Think you know what happened in Netherlands vs Germany? Think again! Dive into this fun tactical breakdown of Xavi and Klopp’s clash, where the Dutch dominated, missed sitters, and showed why scorelines don’t tell the full story. Want more coach analysis and football insights? Subscribe for more and drop a comment on your favorite moment from the match! #soccer #football #tactics #sports #analysis
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0:00 - Netherlands vs Germany Game Overview
0:47 - Dutch Lineup and Football Legacy
3:39 - Midfield Dynamics and Dutch Style
6:02 - Offensive Formation and Build-Up
8:34 - Exploiting Space Against Germany
11:57 - Key Match Statistics and Set Pieces
13:59 - Analysis, Missed Chances, and Defensive Trends
16:04 - Spanish-Dutch Influence and Conclusion
We're now available on Spotify! Listen now https://open.spotify.com/show/
👉 This channel was created in collaboration with https://www.youtube.com/@futebolmaximo
0:00 - Netherlands vs Germany Game Overview
0:47 - Dutch Lineup and Football Legacy
3:39 - Midfield Dynamics and Dutch Style
6:02 - Offensive Formation and Build-Up
8:34 - Exploiting Space Against Germany
11:57 - Key Match Statistics and Set Pieces
13:59 - Analysis, Missed Chances, and Defensive Trends
16:04 - Spanish-Dutch Influence and Conclusion
We're now available on Spotify! Listen now https://open.spotify.com/show/
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LearningTranscript
00:00Soccer can be really deceiving sometimes, right?
00:02I was watching Netherlands versus Germany, Xavi and Klopp's debut,
00:06and I really liked what I saw from the Netherlands.
00:09They had an organized team with clear ideas,
00:11and most importantly, they understood where there was space to play,
00:14and they took advantage of that space, and then Germany scored.
00:17I don't even like to hear that phrase, and it was a bizarre goal, okay?
00:20And then the Netherlands creates chances, keeps pressing, and ADM misses an open goal.
00:25Then after that, it was total domination by the Dutch,
00:28but all of that just for the game to end 1-1,
00:30with the equalizer coming only at the very end.
00:33That's what I say.
00:34Those who only look at the score missed the lesson from Xavi and Deo.
00:37And speaking as someone who's already thinking about 2030,
00:40and imagining all these great coaches at the World Cup,
00:43I had to share this with you so I wouldn't be impressed all by myself, right?
00:46Let's go.
00:47I think that the whole process of building a cycle,
00:50especially for work that we have high expectations for,
00:52and I personally had a lot of expectations for Xavi's work in the Netherlands,
00:56starts with the lineup.
00:57And then the lineup caught my attention, but not that much,
01:00because the names are pretty much what you'd expect.
01:03For the defense, this is what he picked.
01:05Werbruggen in goal, the best Dutch goalkeeper at the moment.
01:08Dan Fries on the right back, and there are several good Dutch right backs.
01:11There's Dan Fries, there's Frimpong, there's Timber.
01:14But Dan Fries, he's really, really important,
01:16and remember this name because I'll come back to him later in the offensive phase.
01:21The defensive line with Van Rek on the right, Van Dijk on the left,
01:24and Van de Ven as the left back, precisely because of his speed.
01:27So far, nothing new.
01:28The same five that Koeman used in the World Cup.
01:30But I have a personal connection that almost always makes me fascinated by the game,
01:34and by Dutch football in general.
01:37The main reason is this picture that appears here behind me.
01:40I know you can't see it very well, but trust me, I'll put it up on the screen.
01:44This image, for me, says everything we have to say about modern football.
01:48We're talking about Guardiola, back in his Barcelona days as a player,
01:51being coached by Johan Cruyff.
01:53And the story of these two connects in such a brilliant way
01:56that it's impossible for us not to go back to the 60s and 70s
02:00to imagine what's happening now in 2026.
02:03Spanish soccer and Dutch soccer have always been closely connected.
02:05And mainly because of the way they play.
02:08Always a very intentional game.
02:10Understanding where there was space, how to create that space,
02:13and especially understanding where the opportunities are to take advantage.
02:16Rinos Mischel, who coached Ajax and the Dutch national team,
02:20including in the 1974 World Cup,
02:22when they were runners-up, what we now know as positional play.
02:26Then Cruyff became a coach.
02:27And he carries on that same work.
02:29Interestingly, Cruyff goes on to coach Barcelona
02:32and even wins the World Cup title against Sao Paulo.
