Koeman embraces ‘pressure’ to go farpublished at 11:34 BST
11:34 BST
Netherlands v Japan (Sun, 21:00 BST)
Netherlands
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Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman says “pressure” is driving progress as his side bid to reach a fourth World Cup final.
The Dutch were runners up at successive tournaments in 1974 and 1978 – before falling short again in 2010.
Ranked eighth in the world, the Netherlands’ qualification campaign was strong, conceding four goals as they won six of their eight games.
First brought into the national team set-up in 2018, Koeman’s mandate was to revive the Netherlands after they failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup and EURO 2016.
The side qualified for EURO 2020 under his management before he departed for Barcelona – then returned to manage his country in 2023 following the resignation of Louis van Gaal.
At his country’s twelfth World Cup finals, Koeman is embracing the possibility of going deep into the tournament.
“We put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Koeman said in a news conference.
“We want to go far in the tournament. We have a strong team and we know what we need to improve to have a real chance.”