De Jong: I see no crisis; Netherlands ready

According to Diario Sport, De Jong responded to criticism from the Dutch media before the first match of the FIFA World Cup, stating that the Dutch team is not in crisis.

The Dutch team is no longer the same as it once was. The "Oranje" arrived at the FIFA World Cup in the United States, Mexico, and Canada with many well-known players, but they have not yet truly entered the top tier of championship contenders. Koeman's team's mission on this trip is to change outside perceptions.

The Dutch team's last two warm-up matches are an example. On June 3, the Dutch team suffered a crushing defeat to Algeria. Subsequently, against the relatively weaker Uzbekistan, the Dutch team also struggled, eventually winning only through two penalties. The Dutch media sharply criticized this, but De Jong defended the team before the first match against Japan.

The Barcelona midfielder said at the press conference: "We are not in crisis. We need to improve in some areas, but I don't see the kind of crisis that the outside world has been talking about, maybe that's what some of you are saying. We are ready and well-prepared. I understand why people are pessimistic, but tomorrow everyone will have reason to be optimistic." When asked about a major controversy of this FIFA World Cup, the mandatory 3-minute hydration break, De Jong spoke for FIFA: "These 3 minutes are important. We already take a break after 22 minutes of training."

Early this morning, local time, Koeman also accepted an interview. The Dutch coach spoke about the pressure: "There is always pressure. Although we have never won a FIFA World Cup, we have pressure to perform well."

Koeman added: "The standards are set very high, and we set them ourselves. We need to improve, but we are well-prepared." Dallas is the venue for this match, and Koeman also bid farewell to the Dutch national team here as a player: "I played my last national team game here. We lost 2-3 to the Brazilian team, who later won the championship, and they had Bebeto and Romário. We were unlucky, but it was a great game."