Ronald Koeman has made Achraf Hakimi the focus of Netherlands preparation before the last-32 meeting with Morocco in Monterrey on June 30. He called Hakimi the star man and a very good right-back, while Jan Paul van Hecke said he expects a very heated match.

Koeman's Hakimi warning

Koeman's point was direct. Hakimi is the player the Netherlands have singled out first, and the reasoning is easy to see from the tournament numbers. He has played 3 World Cup matches this summer, has a 7.09 rating across the competition, and produced a 7.6 in Morocco's most recent outing.

That does not make the tie about one player only, but it does show where the Netherlands think the main danger lies. Hakimi has already been involved in 1 goal contribution at the World Cup, which is enough to justify the attention he is getting before a knockout game where margins are likely to be tight.

Van Dijk's view of Morocco

Virgil van Dijk has taken a more open-ended line on the same opponent. He said Morocco are a great team with high quality, but also have weaknesses the Netherlands must exploit. The Netherlands captain has played 3 World Cup matches himself and carries a 7.54 rating, so his view comes from a side that has looked sharp in possession and solid enough in the tournament so far.

The attacking output has been part of that. Netherlands scored 10 goals in their 3 group-stage matches, which is a useful backdrop for the way they are approaching the knockout tie. The respect is clear, but so is the confidence that they can hurt Morocco if the game opens up in the right areas.

The fixture history is short. Netherlands vs Morocco has been played 3 times before, with the Dutch winning 2 and Morocco winning 1. That keeps the sample small, even if the first meeting, at the 1994 World Cup group stage, ended in a 2-1 Netherlands win.

This is not a tie built on old certainty. It is a knockout match in Monterrey, and both sides are already talking about intensity, quality and the spaces that can decide it. Koeman has clearly decided that Hakimi is the first problem to solve, while Van Dijk is looking at the other side of the pitch and seeing gaps the Netherlands believe they can use.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →