Brian Brobbey, Cody Gakpo and Crysencio Summerville stuffed the scoreboard in Houston, where Sweden were dismantled in a 5-1 rout by the Dutch. What lessons do we take from this convincing win? Flashscore takes a look at five positives and negatives from Saturday's clash.
1: This frontline is the way forward
The first half was good, but Oranje absolutely overpowered Sweden in the second half. The trio of Cody Gakpo, Brian Brobbey, and Crysencio Summerville is simply the way forward. The way this attacking line moves, both in the counter and in longer spells of possession, fits very, very well.
Gakpo proves again and again that he's a leader up front for this Netherlands team. Five shots, of which four were on target, two goals, one assist - a brilliant effort. Brobbey came in perhaps surprisingly, but became just the fourth player in World Cup history to bag a brace in the first 17 minutes. Summerville came on to wreak havoc and did exactly that, assisting Gakpo's 4-1 and putting the exclamation mark on a great display with a dashing goal.
Having said that, I concede. I've seen the light. Donyell Malen, you are demoted to the bench. There is no place for you in this current starting setup, though you will be very useful as a dangerous substitute.
2: Trouble staying sharp?
For the second game in a row, the Netherlands struggled after the hydration breaks. Especially in the first half, when Sweden came ever so close to scoring on several occasions. If it weren't for Bart Verbruggen, who knows what the halftime score could've been?
The Dutch managed this much better in the second half, limiting Sweden to just four total (ineffective) attempts following the hydration break. It'll be good to get this under control before the knockout stages.
3: Reijnders needs to step up or take a seat
Tijjani Reijnders didn't enjoy all too much playing time under Pep Guardiola this season, and his lack of rhythm perhaps explains why he's been so poor at the World Cup. Reijnders was our lowest-rated outfield player for the Netherlands against Japan after completing 19 passes, just one of which came in the final third, and winning one duel in 70 minutes, and took another step backwards against Sweden.
Reijnders, who plays as the most advanced of the three midfielders, completed just 9 passes, won 2/7 duels, and recorded just three progressive carries in 59 minutes, earning him a measly 5.9 rating. Reijnders was taken off within the hour for Guus Til, who completed one fewer pass than Reijnders in half the playing time.
There are plenty of players ready to take up Reijnders' spot, so it's time for him to either step up or take a seat.
4: The defence needs a rethink
Often hailed as the Netherlands' best position group, the defence perhaps needs a bit of a rethink. Denzel Dumfries is totally exempt from this process after his two assists and overall strong performance against Sweden, but it is his colleague on the left side that we need to discuss.
Micky van de Ven is not a left-back. As much as Koeman wants the rapid Van de Ven, who posted the fastest speed of any player at the World Cup against Sweden (36.8 kph), to be one, he's just not. Van de Ven was a weak link at the back, though it won't show that in the statistics.
Perhaps the ever-reliable Nathan Aké can return to the spot where he became the best Netherlands player at the previous World Cup.
5: Efficiency is king
Stat sheet watchers will quickly see that Sweden had attempted more shots and had more shots on target than the Netherlands. The controlled brand of football under Ronald Koeman pays dividends, however, with the Netherlands scoring on exactly half of their total shots.
Besides, Oranje's xG of 2.60 absolutely blows Sweden's (1.01) out of the water with six fewer total attempts. Efficiency is king with this Netherlands side.
Paul Winters is Flashscore's Netherlands country manager, having previously worked for Flashscore's Netherlands desk. Paul is an expert on the Eredivisie and also specialises in the NFL, as well as a plethora of other sports. Residing in 'sunny' Katwijk, you can follow all of the news from the Netherlands here.
You can find Paul on X and LinkedIn.
