not say too much about that. Otherwise you will also be beaten around with it,” Koeman referred to the Argentinian reactions to Van Gaal’s statements. “Ultimately, maybe it helps a few percent. You should not think that you win a penalty series because you train extra for it.”
Ronald Koeman is taking a new path with the Dutch national team. In his view, an interview with his predecessor Louis van Gaal is therefore not necessary.
Unlike in his first period as national coach, this time he did not contact his predecessor Van Gaal. “I did it in the first period, then I spoke to both Van Gaal and Dick Advocaat. I didn’t do that now,” Koeman said at his presentation, “I don’t find it interesting either.”
The former international also does not see the point. He concludes, “I’m going to do it myself with the staff, I have my own ideas and experience. We’re going to do it a little differently in terms of gameplay. I didn’t think that was necessary this time. No (when asked, if a strained relationship with Van Gaal is the reason), because then that first conversation would never have happened.”