02:35And he coaches a group of young guys, among them Guardiola.
02:37And Koeman himself, who coached the Dutch national team, was also at Barcelona.
02:41And this creates a much stronger connection between Spanish football and Dutch football.
02:45From then on, there was Rijkaard, a Dutchman,
02:48winning the Champions League with Barca in 2006,
02:50then Guardiola himself, doing what he did at Barcelona.
02:53And Luis Enrique himself, why not?
02:56Winning those two Champions Leagues now with PSG,
02:58even though he may not have been directly coached by Cruyff,
03:01or maybe not for very long,
03:02he was directly influenced by his ideas.
03:04So it's impossible for us to separate one thing from the other.
03:08And when we see Xavi,
03:10maybe one of the great possible successors to Guardiola,
03:13who was coached by Guardiola,
03:15taking over the Dutch national team,
03:17my friend,
03:18this has everything it needs to work out.
03:19And there are even two really cool videos here on the channel
03:22that pretty much go along these lines.
03:24Okay, there's one where I basically talk about the whole story of Cruyff,
03:26and I think it's worth watching when we finish this one.
03:29And another one where I explain that the new soccer nation
03:32isn't Brazil anymore, but Spain.
03:33Just look at the number of Spanish coaches succeeding around the world.
03:37But let's get back to the Netherlands here.
03:38This is more important.
03:39The Dutch midfield is going to have a huge influence
03:41on the entire way of playing.
03:43And maybe that's even why Brazilians
03:44miss having a quality midfield on the national team.
03:47Basically, as the first defensive midfielder,
03:49we have Timber,
03:50who's the brother of that Timber from Arsenal,
03:52but now he's at Crystal Palace.
03:54As the second defensive midfielder,
03:55we have Gravenbirge.
03:57Gravenbirge, who's the midfielder from Liverpool.
03:59And further forward,
04:00there's Reinders,
04:01who was at Manchester City
04:02and now went to Arab football to make a bit of money.
04:05This trio here is going to be very important in two moments.
04:08The first one,
04:09offensively,
04:10to always have an open player
04:12and the Netherlands will get the ball to this guy.
04:14And then,
04:14when defending and balancing things out really well,
04:17practically nullifying the way Germany tried to bother
04:19the Netherlands most in this game,
04:21and for those who don't like international breaks,
04:23this is a real treat, okay?
04:24Man, being able to look at Xavi against Klopp
04:26and Klopp coming back to football was really cool.
04:28Even though Germany didn't play well at all.
04:30Moving forward,
04:31we're talking about a trio here,
04:32and we really have to pay attention to this trio.
04:34It was Gakbo.
04:35On the left,
04:36on the right,
04:36it was Somerville.
04:37And this guy plays really well.
04:39He had a great World Cup,
04:40but he ended up leaving English football
04:42to go play in the Arab world.
04:44More,
04:44to make money.
04:45And up front here was Broby,
04:47who's a striker that a lot of people don't know,
04:49but he was developed at Ajax.
04:50And today,
04:51at 24 years old,
04:52he's one of the most promising players on this team.
04:54And actually,
04:55last weekend,
04:56he scored three goals against Manchester City.
04:58Today,
04:58he plays for Sunderland in the Premier League.
05:00So,
05:01at first glance,
05:02we look at this and say it's a 4-2-3-1,
05:054-3-3.
05:05There will actually be some moments with Gravenbach playing further forward,
05:08others with Reiner more over here,
05:10and then Gravenbach lined up with Timber.
05:12And obviously,
05:13the 4-3-3 is already very Spanish.
05:14But there's a lot more to come,
05:16and this story is about to get interesting.
05:18Even though it was a match between two great coaches,
05:21and maybe not,
05:23for sure,
05:23Klopp's story is much bigger than Xavi's as a coach,
05:25including the fact that he's already won the Champions League,
05:28and Xavi still hasn't really managed to get his career going.
05:30But what I saw in this game was a much more prepared Netherlands.
05:34Maybe mainly because they have a common thread that,
05:37year after year,
05:38keeps more or less the same idea of playing.
05:40When we look back,
05:41for example,
05:41with Van Gaal,
05:42who was actually one of Cruyff's rivals,
05:44when Cruyff was a coach,
05:45the Netherlands played in a certain way.
05:47With Koeman,
05:48they played in the same way.
05:50And with Xavi,
05:51now a coach coming from outside,
05:52the idea stays more or less the same.
05:54And I believe that with a good generation like this,
05:56having a good cycle,
05:57and arriving optimistic for the World Cup,
05:59they could be one of the favorite teams.
