Ronald Koeman admits to making mistakes with substitutions in the match against Japan

During a press conference ahead of the upcoming match against Sweden, Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman addressed criticism regarding his decision to make changes to the squad during the match against Japan. Koeman admitted that his changes did not bring the expected results and took full responsibility for the result of the match. Against Japan, the Netherlands was leading 2-1, but after Koeman's changes, which included the dismissal of Donyell Malen and Crysencio Summerville in the 70th minute and Cody Gakpo shortly afterwards, the team lost momentum in attack. At the end of the match, Japan managed to equalize, which caused a wave of criticism against the coach.  During the conference, Koeman addressed the question whether he had discussed his decisions with the director of top football, Nigel de Jong. "I talk to Nigel every day, but I don't ask him about changes in the squad," Koeman said. At the same time, he admitted that the changes did not bring the intended effect. "I realized that we did not achieve what we wanted. Hence my responsibility for these decisions," he added. Koeman explained that his aim was to introduce more ball-playing players such as Memphis Depay, Teun Koopmeiners and later Brian Brobbey, but this was not enough to tip the scales in the Netherlands' favour. "I tried to explain the rationale behind these changes, but they did not achieve the intended impact on the match," Koeman continued. During the conference, the coach also commented on the possible absence of Frenkie de Jong in the upcoming match. --- ## Related Articles 1. [Wat hebben we geleerd van Schotland op het WK 2026 tot nu toe?](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/wat-hebben-we-geleerd-van-schotland-op-het-wk-2026-tot-nu-toe) 2. [World Cup 2026](https://oranjenet.live/nl/news/vinicius-junior-hervindt-topvorm-bij-brazilie-real-madrid-kijkt-met-gemengde-gevoelens-toe)