'Angry' Zlatan puts ALL blame on Koeman for Netherlands' early World Cup exit

Koeman-Zlatan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has pulled no punches in his assessment of Ronald Koeman following the Netherlands' dramatic World Cup elimination at the hands of Morocco. The legendary striker accused his former Ajax manager of completely betraying the nation's traditional footballing philosophy by adopting a defensive setup that ultimately backfired in Monterrey.

Tactical gamble triggers disaster

The Oranje crashed out in the round of 32 after failing to protect a late advantage against a relentless Moroccan outfit. Koeman surprisingly abandoned his usual blueprint to deploy an ultra-conservative five-man backline for the first time in 32 fixtures. Cody Gakpo's second-half opener looked to have sealed progress, but a devastating stoppage-time equaliser forced extra time before a dismal penalty shootout condemned the Dutch to a 3-2 defeat.

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Ibrahimovic condemns negative setup

Working as a pundit on FOX Sports, Ibrahimovic expressed his fury at how unrecognisable the team looked on the pitch under Koeman.

Ibrahimovic stated: "This defeat is Koeman's fault because I didn't recognise this Dutch team. He lost with an identity that is not the Dutch identity. That makes me angry.

"I was always taught: attack, attack, attack. This is not the Dutch identity. Today, Koeman looked like an Italian coach, playing not to lose, whereas the Netherlands always play to win. If you lose, at least lose with your own identity and don't change it.

"This wasn't the Netherlands I'm used to seeing. You could also tell by the way they played that they didn't feel comfortable. The possession was gone, the attacking football was gone... It just looked really bad, and that was all on Koeman. I didn't like it at all, absolutely not."

'Clearly had a different vision'

The criticism was not isolated, as Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry voiced similar astonishment regarding the pragmatic tactical shift.

Henry said of the ex-Barcelona manager's decision-making: "You take off a midfielder to bring on a defender... by doing that, you're basically saying you're afraid of Morocco. Of course, you're allowed to do that. If you win, you're right. If you lose, you're wrong. I was truly surprised because that's not how the Netherlands normally play. But Koeman clearly had a different vision."

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Managerial uncertainty grips Oranje

A cloud of uncertainty now hangs over the Dutch camp following their historically poor penalty shootout display in Monterrey. Severe internal inquests into the squad's apparent identity crisis are already underway. With pressure mounting from all sides, the immediate focus centres on the hot seat as Koeman reportedly deliberates whether to step down from his post.