06:01And you'll follow along here with us, right?
06:03Don't forget to subscribe,
06:04because here I'm talking about Xavi,
06:06but I still have to talk about Zidane,
06:08Klopp,
06:08Ancelotti himself,
06:09and Jorge Jesus.
06:10There are a bunch of good coaches
06:12who will be at the next World Cup,
06:13and that we'll talk about here on the channel,
06:15just to start things off, okay?
06:16So how did this Netherlands team work?
06:18And why do I even think it's revolutionary,
06:21and very much in line with the current standards of football?
06:24First reason,
06:25offensively,
06:26it looks a lot like what Barcelona is doing right now,
06:28and I believe Ancelotti will try to follow the same path.
06:31First,
06:32a back three build-up.
06:33There's nothing really revolutionary about this,
06:35but it does bring some cool ideas.
06:36Van Rijk,
06:37Van Dijk,
06:37and Van de Ven.
06:38Three natural centerbacks.
06:40Why not?
06:40And then we'll usually see two holding midfielders more aligned,
06:43Timber and Gravenbest,
06:45in this game against Germany.
06:46Reinder is left here between the lines,
06:48and he'll also be very important.
06:50Gakpo.
06:51Sticking to the wing,
06:52and Somerville,
06:53and Danfries really understanding each other in this game.
06:56So what was the idea,
06:58okay?
06:58Danfries is the guy who pushes forward.
07:00So if the left back stays back,
07:03Danfries on the right is the one who goes up,
07:05and Somerville moves a bit more inside.
07:07And they switch positions a lot,
07:09okay?
07:09There were times when Somerville would go wide,
07:11and Danfries would attack through the middle,
07:13but that's not the main point.
07:14What I want to point out is that the Netherlands basically attacked in the same formation that
07:18Barcelona has been trying to use.
07:223-3-4.
07:23And for a long time,
07:24we talked about the 3-2-5,
07:26the 3-1-5-1,
07:27the 3-4-3.
07:28This 3-3-4 is becoming very important in world football,
07:31and I'll show you why.
07:33If we break it down number by number,
07:35we start to understand the reasons.
07:36First,
07:37building out with 3 at the back,
07:39besides giving you more security,
07:40usually allows you to have a 3-on-2 advantage against the two attackers.
07:44And having defenders who build up well,
07:46like Van Rijk,
07:47Van De Ven,
07:47and Van Dijk,
07:48that's gold,
07:49and it's going to be very important as well.
07:50We move forward on the field,
07:52and we see three players in the middle.
07:53Usually,
07:54when we talk about 3-2-5,
07:55we already imagine a box in midfield.
07:58But this 3-3-4 has more of a characteristic of attacking the space behind the defense,
08:02and being very aggressive in the final third.
08:04This midfield trio usually already has the ability to create a numerical advantage
08:08against teams that defend with only two defensive midfielders.
08:11And in the worst case scenario,
08:12if there are three defensive midfielders or three central midfielders marking in the middle,
08:16it's a numerical equality.
08:17And the front four allows you to have four players lined up with a back four,
08:21and ready to attack the space in behind.
08:23So, the first three players build out from the back,
08:26the other three draw defenders in,
08:28and the front four are always ready to break in behind the defense.
08:31And that's how the Netherlands used to organize themselves.
08:34Placing the little German markers here,
08:36how did this basically work?
08:37Germany would go with a pair of strikers,
08:39which were Havertz and Amiri.
08:41And then,
08:41later Havertz gets injured,
08:43Brobe himself also gets injured,
08:44but that's not so relevant for a long-term analysis of the Netherlands here.
08:48And the idea was that these three defenders would attract those two strikers.
08:51Further up,
08:52the wingers would have slightly different roles.
08:55On the right,
08:55it was ADM,
08:56and he almost always pressed Van de Ven in moments of higher pressure.
09:00And this is crucial for us to understand how the Netherlands took advantage of the spaces.
09:05The other one,
09:05here on the left side,
09:07was Shade from Brentford,
09:08who tracked Danfries' runs,
09:10but he didn't always track him,
09:12because often he was more focused on pushing forward than covering the space behind him.
09:16And Danfries' overlapping runs are also very important.
09:20And then we'll basically see a pair of defensive midfielders,
09:23which were Kimmich and Nemicia,
09:25basically alone,
09:26against Gravenberge and Timber.
09:28When both midfielders pushed up,
09:30Reinder found space behind them.
