Guus Hiddink: 'Turkiye won't be a problem for us'
Former coach of both the Turkish national team and the Netherlands, Guus Hiddink, shared his insights ahead of the EURO 2024 quarter-final match between the Netherlands and Turkiye. As the countdown continues for the EURO 2024 quarter-final match between the Netherlands and Turkey, Dutch legend Guus Hiddink offered his evaluation of the matchup.
The 77-year-old coach, who has previously managed the Turkish national team, spoke to the Dutch media outlet Sportnieuws.nl.
"Criticism Was Opportunistic"
"After our 3-2 loss to Austria, the team faced intense criticism. This criticism was somewhat opportunistic. Everyone had their opinions ready and had doubts about the Netherlands. Now, after playing a good match, everyone sees us as European champions. This is a very opportunistic situation, but that's how the football world is."
"I'm Receiving 'You Will Be Champions' Messages"
"Everyone saw the football we played against Romania. It became clear that the reactions were based on a single match. Currently, I'm receiving messages from all over the world, from Australia to Russia, saying 'You will be European champions.' This is the other extreme, but it's nice to see this confidence for the Netherlands."
"We Won't Have Much Trouble Against Turkiye"
"I can say the road to the final for the Netherlands looks 'easy.' Of course, anything can happen in football, but I don't think we'll have much trouble against Turkiye, for example. They have key players suspended. This match shouldn't be a problem for the Netherlands."
"We Can Make a Difference in the Final Stages"
"The Netherlands has the qualities to take control of the game early, and our players should be able to do that. But if not, we need to neutralize Turkiye after the first hour. In the match against Austria, they fell back in the last half hour. Our players can make a difference against that."
