The Netherlands must improve their first-half performances and beat opponents such as Greece if they are to become a top team, says Napoli forward Lang.
Lang was introduced after half-time as the Netherlands attempted to recover from a 2-0 deficit against Greece. They eventually secured a 2-2 draw, but the forward criticised another disappointing opening 45 minutes from the Dutch side.
Reflecting on head coach Frank de Boer’s changes at the interval, Lang said he was asked to provide greater creativity and attacking confidence.
“I had to bring creativity, flair, and courage in the second half. I think all three substitutions were well executed,” he told ESPN.
Lang added that Frank de Boer was furious with the Netherlands’ display and the scoreline when the players reached half-time.
“Our first-half performance, at some point, has to stop. It’s happened too often,” he said.
The Netherlands have faced similar problems in their Nations League matches against Germany and Serbia. They drew 1-1 with Germany and lost 2-1 to Serbia, with Frank de Boer again making changes after below-par first-half performances.
Lang admitted he could not explain why the team repeatedly struggled to begin matches well, despite their ambition to compete with the strongest sides.
“I don’t know why. We want to be a strong team, and we want to compete against strong teams, but we often encounter difficulties,” he said.
The forward accepted that playing away from home in Greece presented a challenge, but felt the Netherlands should still have taken all three points.
“Of course, playing away in Greece is tough, but in my opinion, this is still a game the Netherlands must win,” Lang said.
“If you want to be a strong team, you have to deliver such a performance and win these games. This has happened too often.”
Lang also believed Greece showed a greater desire to win during the opening half. The hosts took advantage of their home support, confidence and momentum while the Netherlands struggled to match their intensity.
“In the first half, they wanted to win more than us, and that’s a problem,” he said. “Greece was playing at home, their morale was high, and they had good momentum. You have to be prepared for that.”
Although Lang was unable to identify one clear cause for the slow start, he suggested the Netherlands may have underestimated the difficulty of the match.
“Maybe we thought it would be too easy at the beginning, that we could take our time and still win this game,” he said.
