Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong has voiced his dissatisfaction with the national team's level of play following an international friendly against Uzbekistan, as reported by Dutch media outlet ajax1.
nl on June 9, 2026.
Despite the subpar performance, De Jong clarified that he remains unconcerned about the squad's upcoming World Cup campaign, though he acknowledged the need to elevate their competitive standard.
The preparation match allowed the Dutch squad to gain tactical insights and build chemistry on the pitch ahead of the tournament, according to the midfielder.
"We learned more.
But of course this is not the level we want to show at the World Cup, but it helps," said De Jong.
De Jong further explained that the current training phase focuses primarily on establishing automatic movements and synchronization among the players before the international tournament begins.
"You have to create automatisms, so we are getting closer to the World Cup. It is frustrating sometimes, but I don't despair.
You know it will get better and we will work on it.
We need to adjust a few things, then I think it will look better immediately," stated De Jong.
During the fixture, the Netherlands utilized the opportunity to practice against an opponent deploying five defenders, simulating the tactical system used by their upcoming World Cup group stage opponent, Japan.
The strategic setup forced De Jong to frequently drop deep between the central defenders during the build-up phase, a role he notes is familiar but deviates from his preferred positioning.
"I have done that more often.
It is of course not my favorite position, but in possession I just play in midfield," said De Jong.
The midfielder highlighted the volume of scoring opportunities created during the match as a major positive takeaway despite the overall inconsistent play from the squad.
"If the chances go in here, then the match looks different immediately. Because those chances were there.
If you score three, then the feeling is very different. But the most important thing is that we create those chances.
Hopefully we have now had the matches where they don't go in. After that they will fall," added De Jong.
The World Cup tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 11, 2026, across host nations Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
