Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman believes England will lean heavily on set-pieces during this summer’s FIFA World Cup, drawing comparisons to Arsenal’s Premier League-winning campaign under Mikel Arteta.
Koeman, who famously crushed England’s hopes of qualifying for the 1994 World Cup as a player, offered a tactical assessment of Thomas Tuchel’s squad while unveiling his Netherlands roster for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The Dutch coach suggested England’s squad selection points toward a physical and calculated approach designed to cope with demanding weather conditions during the tournament.
“You can tell how they are going to play by the choices they made for the English squad,” Koeman said.
“They are going to gamble on corners and throw-ins. That takes the least amount of energy in the hot conditions.
“That is how Arsenal became champions. Without the corners, they wouldn’t have made it.”
England’s approach could mirror Arsenal’s dominance from dead-ball situations throughout their title-winning season.
The Gunners scored 19 goals from corners — the highest tally ever recorded in a single Premier League campaign.
Much of Arsenal’s set-piece threat came through the delivery of Declan Rice, who is expected to play a key role for England at the World Cup.
Tuchel has also selected physically dominant players such as Dan Burn and Ivan Toney, reinforcing the idea that England could prioritise aerial strength and structured set-piece routines.
“We have specialists with us for all kinds of different scenarios: when you’re leading, when we’re chasing a game.
“We always said we want to be a strong set piece team, so we have specialists for that and we want to be a strong penalty team,” Tuchel previously explained.
Koeman’s Netherlands squad also contains several players familiar with the Premier League environment, including Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber.
Former Manchester United forwards Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst were also included, while Roma striker Donyell Malen earned praise after an impressive second half of the season in Italy.
Liverpool wing-back Jeremie Frimpong, however, was left out of the Dutch squad.
Koeman also reflected on lessons learned from previous tournaments, especially his handling of Memphis Depay during Euro 2004.
“I have changed,” Koeman said.
“Looking back at Euro 2004 I have considered afterwards if I did things the right way — having [Depay] as a starter. So if I think it’s like that again I might do that differently.”
Brighton striker Brian Brobbey and West Ham winger Crysencio Summerville were rewarded for strong Premier League performances with World Cup call-ups as the Dutch prepare for another deep tournament run.
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