The Orange Ladies will hunt for their fifth consecutive European title in Mönchengladbach. With twelve final wins in sixteen tournaments, the Netherlands is the undisputed superpower of European field hockey. And again, little seems to stand in the way of another triumph. Field hockey.nl lists four reasons why the Dutch will soon be flaunting the trophy and one reason why things could go wrong.
The hunt for European Championship gold starts on Saturday with the first group match against Ireland, the current number eleven in the world rankings. Next awaits host Germany, supported by the home crowd and number six in the world. The group stage will conclude against France, the lowest ranked 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 won fifteen of the sixteen top prizes to be awarded. But where exactly does that preponderance of the Dutch team lie? Four factors stand out.
Lineup Orange Ladies prior to the game against China. Photo: Willem Vernes
1. The ironclad penalty corner
The penalty corner is one of the biggest weapons of the Orange Ladies. With Yibbi Jansen, the team has the best corner shooter in the world. Jansen knows how to keep calm when the pressure is on. The SCHC specialist scored in fourteen of her last sixteen matches. She made a hat trick against Australia (8-1) and wrote history with five goals in one game against Spain (11-2). For the third year in a row, the Orange’s cornerkanon became the Pro League’s top scorer with 19 goals. Add to that the options with Frédérique Matla and Sanne Koolen at the head of the circle and opponents know: a foul in the circle can immediately be punished rock hard. And in a match that is locked, this weapon can make just 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 several such types at their disposal. Freeke Moes can tear defenses apart with her dribbling and Marijn Veen with her creativity. Frédérique Matla also belongs to this category: one action of hers can turn an entire match around. These types of gamechangers are indispensable at tournaments: they break open what is locked up, just when they need to.
3. The cold-blooded finishers
For years, Orange has had strikers who 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 turn half a chance into a goal. Van der Elst became the Pro League’s top scorer in field goals for the second year in a row: eight times she scored 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 chances can be scarce, these “goal thieves” are worth their weight in gold. It makes Orange extremely efficient and thus highly dangerous.
4. Defense forms solid foundation
Once an American sports coach said: offense wins games, defense wins championships. The Orange seem to have heeded that old sports wisdom. Although the Dutch women under coach Raoul Ehren managed to score only once, the team scored only 22 goals in sixteen Pro League games, an average of 1.38 per game. Many of those goals came from incidents. The organization at the back forms a solid foundation, with experienced forces like Lisa Post and Sanne Koolen as anchor points. Post also plays a key role in penalty corner defense as the first out runner, while Koolen is a dangerous option offensively at the corner with her flats from the head of the circle. Even when things are not going as well offensively, Orange remains tough to beat.
The biggest opponent: Orange itself
Yet even this Orange is not untouchable. There is one factor that can throw a spanner in the works. 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 focus, any opponent can become dangerous. That was evident recently in the last Pro League game against Belgium, in which the Orange came off uninspired and sloppy. Still, there seems no reason to worry: It was the conclusion of an intense Pro League block. The team has now had two weeks of rest. With fresh legs and renewed energy, there seems little to fear in Mönchengladbach.
Joy at the Orange Ladies after a goal against Spain. Photo: Willem Vernes
by Hockey.nl
