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.
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The World Cup tournament is scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 11, 2026, across host nations Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
