On July 3 at midnight, Romania will face the Netherlands in the UEFA Euro 1/8 final. Ahead of the match, Dutch star and Liverpool player Depay revealed that the team was deeply remorseful after their last loss and warned about Romanian dribbling ace Latiu.
The Netherlands lost 2-3 to Austria in their previous game, securing only a third-place finish in their group. Following the defeat, the team faced criticism, with Depay acknowledging, “We understand the fans’ disappointment after our game against Austria, just as we were hard on ourselves after the match. But tomorrow, we start anew, and we need the full support of our fans. We’ll give everything we have on the pitch and hope to make them proud with a victory. After the loss, we analyzed deeply and identified areas for improvement, like pressing the opponent. We’ve worked extensively on this in training.”
Discussing the upcoming knockout stage, Depay cautioned his teammates about the threat posed by Latiu: “He’s a fantastic player, especially with the ball. I’ve watched his recent matches, and he’s dangerous with his shots, capable of breaking through from midfield with great skill. He has excellent technique, is a strong right-back, and excels defensively too.”
Depay has started all three Euro matches, scoring in games against Poland and Austria. So far, the Liverpool player has made 27 appearances for the Dutch national team, scoring 11 goals and providing 4 assists. In major tournaments, he has played in nine matches, scoring five goals in total, combining both the World Cup and the Euros.
However, Depay’s praise for Latiu as a “breakthrough specialist” sparked some debate on social media, given that Latiu attempted six dribbles in three Euro games, succeeding only once, resulting in a 17% success rate.
