Memphis, from love to loathing

blog WC2018
by Jan

Euros Schmeuros…. I’m watching a lot of games, keen to see a moment of brilliance of Modric, Bale, Ozil or Dembele. So far, it was not great. Some good stuff here and there. Shaqiri’s goal, Ozil little flicks, Bale’s runs, Iniesta’s allround game. But also dreadful football at times. Wales – Northern Ireland… what a drama. Never seen such a bad game of football ever at this level… And then to think we are not there…. Aaaarggh…

But, we’ll need to drink the poisonous chalice all the way, I guess.

And with all that, we also have to face the fact that the hope of the Nation – Memphis Depay – has reached a big low and we are all keen to see that he will come out of it…

Benched for Oranje, on the stands in Manchester, ridiculed by the fans… Once touted as the biggest talent of the country since a long time, he has now lived through a year of self doubt, criticism and disappointments… Where did it go wrong? Will it ever come good?

London

The loud music is blaring from the big speakers. On the big screen, we see amazing footage of the biggest athletes on the planet. Awesome coverage of sports heroes, all winning and sweating in sports apparel by Under Armour. Lindsey Vonn, Michael Phelps, Andy Murray, Jordan Spieth…

memphis hat

Adrienne Lofton is the CEO of this massive American brand and she flew to London to personally introduce the special guest to the audience. The guest of honour is The New Face of international football, she says, proudly… She is talking about someone who “perfectly represents the brand”. A young super star and the face of the new marketing campaign. “Ladies and gentlemen, here he is… MEMPHIS!”…

The player walks onto the state in The Bike Shed, a glorious venue in East London, capital of hipsters, slick ad execs and filthy rich creatives… It is late February 2016 and Man United won that night in a match 0-3 versus Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup.

Memphis actually played the full 90 minutes again. The million dollar signing became a bench warmer at Old Trafford. The words “disappointment” and “failure” have been used a couple of times already in the English media. The Dutchman struggles. With himself, and with the ball, for months already and his credit with Van Gaal seems to have dissipated.

At the end of the evening, Memphis muses about his situation. “This is a tough phase to be in. Making mistakes is terrible. But… I just have to remain confident and believe it will make me a better player. This is the only thing I can do: work hard, keep focus and believe in myself.”

memphis doubt

Memphis is sipping on a bottle of water, leaning against a table. You don’t need a PhD in psychology to know he is not comfortable. He signed the Under Armour contract in his last season with PSV, when it was clear he was going to go far. Under Armour saw him as the perfect face for years to come. The new C Ronaldo, Beckham, Ljungberg… Memphis was honoured and saw this line of fashion befitting to him. It matched his personality. Kees Ploegsma, former PSV manager and his agent, expected that this partnership would work and advised the youngster to commit. Memphis, a lad of extremes. A player who wants to become the best on the planet. A super star in the making.

Ploegsma: “We manage the affairs of Cillesen and Strootman too… But we make different decisions for them, scout different options for them. They’re different than Memphis. Or maybe, Memphis is different to them… Memphis is an all or nothing kinda guy. He loves that.”

But, these sort of things will work against you if it becomes nothing. There is no way Memphis can duck out. He signed a contract with a billion dollar company. The brand is key. Contract is contract.

memphis chest

Dublin

Nothing works. Every action he starts ends in clumsy loss of possession. A stray pass? It can happen. A dribble being stopped. Sure. But at some stage, Memphis is wrestling with the ball, trying to keep it under control. A typical sign the player is lacking all confidence. He looks lacklustre. Without inspiration. His season seems to end in style, in a way, in a dramatic friendly between Oranje and Ireland. The cocky youngster seems to come to grips with this phase in his career and is vulnerable and open in an interview just some days before. “Oh yes, I had periods I doubted myself. But, those are now behind me.”

Memphis’ problem is that no one seems to have an eye for his vulnerability. He is the big summer signing of Man United. He accepted the legendary jersey #7. He is the lad buying the Rolls Royce. The arrogant star who refused to speak to the media. And…he also wears a hat at times! A hat!! How dare he? And he taunts and debates with the 101 times capped international Robin van Persie. He created his own reputation of course, but no one seems to care for the young player who struggles with self doubt and expectations. A player, desperately looking for some confidence.

