He became the first Dutch manager who failed to win any of his four opening fixtures after his appointment in September last year.
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Frank de Boer has left his position as the boss of the Dutch national side after a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic which saw them knocked out of Euro 2020. The Netherlands seemed a competent side that could go very deep into the tournament despite the absence of their star man Virgil van Djik. The Dutch were the clear favorites going into the tie but the sending off of Matthijs de Ligt changed the complexion of the game as the Czechs took full advantage of the situation. A sizeable proportion of fans was strongly against de Boer’s appointment as his style of play was criticized as too cautious and defensive.
De Boer was the manager of Inter Milan and Crystal Palace before replacing Ronald Koeman at the helm of the Dutch national side. Koeman had left his role to take charge of Spanish club FC Barcelona last summer. De Boer’s contract would have been automatically renewed had he been successful in taking the Dutch to the quarter-finals of the Euros. As per reports, the 51-year-old told the Dutch FA that he was unwilling to continue as manager of the side.
“In anticipation of the evaluation, I have decided not to continue as national coach,” De Boer said via a KNVB statement. “The goal has not been achieved, that is clear.”
“When I was approached to become national coach in 2020, I thought it was an honour and a challenge, but I was also aware of the pressure that would come upon me from the moment I was appointed. That pressure is only increasing now, and that is not a healthy situation for me, nor for the squad in the run-up to such important matches for Dutch football on their way to World Cup qualification. I want to thank everyone, of course the fans and the players. My compliments also to the management who have created a real top sports climate here on campus,” the former Netherlands manager added.
De Boer did not have a good start to life as the manager of Holland as he set a rather unwanted record. He became the first Dutch manager who failed to win any of his four opening fixtures after his appointment in September last year.
He did have a good qualifying season with the team and boasted of a 100% record in the group stages of Euro 2020. It was highly unexpected that they would go out so early considering the players they have and the form they were in.
“The choice for Frank turned out differently than we had hoped,” said KNVB director of football Nico-Jan Hoogma. “A successor must now be found by me, after good internal consultation.”
“It is imperative to do so, because on September 1st we will be playing an important qualifier against Norway in Oslo. We will now evaluate further, broader than just the coach, sharpen the profile, and do the work that can be expected of us here,” he added.
