The Netherlands should be more than excited to be back in the top-tier international competition after failing to make it to the group stages of FIFA 2018. Before that, they sure were among the favorites for many of the previous world cups. The Dutch have a full squad of young men most of whom lost the opportunity to be at the grand events at the 2018 edition of the tournament. They certainly know the wait and the magnitude of how important this FIFA edition is to them.
Besides the former champions, the Oranj is the only one who you wouldn’t want to face early in the competition. As such they have been the runner-up in three different finals of the quadrennial competition. And more often than not they haven’t been the team that easily gets knocked out of. So, here is Netherlands Squad Qatar World Cup 2022.
Netherlands Squad Qatar World Cup 2022
| Position | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | Remko Pasveer | Ajax (NED) | 38 | 2 |
| Goalkeeper | Jasper Cillessen | NEC Nijmegen (NED) | 33 | 63 |
| Goalkeeper | Mark Flekken | Freiburg (GER) | 29 | 4 |
| Defender | Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool (ENG) | 31 | 49 |
| Defender | Nathan Ake | Man City (ENG) | 27 | 29 |
| Defender | Stefan de Vrij | Inter (ITA) | 30 | 59 |
| Defender | Daley Blind | Ajax (NED) | 32 | 94 |
| Defender | Matthijs de Ligt | Bayern Munich (GER) | 23 | 38 |
| Defender | Tyrell Malacia | Man United (ENG) | 23 | 6 |
| Defender | Jurrien Timber | Ajax (NED) | 21 | 10 |
| Defender | Denzel Dumfries | Inter (ITA) | 30 | 36 |
| Midfielder | Xavi Simons | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 19 | 0 |
| Midfielder | Frenkie de Jong | Barcelona (SPA) | 25 | 45 |
| Midfielder | Davy Klaassen | Ajax (NED) | 29 | 35 |
| Midfielder | Steven Berghuis | Ajax (NED) | 30 | 39 |
| Midfielder | Marten de Roon | Atalanta (ITA) | 31 | 30 |
| Midfielder | Ryan Gravenberch | Bayern Munich (GER) | 20 | 11 |
| Midfielder | Kenneth Taylor | Ajax (NED) | 20 | 2 |
| Midfielder | Teun Koopmeiners | Atalanta (ITA) | 24 | 9 |
| Midfielder | Jordy Clasie | AZ Alkmaar (NED) | 31 | 17 |
| Forward | Memphis Depay | Barcelona (SPA) | 28 | 81 |
| Forward | Steven Bergwijn | Ajax (NED) | 25 | 24 |
| Forward | Cody Gakpo | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | 23 | 9 |
| Forward | Wout Weghorst | Besiktas (TUR) | 30 | 15 |
| Forward | Vincent Janssen | Royal Antwerp (BEL) | 28 | 20 |
| Forward | Donyell Malen | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 23 | 19 |
The Netherlands Group Fixtures
| Date | Match | Time (ET) | Stadium |
| Mon, Nov. 21 | Senegal vs. Netherlands | 11 a.m. | Al Thumama Stadium |
| Fri, Nov. 25 | Netherlands vs. Ecuador | 11 a.m. | Khalifa Int’l Stadium |
| Tues, Nov. 29 | Netherlands vs. Qatar | 10 a.m. | Al Bayt Stadium |
What Players Really Make The Netherlands Strongest?
The position at goal post might be a bit worrying issue for the Netherlands. The team’s so far no 1 pick for its shot-stopping duty, Justin Bijloe’s vulnerability to injury and recent subpar form has somewhat lessened the overall strength of the 2010 finalist – the one that they had cemented during the European qualification rounds.
However, the aforesaid issue isn’t a concern at all when it comes to their defending zone. In Qatar, it will have the obvious presence of van Djik who will be accompanied by Bayern Munich’s Matthijs de Light, Manchester City’s Nathan Ake, Internazionale’s Stefan de Vrij, and Denzel Dumfries.
Over at the midfield, the team is certain to have the presence of Frenkie de Jong who regardless of his struggles at Barcelona is more than destined to make an impact for his national team. If nothing, he is almost guaranteed to provide the Netherlands that pressure-releasing touches as well as occasional creative passage to his team’s attackers.
What Makes Them Dangerous?
While the majestic presence of Robben and Sneijder is no longer viable, the squad still has some exciting talents namely Frenkie De Jong, Matthijs de Light, Memphis Depay, Kenneth Taylor, Virgil van Dijk, and others. With years of tournament experience, the Netherlands should have it fairly easy to make it through the group stage where they are competing against Ecuador, the host, Qatar, and Senegal.
The best possible scenario is if the Flying Dutchmen manage to secure all the wins from their group stage games, it will be a big morale boost to their team which already has the presence of the Ballondr runner-up defender, Virgil Van Djik, one of the most sought after midfielder, Frenkie, and the attack that almost has the perfect combination of developing talents and experienced feet. Helming them all is the man, Louis van Gaal who took the country to the tournament’s semi-final 8 years ago.
One other thing that makes them threatening is that the Netherlands are heading to Qatar as the group winner of their European qualifying campaign during which they scored a total of 33 goals in 10 matches out of which they only lost one.
