Dutch playmaker Frenkie de Jong wants to head into the World Cup in the best possible shape.
After finishing the World Cup qualifiers unbeaten, “Frenkie de Jong” believes the real battle for the Netherlands begins now. The Barcelona midfield star wants the team to improve as much as possible so they can enter the main tournament in top form.
On Monday night at the Johan Cruyff Stadium, the Netherlands wrapped up their final qualifying match with a 4-0 win over Lithuania. With this victory, the three-time World Cup runners-up (1974, 1978, 2010) secured their spot in the finals for the twelfth time.
After sealing direct qualification, de Jong stressed the importance of shifting their focus toward improvement.
“I think there were some good aspects in our performance. Maybe we became a little flat at times. But after the break, the period we played was fantastic for the fans. Of course, you want to score as many goals as possible — a 4-0 win is always a great result.”
“Now the real job begins. We will focus on improving as much as we can and try to go to the World Cup in the best condition possible.”
The Netherlands topped Group G with 20 points from six wins and two draws in eight matches.
