The Oranje Ladies will hunt for their fifth consecutive European title in Mönchengladbach. With twelve definitive victories in sixteen tournaments, the Netherlands is the undisputed super power of European field hockey. And again, little seems to stand in the way of another triumph. Field Hockey.nl gives four reasons why the Dutch will soon show off the trophy and a reason why things can go wrong.
The hunt for the European Gold Championship starts on Saturday with the first group match against Ireland, the current number of eleven in the world ranking. Then the host of Germany awaits, supported by the home crowd and number six in the world. The group stage ends with France, the lowest participant in the European Championship at seventeen.
With a selection full of experience and quality, the Netherlands starts the EC as clear favorites. Since the lost Olympic final in Rio 2016, the Netherlands has won fifteen of the sixteen top prizes to be awarded. But where exactly is that dominance of the Dutch team? Four factors stand out.
Line -up Orange ladies prior to the match against China. Photo: Willem Vernes
1. The iron fine angle
The Penaltyhoek is one of the largest weapons of the orange ladies. With Yibbi Jansen, the team has the best corner shooter in the world. Jansen knows how to stay calm when the pressure is on. The SCHC specialist scored in fourteen of her last sixteen games. She made a hat trick against Australia (8-1) and wrote history with five goals in one match against Spain (11-2). For the third year in a row, the Orange’s Cornerkanon became the top scorer of the Pro League with 19 goals. Add the options with Frédérique Matla and Sanne Koolen at the head of the circle and opponents know: An error in the circle can be punished immediately. And in a locked competition, this weapon can make exactly the difference.
2. Players who can make the difference
In games where the game is not going well, it is worth their weight in gold to have players who can force the pace. The Dutch have different types at their disposal. Freeke Moes can tear the defense apart with her dribbling and Marijn Veen with her creativity. Frédérique Matla also belongs to this category: one action of her can turn around an entire game. These kinds of game schangers are indispensable during tournaments: they break open what is locked up, just when needed.
3. The cold -blooded finishers
For years, Orange has had strikers that have been in the right place at the right time. It will be no different at this European championship: Joosje Burg, Fay van der Elst and Pien Dicke. All players who can change half a chance in a goal. Van der Elst became the top scorer of the Pro League in field goals for the second year in a row: she scored eight times from Open Play. The Dutch do not have to play a perfect attack. A loose ball or rebound is often enough. In a tournament where opportunities can be scarce, these ‘goal thieves’ are worth their weight in gold. It makes Orange extremely efficient and therefore very dangerous.
4. Defense forms a solid basis
An American sports coach once said: Attacking wins competitions, Defense wins championships. The orange seems to have an old sport wisdom. Although the Dutch women under coach Raoul Ehren managed to score only once, the team only scored 22 goals in sixteen Pro competition matches, an average of 1.38 per match. Many of those goals came from incidents. The organization at the back forms a solid foundation, with experienced troops such as Lisa Post and Sanne Koolen as anchor points. Post also plays a key role in the defense of the penalty corner as the first runner, while Koolen is a dangerous option attacking on the corner with its flats from the circle head. Even if things are not so well offensive, Orange remains difficult to beat.
The biggest opponent: Orange itself
But even this orange is not inviolable. There is one factor that can throw a key. If there is one team that can stop orange, it is orange itself. Favorite status can cause an unconscious loss of focus. The focus must be there every moment. Without a focus, every opponent can become dangerous. That was recently clear in the last Pro League match against Belgium, in which the Orange came uninspired and sloppy. Yet there seems to be no reason to worry: it was the conclusion of an intense pro competition block. The team has now had two weeks of rest. With fresh legs and renewed energy, there seems to be little to fear in Mönchengladbach.
Joy among the Orange ladies after a goal against Spain. Photo: Willem Vernes
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