ROTTERDAM

Memphis is looking for words. And when he does, he tends to look into the distance. He is looking for words. And uses hip hop terms and streetjive, such as “ya know?” and “crib” and “positive vibes”. He speaks the language of the big cities in Holland. Robin van Persie, ironically, was one of the first to show of his street lingo, when he was a young player. The masses watching tv don’t like it. The papa mamas in Hierden, the kids in Loenen or the labourers in Enschede… it makes him distant and otherwordly. But Van Persie survived this stage. Hopefully Memphis will too. Memphis is in Rotterdam, he’s been given a couple of days off and he decides to go for a big interview with Algemeen Dagblad. The interview is like pulling teeth for him. A good friend says: “Memphis is very open, very outspoken and generous… But you need to win his trust first. He will always assess the situation before he allows people a look in. From when he was young, he had to deal with this. He is hurt a lot, as a kid. Damaged. That makes him a bit detached… ” But, after a while, he starts to open up. And speaks with detail and in a calm fashiong about his motivations and the contradictions in his personality. And he tries to find the reason for his insatiable appetite for fame and success. He talks about his love-hate relationship with the spotlights…. sometimes loathing the attention and sometimes actively looking for it.

memphis dick

It becomes a long interview, a fascinating talk, and mainly due to the somewhat scruffy portrait Memphis paints of himself. “I demand of myself that I am 100% there from the get go. I think that is the street in me… Don’t fail! Failure is NOT an option!” Another soundbite: “I don’t know what it is but I loathe being mediocre. I cannot be mainstream. The middle of the road is not my thing. You get hit by a car in the middle of the road…”

About his extraverted hobbies. “Some people collect stamps. Some people are fanatical about WW2. Others have pigeons. I like fashion. I like new things, art, beauty. This is what makes me feel good. If I would have to wear what others want me to wear, I’d be unhappy. I wouldn’t be me.”

London

Memphis is walking on the pitch of Wembley. No football boots. Normal shoes. He congratulates and cuddles with his team mates who just won the FA Cup. After he saw all the players, he crosses paths with Louis van Gaal. The coach who didn’t pick him for the match squad. Van Gaal puts his arm around Memphis’ shoulder. A clumsy hug follows. It is the last episode of a relationship gone wrong. Van Gaal was the coach who allowed Depay to make his debut in Oranje, he paid millions for him to get him into a ManU jersey and he put him in the starting line up for months. An insider: “Louis van Gaal has a narcissistic trait. People with this disorder will support people who do what they say, support what they say and play along with the tricks. Once a player talks back or shows his lack of commitment to the behaviour of the narcist, things can unravel really quickly.” This seems to have happened with Memphis and Louis. Something happened. And as a result, Memphis was out of grace. He does have some decent turns as a sub but almost the same number of sub-turns amount to nothing. With crucial loss of possession even. He does play a sensational game against Midtjylland and the hope returns to Old Trafford… Would it start now?

memphis berguis

But, Van Gaal doesn’t use Memphis in big games anymore. Once Louis’ love is gone, it won’t ever return, it seems. Some people say Van Gaal doesn’t like all the off-pitch shenanigans of Memphis. The cars, the sponsor deals, the hats… But insiders say it’s not like that. Van Gaal couldn’t care less if Memphis would perform, he can wear the suit of Big Bird on his days off. Insiders claim that Memphis wants to play his own game. And isn’t coachable as Van Gaal wants to see it. Interestingly, most ManU players seem to have difficulties with Van Gaal’s tight straightjacket approach. Fellaini, Rooney, Carrick, Januzaj, Herreira… most players want to have some more freedom on the pitch. Memphis probably first in the line to need this…

But there were no complaints at Man United – from Van Gaal, Giggs or anyone else – about his work ethic and focus. The player has his own nutritionist, his own mental coach, he asked for more hours on the practice field and selected a very quiet suburb in Manchester to live. Away from the spotlights.

Memphis and Van Gaal did not have a break up due to his (Memphis’ or Louis’) antics. Louis knew what he was dealing with. But Louis left Memphis out because Martial simply was better on his position.  And the more the pressure mounted, the more Memphis tried to make every single ball contact count. He became too focused on doing something special. A trick, a dribble, a shot in the top corner, a shimmy… He wanted to give the fans what they needed and craved for.  And obviously, whenever he failed, it meant loss of possession. The risk in his game would become too high. Van Gaal needed wins over performance and went with players who played simple. Ashley Young became a relief striker because he only does what he does well. Memphis succumbed under the pressure of the expectations, the transfer fee and his obsession to be special.

But, at the same time, Memphis started to become more and more frustrated with the philosophy of his coach. And with him, other players as well. Rooney, De Gea, Carrick, Schneiderlin, Herreira… Control and discipline were key. The Dutch coach constantly focused on keep possession, no risk, tactical tasks and as a result the creativity and intuition and impulse disappeared from Man United’s game.

