Interim-coach Fred Grim will lead Holland for the friendly against Italy in Amsterdam tonight, but there is no rush to appoint a permanent successor following the sacking of Danny Blind.

The Oranje are in danger of failing to reach a second successive major international tournament after a 2-0 defeat in Bulgaria left them fourth in 2018 World Cup qualifying Group A, some six points adrift of leaders France and three behind second-placed Sweden.

In the wake of Blind’s departure, Dutch Football Association (KNVB) commercial director Jean-Paul Decossaux said contingency plans were in place as the search began for a new head coach.

Decossaux revealed “all options are options” with regards to the prospect of eventually appointing a foreign coach, something which the KNVB have not done since Austrian Ernst Happel guided Holland to the 1978 World Cup final.

Louis van Gaal remains ever popular with the Oranje fans having taken them to the semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup in his second stint before leaving to join Man. United.

Now out of work, Van Gaal has been suggested for a return in a technical director role to work alongside an upcoming coach, such as Everton’s Ronald Koeman.

Decossaux, though, insists the KNVB will take the time needed before deciding on which direction to follow.

“The list should include all kinds of names who can each take Dutch football forward,” Decossaux said.

“It will not be ready in a week, but we have a good idea of the profile (of the next head coach).

“We have a short-term and we have a long-term aim, so it seems to me that by June would be useful for the appointment to happen.”

Holland do at least have time on their side, with the next 2018 World Cup qualifier not until the end of the season when Luxembourg visit Rotterdam following friendlies against Morocco and the Ivory Coast.

While qualification hopes are slim, they are not yet completely extinguished, as there are fixtures against France in Paris, Bulgaria at home and then Belarus away before a potential crunch home showdown with the Swedes in October.

Georginio Wijnaldum believes the players have to remain optimistic.

“We cannot say we are not able to get to the World Cup, because there are still some games to go,” he said.

“We should not think that way, because if that is the mindset, then we should just stop.”

Italy, meanwhile, travel to the Netherlands on the back of a

2-0 home win over Albania which leaves the Azzurri level on

points with Spain at the top of Group G.

Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli believes the trip to Amsterdam will prove a worthwhile experience.

“The Netherlands are a very strong side even if they lost (in Bulgaria) and so it will be a very important test for us,” Romagnoli said.

“We are coming in from a key win in the group and we want to find the consistency to reach our best condition in view to our next matches.”

Programme

Estonia vs Croatia - 18.00
Ireland vs Iceland - 20.45
Netherlands vs Italy - 20.45
Russia vs Belgium - 18.00
Portugal vs Sweden - 20.45
France vs Spain - 21.00

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.