The Netherlands anticipated criticism after an uninspired 4-0 away win over Malta in World Cup qualification on Thursday, but coach Ronald Koeman was having none of it after his side took a step closer to next year’s finals.
Television pundits, immediately after the away game, and Friday’s newspapers bemoaned an uninspired performance from the Dutch, who went three points clear of Poland and Finland in the Group G standings with three matches to play.
But Koeman said there was nothing to be critical about.
"We won 0-4, so that's good. I didn't find it frustrating, but we could have done things better. I thought we started well, even though we gave away a chance to Malta in the opening minutes," he said, referring to captain Virgil van Dijk's sloppy back pass.
"Jurrien Timber played very well in the build-up. He freed himself a few times towards midfield and then we were able to find our people there. After that, I thought, because they also started to put a lot of pressure, that we should have found solutions faster. Then the pace went down. But we gave maximum throttle until the end. There were a lot of good things, so I pay less attention to what you think," he said after a critical question about the game.
"It is your right to look at it critically. I may think differently, right?" Koeman asked his television inquisitor.
Van Dijk was asked whether he enjoyed playing a match when the Dutch had little to gain, except points, and much to lose if they come unstuck against a team 166th in the world rankings.
"It's part of playing international football and we have done our duty," he responded.
"I don't think we should underestimate how difficult it is to play polished football through the middle. We tried, but we had to go around them. But we secured victory, that is the most important thing. We won, now on to the next one."
The Dutch, who sit on 13 points from five games, next meet Finland, who have 10 points from six games, in Amsterdam on Sunday.