So, add all this to the fact that any player needs to adjust to the English league, and the causes for his disappointing first season are there. “It wasn’t a great season, but it also wasn’t a terrible one,” he said himself.

jose manu

MANCHESTER

Incoming ManU coach has his own ideas. He also is not a figure-head of beautiful football (although Van Gaal used to be). The Overrated One believes in winning. The centre back type that is Daley Blind doesn’t fit in his philosophy. In his teams, he always used to “destroyers” in the center defence. He doesn’t want tactically strong but physically light players with good ball and passing skills.

He will get millions to throw around, but there is a fair chance that most players will still be at Old Trafford once Jose starts. The rumours that Memphis will have to go are simply just rumours for now. Because Mourinho does like “characters”. He will play compact and will need speed up front. Memphis is a perfect player for a more counter-attacking game plan.Memphis is not the greatest in confined space. He needs space to use his skills and his golden right foot.

Memphis will have a couple of weeks to fight for his future at Manchester United. The fans and the media are done with him. It will be all or nothing. Exactly like Memphis wants it….

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184 comments

    1. Too bad he could not help us fight our way into the Euros!
      I thought he was very slow and also too slow with the ball to create much or inspire. Not that I would blame him.. I think Hiddinks’ using him so much held back our midfield from growing and improving, a huge part of the reason we had such a bad time finding goals against bus-parking/ counter attacking teams. Those are not games which require a hard DM who is past prime and so slow, even though he is a great reader of the game.

      Here are all our results with Nigel since the WC:
      L away in Italy 0-2
      L away to Czechs 1-2
      W at home v Kazakhstan 3-1
      L away to Iceland 0-2
      D at home to Turkey 1-1

      Having said that, I have previously really liked Nigel de Jong and actually I think he was always a bit underrated as a footballer, since his reputation was as being such a hard man.
      But it is natural, eventually you grow old and your level will drop.
      We need to give him thanks for his work for us and move on IMO.

      2. @Sybe, Totally agree that Nigel was underrated as a fb player. He developed into a hard man mf, and his coming out party for that role was Euro 2008. I remember reading him once saying that he made a conscious decision to take that role because it was his best path. But when he first appeared for Ajax, he played both defense and mf, and was quick and skillful. He had that beautiful goal against Arsenal in a CL match. But what I best remember is him playing rb for Ajax and Robben on the left wing for PSV. Great duels.

        Giving him thanks is exactly right. But who knows, maybe you need him in a one off situation somewhere down the road.

        1. I agree with you, not wise to ever close a door completely on a player.

          But we must have some pretty serious injury issues IMO for him to be chosen over Strootman, Bazoer, Clasie, de Roon, Hendrix, and even Blind (in no particular order!).. also I am excited to see young Carel Eiting play DM with the U19s coming up in a couple weeks although he often plays CB/RB as well, and it will more likely that Duarte plays DM as in most of the qualifiers, and he could be good also!

  6. Finally an entertaining game, tonight. Still not impressed by Belgium, too bad for then their back line got so decimated by injuries, though.

    Can’t say Wales was more technically impressive, but, boy, they fight, press forward. In a word: they play….

  7. Chelsea (finally) confirm the signing of 16 year old Juan Familia-Castillo from Ajax on a free transfer.

    Young players moving early.. good or bad, what do you think?
    I am sure it will come up alot over the U19s and with everyone spreading transfer gossip..

  8. I’ve generally been supporting the underdogs so far, but I’m all in now for Wales.

    They have a striker who does Cruyff turns, a number 10 who’s a great playmaker, and a star left footed inverted winger who wears number 11.

    If you adjust the tint on your TV screen, you can even make their jerseys look orange…

  9. Wales won against Belgium. They played very well when without the ball. Iceland is another team which excelled in this aspect also.
    The NT did that very well in 2014 WC. But fell short in the Euro qualifiers.

  11. Kind of funny.. based ONLY on goals and assist per game from this past season (and then goals against / clean sheets for keepers), our team of the season would be:

    Cillessen
    Willems – Blind – Veltman – Verhaugh
    Strootman
    van Ginkel – Klaassen
    Promes – L de Jong – Locadia

    2. this is reallay pretty weak team sybe…assist alone doesnt count.
      Blind should not be wasting his taime as LCB,LB he should play more front and advanced…
      Klassen is no way better than Propper..
      Promes lacks quality but his work rate is more than any player,horse lungs…
      Veltman is brillaint defender with one fault in every game…very good reader of game…
      Luuk is marvelous player whenever we are trouble he comes in and just scores,doesnt do fantasy dribbles or so..eye for key pass and goal..A leader with braveheart.
      Locadia also lacks quality but i am more convinced with him than Promes,Depay,Afellay etc…Coz Locadia means goals and trouble for opponent, a brave hearetd player who puts team over him..player with over my body attitude..
      Strootman and Ginkel are class they just continue their hardwork..