09:32And not only was he free behind them,
09:34but he often tried to get free in the space that ADM left.
09:38So he was basically the free man,
09:40very creative,
09:41and the Netherlands almost always tried to get the ball to him here between the lines.
09:45In fact, the Netherlands created a lot of danger this way,
09:48building up play,
09:49moving the ball with short passes,
09:50drawing the defense,
09:51understanding where the spaces are,
09:53and getting the ball there.
09:54This Dutch and Spanish style is really known for that,
09:57with some players even waiting too long,
10:00because they know they'll be free,
10:01like Reinder,
10:02who I showed earlier.
10:04He'll end up unmarked,
10:05the way the defense matches up will give him a bit more space,
10:08and he needs to wait there.
10:10Meanwhile,
10:10other players will work and create dynamics to get the ball to the right spot.
10:16It's a very intentional game,
10:17a game where the player's positioning really matters.
10:21Moving further up the field,
10:23Broby usually tried to hold off both centerbacks,
10:25and the centerback still had to keep an eye on Reinders,
10:27because he could be the one left unmarked.
10:30So for example,
10:31John Tanta,
10:32who was the right centerback,
10:33would sometimes step up here to try to balance things,
10:36and make sure the Netherlands didn't have so much space between the lines.
10:39Both fullbacks played a little more tucked in.
10:42And this is where the Netherlands often took advantage of that space.
10:45If John Tanta,
10:46for example,
10:46stepped up,
10:47the other fullback was forced to tuck in even more.
10:50And with that,
10:51Van Dijk,
10:51who has incredible quality with long diagonal passes,
10:55would do what?
10:56He would play that ball to the winger who was left open.
10:59So,
10:59if it was this fullback who tucked in,
11:01Van Dijk had that long ball to gack.
11:03If,
11:03by chance,
11:04Schlatterbeck was the guy who stepped up to follow Reinders,
11:06usually the other fullback would tuck in.
11:09And then Dumfries or Somerville,
11:11I'll even mention Somerville here,
11:12because Dumfries sometimes played more inside and took shade with him,
11:15leaving Somerville open on the wing.
11:17And then what would Van Dijk do?
11:20A long diagonal to Somerville.
11:22And these two guys,
11:24both Gack and Somerville,
11:25are impressive on the counter,
11:26especially when they have space to attack.
11:29If the defensive line is just a bit higher,
11:31they really take advantage of that space behind the defense.
11:34Very fast,
11:34excellent dribblers.
11:35And at that moment,
11:37when the fullback steps up to try to balance things,
11:40Dumfries can still make a run through here,
11:42and be very dangerous.
11:43In other words,
11:44if you run,
11:45you're in trouble.
11:45If you stay,
11:46you're in trouble too.
11:47The Netherlands basically found space in every option.
11:50If we even plotted out on the pitch,
11:51they made great use of the space between the lines,
11:54made great use of the wide channels,
11:55and the other wide channel as well.
11:57Germany was left trying to protect the box here,
11:59and avoid the risks.
12:00But then,
12:01take a look at these numbers here on 365.
12:03We can come here to statistics,
12:05and first we already look at the shots,
12:07the number of shots that the Netherlands managed to generate inside the six-yard box.
12:11For example,
12:12this one with Van Dijk at 21 minutes,
12:13actually,
12:14at 61 minutes,
12:15which had a 21% chance of scoring.
12:17This one from Mierding,
12:19who came in for Broby,
12:20who left injured,
12:20with an 86% chance of scoring,
12:22and he ended up missing it.
12:24And this other one here with Dumfries,
12:25at 53 minutes,
12:26with a 14% chance of goal.
12:28And here I need to tell you,
12:30if we only look at the result,
12:31we won't improve by analyzing the game.
12:34So I invite you once again to subscribe to the channel,
12:36because we don't just look at the results,
12:38we actually look at what football tells us.
12:41Because if this game here is played 10 times,
12:44I guarantee you that the Netherlands will win most of those games.
12:47And a crucial number for us to understand is this one.
12:50Besides 54% possession,
12:523.12 expected goals,
12:54while Germany only had 1.5.
12:56That goal scored, in fact, by Nemecher,
12:58he had 32 minutes with a 38% chance of scoring,
13:01and there was a very clear chance missed by ADM with 47%.
13:05The ball comes in,
13:06but there was no goalkeeper anymore.
13:08He misses after a good pass from Nathaniel Brown.
13:10Basically, these were the two chances
13:12that would have given Germany the opportunity to score a goal.
