Koeman: De Jong s recovery is not enough to cope with tomorrow s game, the problem is not serious, but the risk of playing is too high

At 12 a.m. on September 8, in the European group stage of the World Cup qualifiers, the Netherlands challenged Lithuania away. Before the game, Dutch coach Koeman talked about De Jong's situation at a press conference.

◉ Regarding the replacement of De Jong in advance in the last game against Poland, Koeman said: "De Jong felt some discomfort in the game, and there is no reason to let the players take unnecessary risks, which is why we replaced De Jong."

◉ Regarding the failure to call De Jong in this game, let him continue to rest

Coeman said: "His recovery is not enough to deal with tomorrow's game. We don't think the problem is serious, but the risk of getting him on the court is too great."

◉ As for who will replace De Jong in the Dutch midfield, Koeman did not disclose any more clues. In fact, Koeman also expected Lithuania to adopt similar tactics as Poland.

Koeman said: "We have to organize the offense from the backcourt as quickly as possible and quickly move to the other side." In the last game against Poland, De Jong has become the target of the opponent's focus on defense. Barcelona striker Lewandowski said after the game that one of his main tasks is to "avoid De Jong dribbling the ball and continue to advance."