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Turkey handed Frank De Boer’s Netherlands a shock defeat in their opening match of the 2022 FIFA World Cup European Qualifiers. Oranje will be looking to make amends when they go up against Latvia, who themselves lost their first match to Montenegro.
It hasn’t been the best of starts to Frank De Boer’s spell as the head coach of the Netherlands. They got off to a slow start under him, failing to win any of their first four matches. Though there were wins against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Poland to follow, their latest reverse against Turkey has provided an early setback to their 2022 World Cup qualification hopes.
The Netherlands were beaten 4-2 by Turkey in their latest match, with veteran striker Burak Yilmaz scoring a remarkable hat-trick. De Boer’s men were already three goals down when Davy Klaassen pulled one back to start the come-back. Luuk De Jong netted a minute after to provide the Oranje with slight hope. However, Yilmaz’s stunning free-kick in the 81st minute sealed the result.
Elsewhere, in Netherlands’ group, Norway and Montenegro registered important wins in their opening fixtures. Erling Haaland and Co beat Gibraltar by three goals to nil even though the Borussia Dortmund man failed to get on the scoresheet himself. Montenegro, meanwhile, defeated Latvia by a scoreline of 2-1, with Stevan Jovetic netting twice. Things don’t get any easier for the Latvians, who will be hoping to avoid another loss when they face the Netherlands.
This will be the fourth time Netherlands face Latvia in history. All three previous games were played as part of the UEFA European Championship. The Netherlands currently lead the head-to-head 3-0, having scored 11 times against this particular opposition. They have never conceded a goal to Latvia either.
Both the Netherlands and Latvia play one more World Cup qualifier before the international window is over. Following their match against Latvia, Netherlands will take on Gibraltar. Latvia, meanwhile, will play Turkey in their third group game.
Key Players
Memphis Depay: A stunning penalty save from the Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir stopped Depay from getting on the scoresheet in the previous game. However, the Lyon attacker did provide both the passes from which the Oranje scored. He remains a key figure in De Boer’s attack – a focal point around which the rest of the forwards revolve. Depay can be unplayable at times. Stopping him, then, should be Latvia’s top priority when the two sides meet.
Frenkie De Jong: The Barcelona man played the full 90 minutes against Turkey in Netherlands’ previous World Cup qualifier. He was deployed in the midfield and was tasked with connecting the defence to the attack – a role he could play against Latvia. The Dutchman is enjoying a resurgence for his club side this season and will look to continue his fine form of late in the upcoming match.
Vitalijs Maksimenko: Latvia are expected to be on the back foot for much of the game against their mighty opponents. The task of defensive organization could then fall upon the veteran Maksimenko. The centre-back is by far the most experienced player in the current Latvia squad and has the most caps too. He has previously played in England in the lower divisions and is currently one of the few Latvian players playing their trade outside their country. A lot of defensive onus, then, will fall on him.
Davis Ikaunieks: While most of the defensive duties will fall on Maksimenko, Ikaunieks will be tasked with leading the attack. The Latvian striker is not the most prolific player in the current squad. The forward has scored just four times in 29 matches – three fewer than teammates Artur Zjuzins and Janis Ikaunieks. However, he did score Latvia’s only goal in their previous tie against Montenegro and will be key again for the minnows in front of the opposition goal.
Prediction
The Netherlands have found it difficult to string together a few good performances under Frank De Boer. The 2010 World Cup finalists have fallen some way from grace. They failed to qualify for the 2016 UEFA Euros and subsequently the 2018 World Cup. As such, the demands for quality performances from such a strong side are echoing loud. While the Oranje have already qualified for the next European championships, their campaign for the 2022 World Cup is off to a bad start.
On paper, Latvia are exactly the kind of opposition a team in trouble would want to face. The minnows don’t offer much threat in attack, while their defence isn’t exactly impenetrable either. However, taking them lightly could prove to be fatal for the Dutchmen.
One would still expect De Boer’s men to record a comfortable win in this one. The Netherlands have a much favourable record when the two teams have met in the past. They also have a very talented squad featuring Depay, De Jong, and Georginio Wijnaldum. A win, at this point, is a necessity for the team.
