Manchester United TrendingKoeman on De Ligt: ‘I Took Him Off to Protect Him After His Mistake Against Germany’Ronald Koeman reveals his decision to replace Matthijs de Ligt at half-time, following the defender’s error that led to Germany’s equaliser in the Nations League clash.
Ronald Koeman reveals his decision to replace Matthijs de Ligt at half-time Ronald Koeman reveals his decision to replace Matthijs de Ligt at half-time
Manchester United defender Matthijs de Ligt had a difficult night during the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw against Germany on Tuesday, which led to him being substituted at half-time by manager Ronald Koeman.
De Ligt, who was signed by United from Bayern Munich for an initial fee of €45m (£38.4m), hasn’t been a regular starter for his national team, even missing out on playing in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
Despite being overlooked for most of the Euros, where Koeman preferred to pair Stefan de Vrij and Virgil van Dijk in central defense, De Ligt was given a rare opportunity to start in the Nations League match against Germany, playing alongside Van Dijk.
However, things didn’t go as planned for the 24-year-old defender. In the first half, De Ligt made a costly mistake that led to Germany’s equalizing goal.
He lost possession after a poor pass, which allowed Germany to level the score. Following this error, Koeman decided to substitute him at half-time, replacing him with Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.
The decision to replace De Ligt at the interval echoed the substitution of Casemiro, who was also taken off during Manchester United’s 7-0 defeat to Liverpool last season. De Ligt’s fall from grace with the Dutch national team has been noticeable.
He has slipped down the pecking order, with defenders like De Vrij, Van Dijk, Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven, and Van Hecke now seemingly ahead of him in the squad.
This is a far cry from the days when De Ligt was considered one of the brightest young defensive talents in Europe.
After the game, Koeman spoke to Dutch broadcaster NOS and explained why he felt it was necessary to substitute De Ligt at half-time.
The manager admitted that he had hoped to keep De Ligt on the pitch for the full game but ultimately decided it was best to take him off to “protect him” from further mistakes.
Of course, I would rather have kept Matthijs on the pitch,” Koeman said.
It just seems like he’s going through a period where every mistake he makes gets punished. I gave him another chance today, but I took him off at half-time to protect him.
This isn’t the first time De Ligt’s performances have come under scrutiny. In his previous outing for the Netherlands against Bosnia and Herzegovina, De Ligt faced criticism from the Dutch media.
However, Koeman stood by his player after that match, saying that mistakes are part of football and that De Ligt would learn from them.“He knows he wasn’t in the right position during the game, and this shouldn’t happen, but mistakes are part of football,” Koeman said after the Bosnia match.
I think it’s unfair to make too much of a fuss about it.”De Ligt himself acknowledged that his performance wasn’t up to the mark and that he has room for improvement.
He also admitted that it had been a while since he played a full 90 minutes, which might have affected his sharpness.
I know I can do better,” De Ligt said. “It’s been a long time since I played a full 90 minutes. If I had to pick something positive, it’s that I’m happy to be playing again.
For the second goal, I struggled with my footing, but I know that the more matches I play, the better I’ll get at those things. I’ll definitely do better next time.
Despite the recent criticism and his mistakes, De Ligt remains hopeful of regaining his form and becoming a key player for both Manchester United and the Netherlands again.
He is expected to feature in their upcoming match against Southampton, where he’ll be looking to put his recent struggles behind him and prove his worth.
