The new manager’s arrival proved timely. Future established names such as Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk were beginning to flourish while a generation of young, talented players were emerging at Ajax.
Koeman recognised a need for more intensity in training sessions and called on his side to improve defensively, while stressing the need to keep the Dutch “identity”.
“We are people in Holland that are creative, also in football, and the technique of players is the base of our football,” adds Koeman, who won 78 caps for his country.
“It’s about the quality, it’s not about defending, it’s not about Catenaccio – it’s play to win and that style we need to keep.”
Koeman handed the captain’s armband to Van Dijk, a player he signed as Southampton manager in 2015, and set about experimenting with systems that would eventually see the 27-year-old partnered by Ajax’s teenage sensation Matthijs de Ligt in a back four for their Nations League opener.
In September last year, the Dutch were beaten 2-1 by France, but Van Dijk and De Ligt had done enough to convince Koeman he had one of the best central defensive partnerships in the world.
“You always build the house from downstairs,” he says. “You don’t start with the roof.
“When you look at Virgil now, this is a big, big personality on the pitch. He is strong, he has a great character and enjoys the responsibility.”
De Boer, who won 112 caps in the heart of the Netherlands defence, is also impressed by the PFA Player of the Year.
“He has so much confidence it is unbelievable,” says the 49-year-old.
“He is a leader in the defence and also outside the field, it gives the other players confidence.”
De Ligt, meanwhile, was almost a ready-made star. The Ajax captain made his international debut at 17 – the youngest player in more than 80 years.
“If you watch him play, you do not see a player who is only 19,” says Koeman. “You see a player who plays with so much more experience than he actually has.”
De Boer adds: “He has got everything: speed, good technique, he can build up from behind, he’s a fantastic defender. It’s unbelievable what he’s already done.”
De Ligt and Van Dijk form a solid base in the spine of a side that in midfield includes Barcelona-bound Frenkie de Jong and Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum, with Ryan Babel and Lyon’s Memphis Depay in attack.
Babel, a free agent since leaving Fulham at the end of the season, says Koeman has given the national side a clear vision and knows “exactly what type of players he wants” in each position.
“Most importantly, everybody takes their responsibility and knows what is required to play on the top level,” says the 32-year-old, who was given his senior debut at Ajax by Koeman 15 years ago.
Three of that core – Van Dijk, Depay and Wijnaldum – were on the scoresheet when the Netherlands defeated Germany 3-0 at home in their second Nations League outing. They would go on to also beat France 2-0, before scoring twice in the final five minutes to draw with the Germans in Gelsenkirchen. That set up their knockout meeting with England.
“The most important was the first match, away against France,” says Koeman. “We lost 2-1 in the end. But in that game, against the world champions, we got the feeling we can beat them. That we can play on this high level.
“The atmosphere around the national team has changed. That is down to the players and how we started in the Nations League.”
