Dependence on Wout Weghorst is causing Dutch football to slowly die out

The Netherlands kicked off their EURO 2024 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Poland in their opening Group D match. Ronald Koeman's side were heavily favored and kept the pressure on their opponents. However, they conceded an early goal and had to rely on Wout Weghorst's 84th-minute strike to come back and win 2-1.

Nathan Ake's pass took a slight hit from a Polish player before heading towards Weghorst. The 31-year-old striker easily tapped the ball past Szczesny to make it 2-1 for the Netherlands in the 83rd minute.

Ronald Koeman's substitution proved effective, as Weghorst took just 2 minutes and 18 seconds from entering the field to help Oranje turn the game around. This was also the fastest goal scored by a substitute in the history of major tournaments such as the World Cup or EURO.

It is hard to believe that the Dutch team with an attack consisting of stars such as Memphis Depay, Xavi Simons or Cody Gakpo has to rely on the brilliance of Wout Weghorst. In the past, whenever mentioning the "Orange Storm", fans would immediately think of the all-out attacking style with world-class strikers such as: Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Patrick Kluivert or Robin van Persie. However, none of the Dutch players at this time are of the level to carry the burden and become the leader of the attack.

Before the opening match against Poland, the Dutch team marched to EURO 2024 amid doubts from the media and fans of the country. Voetball commented that the current Oranje force was considered "the weakest in the past two decades", when no name was qualified enough to lead the attack, while the midfield lost strength after the absence of Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong.

Those concerns soon came true when the “Orange Storm” proved powerless against the “White Eagles” in the opening match. Despite constantly pressing the pitch against Poland, countless opportunities were missed by Depay, Xavi and Gakpo. According to statistics, the Dutch team made 21 shots towards goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny - the most in a major tournament (World Cup/EURO) since 2012. However, Weghorst's goal was only the fourth shot on target for Oranje.

Once again, Wout Weghorst played the role of hero, rescuing the Netherlands in difficult times. In the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup, the 197cm tall striker scored twice to help the Netherlands come back and drag Argentina into extra time. However, Oranje still lost to Albiceleste on penalties.

After an unsuccessful spell at Manchester United, Weghorst has been loaned out to teams like Burnley, Hoffenheim and Besiktas to find playing opportunities. Despite not performing well at club level, the striker born in 1992 is proving his ability in the national team. According to statistics, Weghorst has scored 3 goals in just 3 recent shots against Canada, Iceland and Poland.

The win over Poland bodes well for the Netherlands as they begin their EURO 2024 campaign. However, the fact that Koeman's side only won thanks to Wout Weghorst's star moment is a reflection of the decline of Dutch football after years of playing an all-out attacking style.