Ronald Koeman has come under fire from the media and fans in the Netherlands following the team’s elimination by Morocco in the World Cup Round of 32. His decision to switch from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a five-man defense was widely considered a mistake, but he has no regrets.

“We chose to play that way because we conceded far too many goals in three group-stage matches. The whole of the Netherlands was saying we had to play with five defenders. We did it, and now I’m getting criticized for it. Well… I don’t give a damn! If people think I’m putting my head on the chopping block, I don’t care,” the Dutch coach emphasized.

“We decided to play this way in consultation with the players. Ultimately, I made that decision. The fact that we dropped back a little more can happen. You see that in a lot of games. Everyone has the right to their own opinion. It’s even necessary. But if I could do it again, I’d do the same thing,” he added.

As for the three missed penalty kicks that decided the match, he said: “Van Dijk and Summerville had cramps. In the end, Summerville wanted to take the penalty and missed it. Hakpo, who is our best penalty taker, had to be substituted. Morocco missed the first penalty, and on the second, Verbruggen made a save, but the ball hit him and ended up in the net. If Morocco had missed their first two penalties, things would have turned out differently. But luck just wasn’t on our side today…”.

Finally, when asked about his future, he was cryptic. “I’ve already given it some thought, but I’m not going to share my thoughts just yet,” he replied.

*photo source: AP