THERE’S little room for error in Group D at Euro 2024 with the Netherlands up against Poland, France and Austria.
The Oranje took on Didier Deschamps’ side during qualifying and didn’t fare all that well, losing 4-0 in Paris and 2-1 in Amsterdam.
Be that as it may, Ronald Koeman has some talented players at his disposal this summer and Dream Team Euros managers will understandably be tempted to back some Dutch assets once the action is underway, especially as their most-favourable fixture (Poland) comes in Matchday 1.
With that in mind, let’s analyse Netherlands’ top stars, bargain options and players to avoid.
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TOP STARS
The eye is drawn first and foremost to Netherlands’ wealth of centre-back options.
Virgil van Dijk (£5m) and Nathan Ake (£4m) are the absolute bankers with Micky van de Ven (£3.5m), Matthijs de Ligt (£4m), Stefan de Vrij (£3m) and Lutesharel Geertruida (£3m) competing for minutes elsewhere.
Jurrien Timber and Sven Botman would both have been strong contenders too had they not suffered the misfortune of injuries this season.
Koeman also has a nice problem at right wing-back where both Denzel Dumfries (£4.5m) and Jeremie Frimpong (£4m) are appealing selections.
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The former was among the most prolific assist providers across the continent during qualifying but the latter is coming off the back of an impressive campaign with Bayer Leverkusen.
There have been hints that Frimpong may play in a more advanced position so that both he and Dumfries can play in tandem – this eventuality would make him a hugely tempting option for Dream Team bosses as he’s categorised as a defender in our Euros fantasy game.
The 23-year-old registered 12 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for the German double winners in 2023/24.
While Netherlands’ defence looks strong on paper, it should be noted that they have conceded plenty of goals against the top teams in recent times – something to bear in mind for the knockouts.
Up top, Cody Gakpo (£4m) is the main man having scored eight goals and provided three assists in his last 17 outings at international level.
And his record of a goal involvement every 125.7 minutes for Liverpool this season may have been overlooked by some.
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BARGAIN OPTIONS
Netherlands’ players appear fairly priced across board generally but there might be some decent value in midfield if gaffers can predict Koeman’s starting line-up.
For example, if Teun Koopmeiners (£3m) gets the nod then his price would seem reasonable.
The 26-year-old contributed 15 goals and seven assists to Atalanta’s season, which ultimately resulted in Europa League glory.
However, Koopmeiners is can’t be considered a guaranteed starter at the time of writing so Dream Team bosses should tread carefully.
PLAYERS TO AVOID
Gini Wijnaldum (£3m) is back in contention and while his historical record at international level is good, many fans fear he won’t be up to speed in Germany.
The experienced midfielder spent the domestic season with Al-Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League and failed to score in the second half of the campaign.
Elsewhere, Ryan Gravenberch (£3m) is a familiar name but Koeman publicly admitted that the Liverpool man only made the cut because of injuries to other players which gives a fairly clear indication of his place in the pecking order.
Frenkie de Jong (£3.5m) is a crucial player for Netherlands and if he’s fully fit and motivated then he should be considered among their top stars rather than players to avoid.
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However, the Barcelona midfielder is in a race against time to make Matchday 1 and if doesn’t pull through then it might be a baptism of fire for him against France in Matchday 2 – proceed with caution.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
