Netherlands coach Blind adamant he will not resign

Netherlands boss Danny Blind has stressed he will not offer his resignation if his side fail to beat Sweden in Tuesday’s opening World Cup 2018 qualifier.

Blind has received his fair share of criticism ever since replacing Guus Hiddink as national team coach, but the Dutch Football Association (KNVB) stood by their man even after they failed to qualify for Euro 2016.

The 55-year-old remains under pressure, though, and reports from Netherlands suggest he could be on his way out if the Dutch fail to defeat Sweden.

Blind is not thinking about losing his job, however, and is adamant he will not step down himself.

“I am not the only one who decides whether I will still be Netherlands coach after the match against Sweden. But I will not resign,” Blind said at a news conference.

“There is always a bit of tension when it really matters. But I don’t feel pressure. I think I can cope with this situation pretty well. I know what I am doing, what I am capable of and what I have to do. That’s all I can do. It’s gone well a few times over the past few months, but it didn’t work out against Greece [a 2-1 defeat on Thursday].

“Our preparation has not been perfect, but we have to focus and I think we are ready.

“We came here to win. That’s the goal. If we cannot win, we have to make sure we don’t lose. Maybe a draw will be a fine result. It all depends on the way the match goes.”