Zlatan Ibrahimovic says the loss to the Netherlands was all because of one person, in the toughest World Cup review yet.
An upset Zlatan Ibrahimovic didn’t hold back as he blamed one person after the Netherlands were knocked out of the World Cup following a tense penalty shoot-out loss to Morocco.
Morocco earned their place in the last 16 by beating Ronald Koeman’s team on penalties after a 1-1 draw. Cody Gakpo gave the Dutch a slim lead in the 72nd minute, but a defensive mistake let Issa Diop score in the 91st minute, sending the game in Mexico to extra time.
From then on, Morocco controlled the match. The Netherlands only had 35% possession and mainly defended deep. Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen made a great save to keep them in, but in the end, Ismael Saibari scored the winning penalty.
Afterwards, Zlatan was clear who he blamed—coach Ronald Koeman. “This loss is on Koeman. I didn’t recognize this Dutch team at all. They lost their true identity, and that makes me angry,” he said on FOX Sports. “I was always told to attack, attack, attack. That’s the Dutch way. Today, Koeman played so cautiously it felt like an Italian style. The Netherlands always plays to win. If you lose, at least stay true to yourself.
“This was not the Netherlands I know. You could see the players didn’t look comfortable. The possession and attacking play were missing. It was a bad performance, and it’s all Koeman’s fault. Honestly, it was nothing special.”
His punditry partner, Henry, was also surprised by Koeman’s approach, especially his use of a 5-4-1 formation. “Taking off a midfielder for a defender shows fear of Morocco. That’s okay if you win, but if you lose, it looks wrong,” he said. “The Netherlands usually don’t play like this, so Koeman clearly thought differently.”
Despite the criticism, Koeman stood by his decision to use a defensive lineup. “With this setup, we gave away fewer chances than in the group matches,” he explained. “That was good, but it also meant we attacked less. People can think what they want, but against a stronger team than Sweden or Tunisia, this was the right call. And if I had to do it again, I would.”
He added, “If Morocco hadn’t scored that late equalizer, I’m sure I’d be hearing praise. But now, because I chose five defenders, I’m probably going to be blamed. Still, I believe it was necessary.”