Where Netherlands went wrong under Jonker in Euro 2025 failure

BASEL, Switzerland -- After three years in charge of the women's team, Andries Jonker's Netherlands career is over as the side crashed out of Euro 2025 in the group stage. A 5-2 demolition job by France on Sunday summed up their disappointing tournament and the boos which bellowed around St Jakob Park when his image appeared on screen showed that he will not be missed.

After losing 4-0 to England in their second match, Netherlands looked like a side ready to turn things around when they stole into a 2-1 lead over the French, but conceding three goals in six minutes ended any slim hopes they had of salvaging their tournament. In the end, the Dutch only managed one win in their three games, letting in nine goals in total, and narrowly avoided surpassing 2013 as their worst-ever tournament performance.

Yes, it was a tough group; England and France are both ranked among world's top 10. But it was a dismal campaign, marred by controversy and poor tactical decisions.

It was not always like this, though. There was optimism when the former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg assistant first arrived in the role in 2022, with fans hopeful that he could rekindle some of what the country showed under former manager Sarina Wiegman, who led the team to the Euro 2017 title and second place at the 2019 World Cup.

But Jonker's tenure has always been somewhat turbulent. When results were good, the team enjoyed widespread support and praise; yet, as soon as things turned ugly -- like the failed bid to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics -- questions arose about whether Netherlands still deserved to be called a European powerhouse.

"We can beat anyone" became their rallying cry. The story of Euro 2025 proves that is simply not the case anymore. So, what went wrong?

Too much noise

At the start of the year, the Dutch federation announced that Jonker's contract would not be extended beyond the end of Euro 2025. The manager made it clear that he was not happy with the decision and rumors of unrest within the camp started to swirl.

In April, Wiegman's trusted assistant coach of eight years, Arjan Veurink, was named Jonker's successor while still employed by England. Tensions began to simmer as a 4-0 defeat to Germany and 1-1 draw with Scotland in the last two UEFA Nations League games saw the Dutch fail to qualify for the finals, then hit boiling point on the eve of the Euro 2025 showdown with debutants Wales as Jonker admitted he had considered quitting before the tournament began, citing doubts about his authority and the level of support he was receiving.

"It was all good in the first [international] window after I got the news," he told the NOS podcast. "In the last window we played badly for one-and-a-half of the two games, and you start to think ... 'Hold on, do I still want to do this?' And you talk to people around you and there's no one around me that says that I need to do this. They all say: 'You shouldn't do this. Stay at home, let them figure it out.'"

The comments started a snowball effect which shrouded Netherlands' campaign in negativity; a media frenzy ensued as criticism of the manager mounted. On July 4, what should have been a routine news conference turned contentious when a journalist accused Jonker of staging a "puppet show" where the focus was more on him than the players.

Jonker responded, saying: "These women have given everything in 2025. Everything. And we have done that together. You people are all here today and this is thanks to us. To these women. The royal family will be there. And you have the guts to call it puppetry." The exchange created a major distraction in the lead-up to Netherlands' first match and while it ended with a comfortable 3-0 win over Wales, the subsequent 4-0 loss to England saw the pressure mount again.

Player issues?

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Cracks had been visible in the Oranje setup for some time. When rumors first surfaced that the players were unhappy with Jonker, captain Sherida Spitse publicly defended him, saying: "I could easily have continued working with Andries for another two years."

But comments from other players in Switzerland suggested some had grown tired of Jonker's approach. Lyon midfielder Damaris Egurrola criticized her limited playing time, insisting that she wasn't given the chance to build the trust needed to prove she could adapt. "My role here is different than at Lyon," she told Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant. "If I have to play in a way that is not suited to me, then I get the short end of the stick."

There was also an unusual situation involving veteran midfielder Daniëlle van de Donk. In what is likely to be her final tournament, at the age of 33, Van de Donk started the first match vs. Wales, but was benched for the loss to England after suffering a groin injury. When asked about her absence after the game, she claimed she had been given no explanation and was fit to play, though Jonker insisted it was a "miscommunication" as he had already selected his team.

The episode highlighted a deeper problem that suggests the relationship between Jonker and his players had broken down in his final weeks in charge.

The manager also had to deal with a significant injury list. Vivianne Miedema, Daphne van Domselaar, Victoria Pelova, and Lineth Beerensteyn all spent time on the sidelines in the lead-up to Euro 2025, forcing the team to be constantly rotated, reshuffled and a far cry from his most-settled starting XI.

Yet when they -- with the exception of Beerensteyn -- were fit enough to start, Jonker opted to try to squeeze his best players into the XI, deploying Pelova and Jill Roord out wide instead of in their natural midfield roles. In the end, his heavy reliance on veterans and a reluctance to integrate younger players during the Nations League campaign left him with limited options heading into the tournament.

And when it really mattered, against France, top scorer Vivianne Miedema was left on the bench for a game in which they needed to win by 3+ goals to seal an unlikely qualification spot. That summed up just how wayward some of the decision making has been in Switzerland.

The next chapter

It's a sour end to Jonker's three-year spell, but where better to start fresh than at the bottom? A period of healing will likely be needed for the squad, having arguably been the group stage's biggest disappointment.

Veurink is set to take over at the conclusion of the Euros and there seems to be a lot of positivity around his appointment. Many of the players know him well from his four-year stint as assistant coach under Wiegman, and he arrives with glowing recommendations from the English FA, staff and players.

"Given my situation, I'm also looking ahead," Egurrola said. "I can't lie about that. Someone new is coming in, with an almost entirely new staff; a fresh start. Hopefully with that new staff, we'll be able to achieve success in the future."

Where things turned sour under Jonker, there is hope that the 38-year-old Veurink can breathe new life into the team. The squad needs a refresh, some refined tactics and a period away from media criticism to get back on track. Though they will have to learn lessons from their dismal Euros performance if they are to truly evolve.

Information from Audrey de Ridder and ESPN NL was used in this report.