Frenkie de Jong hopeful for Oranje’s chances in Euro 2020
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong doesn’t think the Dutch national football team is a favorite to win the European Championships next year, but he does believe Oranje has a chance, he said to NU.nl.
Oranje qualified for the European Championships on Saturday with a 0-0 draw against Ireland on Windsor Park. This is the team’s return to the international stage, after it missed the Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup.
“If you go to a tournament with the qualities that we have, then you have to go to win.” De Jong said to the newspaper. “We are not a top favorite and I don’t know if there is one at all. France is said to stand out a bit, but I think there are about six countries that have a good chance.”
The Netherlands is one of those six countries, he said. “I do not think we are inferior to other countries, but we are not much better either. It’s very close.”
Oranje does have some work to do, as can be seen from the team drawing 0-0 against Ireland, the number 34 of the FIFA ranking, he said. “This was not the form we want at the European Championship”, De Jong said. “We need to do much better.”
While the Netherlands’ spot in the European Championship is now a fact, Oranje still has one match to play in group C against Estonia on Tuesday. The match in the Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam starts at 8:45 p.m.