13:15But we also need to remember
13:17that the Netherlands had two goals disallowed.
13:20The first goal, in my opinion,
13:21was wrongly disallowed,
13:23a header by Van Dijk at 12 minutes into the first half,
13:25when the Netherlands made a very interesting set-piece play
13:27and Broby blocked the goalkeeper's movement.
13:30Van Dijk scored with a header.
13:31The height of the Dutch players will always be very important.
13:34We're talking about a team with an average height well above the norm,
13:38and so set-pieces are also an interesting factor for us to keep an eye on.
13:42And the second play, in my opinion,
13:44Germany created a scramble in the box.
13:46The ball ended up loose,
13:48and then Weirman finished and scored the equalizer at that point.
13:51But the referee blew the whistle before and gave a foul for Germany,
13:54probably because with a bunch of players fighting for the ball,
13:56he preferred to call an attacking foul, which is easier.
13:59Terrible refereeing,
14:00so we're basically saying there's not really any way around it, right?
14:02The Netherlands makes great use of long diagonal passes
14:05to find the wingers on the counter,
14:07Reinders in between the lines,
14:08and they also have Van Rijk, Van Dijk, and Van de Veen,
14:11who are very good in the air.
14:13Obviously, this Netherlands team still needs to mature a bit more, okay?
14:17With Broby as the starter,
14:19I think there's a lot to gain over the course of the cycle.
14:22But today he got injured,
14:23and you can't afford to miss that many clear chances.
14:26But between us, this was a match that could have ended 4-0,
14:28and we would even be worried about Klopp's future in Germany.
14:31But those who have been subscribed to the channel for a long time
14:33know that I never underestimate the defensive side.
14:36You have to be very good offensively and defensively.
14:39You need to be balanced.
14:40And here's another trend for those of you who like to follow football tactically.
14:44Besides this, 3-3-4,
14:45there's a marking pattern that's being repeated over and over all over the world.
14:49Manchester City does this.
14:50Arsenal does this.
14:52Barcelona does this.
14:53And now the Netherlands is doing it too.
14:55And besides pressing high,
14:56the positioning of some players will be important for us to understand.
15:00First, Germany was going to play out from the back,
15:02with Ter Stegen and the two centerbacks,
15:04and Broby was usually keeping an eye on Jonathan Tott,
15:07who was the right-sided centerback.
15:09Theoretically, Schroederbeck would be free on the left.
15:12Theoretically,
15:13because Somerville would leave Nathaniel Braun,
15:16who is Germany's left back,
15:17to come up here.
15:18And then you might say, right,
15:20well then the fullback will be free,
15:21just get the ball to the fullback.
15:23Big mistake.
15:24Dumfries would come up from the back to cover and mark.
15:27Van Rijk would mark the winger,
15:28Van Dijk would stay in the center,
15:30Van de Fein would be on the other side,
15:31and everyone was in position.
15:34Mainly because,
15:35unlike Germany,
15:36the Netherlands would put three midfielders in the middle.
15:39Reinders would mark Kimmich,
15:41Gravenberg would keep an eye on Nemesha,
15:43and Timber would drop back a bit more to follow Amiri,
15:45who was practically a second striker.
15:48In practice,
15:49everyone was marked,
15:50and the Netherlands were relentless in moments of pressure.
15:52It's no wonder they managed to win the ball back several times
15:55in the attacking third and create danger.
15:57I'm telling you,
15:58this should have been a 3- or 4-0 game for the Netherlands,
16:00no kidding.
16:01And that's what gets me so fired up about Xavi's team.
16:04I'm already in love with the Spanish style of play.
16:07It's no wonder they just won the World Cup,
16:09and even the Champions League was won by a Spanish coach.
16:12The Premier League 2 was won by a Spanish coach,
16:14and then we see history repeating itself.
16:16The Spanish and Dutch schools,
16:18which have been together so many times,
16:20like in this picture here,
16:21like in the 2010 World Cup final,
16:23they keep growing throughout this cycle.
16:26I'm really curious to see what will happen,
16:28and now I need your help.
16:29Comment below which video you want to see next.
16:32Klopp's Germany,
16:33Zidane's France,
16:34or Jorge Jesus's Portugal.
16:36One of these three will be released on the channel
16:38in the next few days,
16:39and I'm counting on you.
16:41And as promised,
16:42now click on this video here
16:43to learn about Klopp's story,
16:44and keep binge-watching our channel.
16:46Let's go, come on!
16:47Let's go with me now.