Long read: the inevitable decline of Frank De Boer

Just when the momentum started to build, just as it seemed the Netherlands were once again climbing up to their former pedestal, they crashed down to earth.

Defeat against the Czech Republic in Budapest was unexpected, to say the least, and the manner of the performance caused anger back in the Netherlands, and, seemingly, among the top brass of the KNVB (the Dutch football association).

Oranje had been expected to be clear favourites following a trio of impressive performances in the group stage, but the organisation of the Czechs nullified any of the threats that the Dutch could pose. Whereas prior to the match the Dutch fans were plotting what seemed to be a relatively easy route to the final, after it, they were left in depressed despair.

The amount of planning that had gone into the Czech game-plan was clear, even prior to Matthijs De Ligt’s sending off, as manager Jaroslav Šilhavý attacked the Dutch’s weak left flank, a tactic which created a number of openings, while also pressing high up the pitch, thwarting any attempt of the Netherlands to play out from the back.

Barring a Donyell Malen chance, the Dutch had carried little threat, and, following De Ligt’s sending off, the Czech game-plan resulted in two quick-fire goals, with any chance of a Dutch come-back left unlikely by the Czech dominance.

The Netherlands were firmly out-coached, and it was this fact that has caused the most consternation among the Dutch public. Frank De Boer had, up until this point, proved many of those who doubted his ability prior to the tournament wrong, but his actions during this game only reinforced those doubts.

Following De Ligt’s sending off, De Boer, to be blunt, was absolutely clueless. On occasion, teams that go down to 10 men stand up, hold their own, and occasionally come away with a victory. With De Boer, there was no chance of this happening, as he took off Oranje’s greatest attacking threat, Donyell Malen, replacing him with Quincy Promes, who seemed to have very little idea where he was playing.

There was no contingency plan, and seemingly no tactics in general, and the team consequently fell apart. It was also noticeable that, even in the first half, key players Frenkie De Jong and Memphis Depay were gesticulating to the bench, seemingly asking for some tactical switch-up as the Dutch failed to break down the Czech defence. As usual with De Boer, however, there were no answers.

Euro 2020 really is Patrik Schick's playground 🎡

The #CZE striker has his fourth goal of the tournament - and unless something dramatic happens now, #NED are going home 🧳#NEDCZE | #ITVFootball | #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/VHdl2ps5Yx

— ITV Football (@itvfootball) June 27, 2021

His 3-5-2 formation had been accepted following victories in the group stage, but, immediately following the loss, debate around whether this was in contravention to Dutch principles of 4-3-3 started to resurface.

In reality this criticism was probably slightly harsh, as 3-5-2 does at this moment in time work to the Netherlands’ strengths, due to their lack of any high-class wingers, but there can be no doubt that the ‘united wave of orange’ had fallen out of love with De Boer across 45 second-half minutes, and seemingly the players along with them.

It was therefore relatively unsurprising that only two days after the match, De Boer was gone. Although the KNVB had been relatively loyal in sticking by their men in the past (see Danny Blind and Guus Hiddink), it appeared that for once they were listening to the overwhelming public sentiment and took the right decision.

In a statement released on the KNVB website, director Nico-Jan Hoogma cited failure in the Euros as the primary reason:

“Despite all Frank's efforts, the target of reaching at least the quarter-finals has not been achieved. Under our agreement, failure to meet this goal meant that we would evaluate the situation, which may have led to a different outcome. We had aimed for a better result at the Euros, but it just didn’t happen.”

However, in different circumstances, with an harder draw and a more appreciative fanbase, you can imagine that De Boer would have stayed on. Indeed, if it had been virtually anyone else, considering the football the Dutch played in the group stage and the relative unluckiness of their exit, the manager most likely would have stayed.

For De Boer in particular, however, it was virtually an impossible job. From the beginning he was working with the knowledge of having been the ‘easy option’, following successive failures at Inter Milan, Crystal Palace and Atlanta United, and he would have had to be a miracle worker, which he quite clearly was not, to get the fans back on side.

His ending was foreshadowed from the beginning, with the legacy of years of failure meaning that he was unlikely to ever succeed, as he was constantly criticised by the fans and doubted by the players.

His start in World Cup qualifying has hardly been encouraging, and heading into the tournament, any slight slip of his led to criticism, and any major slip or clear tactical deficiency, as eventually occurred against the Czech Republic, would lead to the sack.

Considering this latest setback, it is unlikely we will ever see De Boer in the dugout again. It was slightly surprising that the departure was mutual, but as De Boer said in his own statement, the pressure was "only increasing", and it was "not a healthy situation" for him personally.

What is interesting now is the future of the Dutch National Team. Another aspect that came into De Boer’s dismissal was the undoubted potential of this side. There is quality all over the pitch, and some brilliant players coming through, and, although this year may have been slightly too early, you can expect them to reach into the latter stages of tournaments in the near future.

Frenkie De Jong is among the best midfielders in the world, while Matthijs De Ligt and the returning Virgil Van Dijk are a formidable defensive partnership. Memphis Depay is back at the upper echelons of European club football, while emerging talents such as Myron Boadu are ones to watch out for in the future.

What is needed is a good manager to lead them. But unfortunately that name is, at the moment, elusive.

The ideal candidates would be Erik ten Hag or Peter Bosz, both of whom play beautiful football in the Dutch ‘style’. However, both are unlikely to leave their club sides, Ajax and Lyon, and are therefore unrealistic targets.

Hoogma is looking for someone with an ‘aura’ like Ronald Koeman, and unfortunately there simply are no out-of-work Dutch coaches out there with that aura at the minute. Louis van Gaal would be interested, but he would be a step back into the past for a Dutch side looking to the future, and simply would not click with this group of players.

The easy option would be a Philip Cocu, but after failure at Derby and Fenerbahce you can only imagine that you would only get the same outcome as with De Boer.

With this paucity of Dutch options, therefore, for me the only option is to look externally, and to appoint a first foreign coach in 50 years. This would be a step into the unknown, but is a necessary one, unless a Bosz or a ten Hag could be attracted.

There are many managers out there who have expressed an admiration for Dutch football, and who would surely be open to taking the job. Arsene Wenger is one of these, and, although he distanced himself when De Boer was appointed, it would be an interesting last hurrah for Wenger, at a country that has always espoused his style of play, while he certainly has that ‘aura’ about him.

Another interesting appointment, in my eyes, would be Ralf Rangnick. A man perhaps overlooked at the top level of European football, he has proven his ability in taking lesser-known underdogs to victory, whilst playing attractive football. He may be a German, a fact that will always create some tension in the Netherlands, but on paper he is a match made in heaven.

This is the best generation of Dutch footballers in quite some time and another appointment like Frank De Boer cannot be risked, as players like De Jong, Van Dijk and even the brilliant Denzel Dumfries could see their promising international careers go to waste.

The Netherlands, having been in the international darkness for so long, are at a crossroads. They have the potential to turn back towards being an international powerhouse, but, with the wrong appointment, could turn the other way towards being the also-rans that more befits the size and population of the country. This might just be the most important managerial appointment in the KNVB’s history, and Hoogma has to get it right.