The Netherlands will return to compete at their 11th European Championship this summer as they bid to improve on their last-16 exit from the tournament three years ago.
Under Frank de Boer, they breezed through their group by winning all three games against Ukraine, Austria and North Macedonia, but came unstuck against Czech Republic in the first knockout round.
Now, they are back with a new manager in the dugout and a fresh squad of players hopeful of doing something special in Germany.
They have not been handed the easiest group, but with 16 teams out of 24 progressing to the knockout stages, the Netherlands have every reason to be confident of putting a run together to challenge Europe’s elite over the coming weeks.
But who is in charge of the Netherlands these days? And which players should you be looking out for?
Mail Sport takes you through the Netherlands, including how they qualified for the tournament, their history in the competition and who to look out for.
The Netherlands will be aiming to win their second European Championship this summer
They will be led by Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk (pictured) in Germany
Who is the manager?
Ronald Koeman
Ronald Koeman has returned for a second spell in charge of the national team after also managing the side from February 2018 to August 2020.
He opted to move back into club management at Barcelona four years ago, but lasted a little over a year at the Nou Camp before being sacked.
Following the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Koeman was brought back in to replace Louis van Gaal.
He has overseen a mixed bag of results over the last 18 months, but will hope for his team to find a level of consistency this summer to give themselves a chance of going all the way.
Ronald Koeman is back in charge after previously managing the team between 2018 and 2020
Who is their star man?
Xavi Simons
We all know what Virgil van Dijk can do at the back, and he will also wear the captain’s armband in Germany.
Frenkie de Jong is also key to the Netherlands’ hopes. The midfielder has had an injury-hit season at Barcelona, but he is the player that makes his team tick, and if he finds his rhythm there are few better at dictating the tempo of a game.
But Simons gets the nod after a standout season at RB Leipzig. He finished the campaign with 10 goals and 15 assists across all competitions, and will be tasked with being the team’s chief creator this summer.
The Netherlands have looked a little lightweight up top in recent tournaments, but if Simons and Memphis Depay can gel, they will cause plenty of problems in the final third this time around.
Xavi Simons has had a brilliant season and looks ready to burst onto the international scene
How did they qualify?
The Netherlands were placed in Group B alongside World Cup finalists France for Euro 2024 qualifying and they got off to a disastrous start when they were thrashed 4-0 by Les Bleus in Paris last March.
They recovered to win three games on the bounce against Gibraltar, Greece and Republic of Ireland, before losing the return match against France 2-1 in Amsterdam.
Koeman’s men still had work to do heading into their final three group games, but they picked up consecutive 1-0 victories over Greece and Republic of Ireland before finishing with a flourish by thrashing Gibraltar 6-0 to book their spot in Germany.
They took 18 points from a possible 24 to qualify with something to spare. And what’s their reward? Being put in the same group as France again at Euro 2024…
The Netherlands lost both of their matches against France in qualifying, including a 4-0 thrashing in Paris
The Netherlands recovered well from those losses to qualify for Euro 2024 with time to spare
Fixtures (all UK time)
The Netherlands vs Poland – Sunday June 16, 2pm at Volksparkstadion, Hamburg
The Netherlands vs France – Friday June 21, 8pm at Red Bull Arena, Leipzig
The Netherlands vs Austria – Tuesday June 25, 5pm at Olympiastadion, Berlin
Tournament history
The Netherlands have won the Euros before back in 1988 after beating the Soviet Union 2-0 in the final.
Ruud Gullit opened the scoring that day, but the match is best remembered for Marco van Basten’s incredible volley – arguably the greatest Euros goal ever. Where was that tournament held, you ask? Germany. A good omen for Oranje.
The proud European nation have also finished third on no fewer than four occasions in 1976, 1992, 2000 and 2004.
But they have not got past the quarter-finals in the last 20 years. They will feel it’s time to end that disappointing run.
The Netherlands won the Euros in 1988 in Germany, but haven’t won a major tournament since
The final will always be remembered for Marco van Basten’s incredible second-half volley
Odds to win the trophy
18/1 – odds provided by Sky Bet. Odds are correct at the time of publishing.
Confirmed squad
Goalkeepers: Justin Bijlow, Mark Flekken, Bart Verbruggen
Defenders: Nathan Ake, Daley Blind, Matthijs de Ligt, Micky van de Ven, Stefan de Vrij, Denzel Dumfries, Jeremie Frimpong, Lutsharel Geertruida, Virgil van Dijk, Ian Maatsen*
Midfielders: Ryan Gravenberch, Tijjani Reijnders, Jerdy Schouten, Xavi Simons, Joey Veerman, Georginio Wijnaldum
Attackers: Steven Bergwijn, Brian Brobbey, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Donyell Malen, Wout Weghorst, Joshua Zirkzee*
*Ian Maatsen and Joshua Zirkzee joined the squad following injuries to Frenkie de Jong and Teun Koopmeiners.
