Ronald Koeman unsurprisingly said he expected more from his Netherlands team after they were beaten 4-0 by France in his first game back as head coach.
Koeman replaced Louis van Gaal to begin his second stint as Oranje boss, and will have been as surprised as anyone to see his team go 2-0 down after just eight minutes in the Stade de France, and 3-0 down after 21 minutes.
Speaking to NOS Sport after the chastening defeat in their Euro 2024 qualifying opener, Koeman admitted he had not expected such a gulf, though his team had finished with 59 per cent possession and just one fewer shot than the hosts (12-11).
"I did not take into account that the difference would be so great," he said. "I expected more from everyone. The team performance was below average.
"We lost the ball 20 metres from our own goal. That is a place where you should never lose the ball. And then France is, of course, a very good team that is lurking and immediately benefits."
Antoine Griezmann, Dayot Upamecano and new France captain Kylian Mbappe gave Les Bleus an early cushion, before Mbappe struck again two minutes from time after intercepting a pass from Memphis Depay, who later had a penalty saved by Mike Maignan.
"Memphis lost the ball, but Mbappe of course finishes it off great afterwards. So it was not just us. It was also the class of France," Koeman conceded.
The Netherlands were without some key players including Matthijs de Ligt, Cody Gakpo and Sven Botman with viral infections, but Koeman was in no mood for excuses.
"Of course the preparation has not been ideal. That has left its mark," he said. "But there have been just too many moments today when we failed.
"We now know where we stand and have learned from this. It can therefore also turn out positively. We are going to learn and improve, including us as technical staff."
Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk added: "We didn't get there, lost the duels and lost the ball too often. The second goal was a set piece, but the other goals came because we handed them the ball. France has so much quality, they immediately punish that.
"We will analyse the defeat and take a good look at what we can do better, but it is clear we are very disappointed."
The Netherlands host Gibraltar in their second Group B game on Monday.
McAllister 'can't visualise Liverpool without Van Dijk' amid exit rumours
Liverpool legend Gary McAllister cannot visualise the Reds without captain Virgil van Dijk, with the defender having entered the final year of his contract at Anfield.
Van Dijk has played a talismanic role since joining Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018, making 197 Premier League appearances for the club.
Since his debut, only Mohamed Salah (229), Trent Alexander-Arnold (211), Andy Robertson (209) and Alisson (201) have played more league matches for the Reds.
The Dutchman has won the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup trophies with the Reds, taking the captain's armband when Jordan Henderson departed last year.
However, he has entered the final 12 months of the four-year contract he signed in 2021, and when Jurgen Klopp announced his departure earlier this year, the centre-back admitted he "didn't know" whether he would continue with the club.
McAllister, however, expects him to stay put, telling Stats Perform: "He's such a pivotal player and he's a fantastic leader, he's the captain of the club.
"I can't visualise Liverpool without Virgil van Dijk. So my feeling and the feeling of most of the people in and around the club is that we need him to stay."
Van Dijk is not the only Liverpool stalwart with an uncertain future, with Salah also out of contract at the end of the season and attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League.
Salah scored 18 Premier League goals in 2023-24, making it the least prolific season of his seven-year stay on Merseyside, but McAllister says he has nothing to prove.
"Mo has been simply sensational right from the day he arrived," McAllister said.
"His goal stats, his assist stats, every stat that you can throw in, all the records that he's broken… he's just got to do what he's done every year that he's been here.
"I'm sure the new manager will be leaning on him.
"He's now a senior player, Mo, he's a player who's got vast experience, he's a world icon, he's an iconic footballer, he's going to be such a massive player for the club this season."
Salah will hope to get more support from fellow attacker Cody Gakpo in 2024-25, with the Dutchman earning a share of the Golden Boot at Euro 2024 with three goals, after only netting eight times in a frustrating 2023-24 campaign.
McAllister hopes Liverpool's appointment of Gakpo's compatriot Arne Slot will help him kick on, saying: "That'll help, the fact the manager and Gakpo are both Dutchmen.
"It was his first full season at the club, I thought he had some good games, bad games, so his form was a little bit up and down.
"But I agree, during the Euros, Gakpo was one of the Netherlands' best players and he got his goals as well. He'll gain from that experience, the fact that he did well.
"The fans will feel like they've got a new signing, I think you'll see a young man coming in with more confidence and feeling that he's now a proper Liverpool player."
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
Maguire labels England criticism 'ridiculous' following Euro 2024 display
Harry Maguire has defended his England team-mates after their performance at Euro 2024, labelling the criticism as "a bit ridiculous".
England reached back-to-back European Championship finals but suffered the same outcome in Berlin as they did at Wembley three years ago.
The defeat against Spain saw Gareth Southgate become the first head coach in the history of the tournament to end up on the losing side in two finals.
Southgate called time on his eight-year tenure in charge of the Three Lions two days after the tournament ended, winning 59.8% of his 102 games in charge.
Despite this, underwhelming performances in Germany saw cups thrown towards the former England head coach as supporters jeered the players.
Southgate came under fire for his defensive approach, though only Walter Winterbottom (383) and Alf Ramsey (224) have overseen more England goals than his 213.
However, Maguire has come to the defence of his team-mates.
“Yes, performances might not have been amazing but it is tournament football," Maguire told BBC Sport.
"It is not as expansive. There are far less risks taken. You can’t afford to make mistakes or get caught going out in a full press. You saw throughout the tournament there were not many high-scoring wins.
“I just don’t know what the media or fans expected of this team. Was it to go and beat Serbia 4-0 in the first game and then beat Denmark 3-0? Did they think it was just going to be a walk in the park?”
Under Southgate's stewardship, England reached more major tournament finals in four attempts (two) than they did in their first 23 appearances at the World Cup and Euros (one).
Maguire played 63 times during Southgate's time in charge, a total only bettered by Harry Kane (81), Kyle Walker (70), Jordan Pickford and John Stones (both 68).
Maguire was forced to miss the tournament having picked up an injury in May, forcing him to miss Manchester United's FA Cup success against Manchester City.
Euro 2024 was the first major tournament he has missed during his international career, having become a mainstay in central defence alongside Stones.
Maguire's 17 appearances at major tournaments saw him keep seven clean sheets, but he insisted that missing out on Euro 2024 was difficult for him to comprehend.
"To miss out was tough," said Maguire.
“It has been really frustrating, working all season to get myself mentally and physically at the top of my game and be in a position to feel I could really make a difference for Manchester United and my country."
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