      1. To be clear, it is not best in my opinion or based on opinion in any way, only based on the parameters I mentioned: actual goals and assists compared to # of games, and in the positions players mostly played this last season.

        Personally I think assists are super important…
        But here is the team based on only goals per game, just for you because you are the special case Tiju who can only see things one way:

        Cillessen
        Verhaugh – Gouweleeuw – van Dijk – van Aanholt
        de Roon
        van Ginkel – Klaassen
        Promes – L de Jong – Locadia

        (front line remains the same)

        1. Sybe…i just said it,i did understood what u meant..i knew that its not ur preference or idea…
          “”Personally I think assists are super important…””””
          yes that matters no dispute,,,but i make sure that i get robust,intelligent,fast agile defenders who boss the forwards .

    3. B team of the season:

      Zoet
      Karsdorp – Letschert – de Vrij – Zeegelaar
      Anita
      Vilhena – Propper
      Robben – Janssen – Dos Santos

  12. Gks–Krul>zoet>Cillessen
    total-3
    RBs
    Tete—Kevin diks
    RCBs
    Bruma—Devrij
    LCBs
    Virgil–Mensah
    Lbs
    Williams-Kongolo
    Total 8
    Holding —6nos
    Strootman—Hendrix
    Bazoer——Blind/Ginkel
    Sneijder—-Propper
    total-6
    Main strikers 2
    Janssen—Luuk
    Wingers and partial strikers and partial playmaker
    Roben
    Locadia
    Ramseelar/Nouri
    Annholt
    total–4 nos
    total—23….nos

    1. i dont think wat they are going to win with Fellaini,Lukkaku brothers…players looks okay are De bruyne,?Hazard,Toby,Vertoghen,curtois, even Naingolan is not good…their attack is so slow,Fellaini,Witsel,Naingolan their brain is too slow compared to Kroos,Vaart,lahm, sneidejr,persie,danny blind etc..
      when these 3 is playing with lukaku brothers…catastrophy is complete..

  14. Belgium provides a stark illustration of the current tension between football being a players’ game and a coaches’ game. With all of the In-depth tactical discussion and analysis these days, it feels like the game more and more belongs to the coaches.

    The Belgium team, in contrast to this trend, has a great assortment of talented individuals, and they rely on their stars’ individualistic play to create their goal-scoring opportunities.

    Can that type of approach survive in this modern era? As the Bible says, live by the sword, die by the sword.

    Marc Wilmots seems to want it both ways though. He seems to completely defer to his star players to create and run the team, but then afterwards throws them under the bus with statements like: “I think we had a good gameplan. For the first 20 to 25 minutes we were dominating but suddenly we dropped back 15 yards. Maybe we were worried about the space in behind.”

    As the coach, it’s your job to make sure your team is playing well at all times throughout the game. You can’t just say my approach to the game was correct but then the players decided to do something on their own — especially when your game plan actually is just “hey guys, go out there and do things on your own”!

    1. NO JB they have some overrated players like lukaku brothers,Fellaini,Witsel etc evn Nainggolan is not that great…i think their midfeild is too slow for quick passing…thats why they loose..

      1. Tiju:

        I agree that not all of Belgium’s players are outstanding, but I feel like they have as much attacking talent as anyone at the Euros. My point was really that modern tactics have made football much more of a coaches game and that star talent alone is no longer enough for success as a team.

        Additionally, it is much easier to develop defensive tactics as a team than attacking tactics. As a result, too many coaches, such as Wilmots and Mourinho, abdicate offensive responsibility, and instead just rely on their star players to create goals individually without having a team-wide tactical plan for doing so.

        The teams that score the most goals are not always the teams with the most talented attacking players, but the teams that play fluidly and move off the ball to create for each other.

        That’s the football that I really enjoy and is all too rare these days.

        1. there is no common thing with Wilmots and Jose..Wilmots is pretty clueless coach with no tactical wisdom,thats why he keeps selecting same bunch of players.he has no plan B..Its true jose is defensive but he has tactics…he is a winner..
          Wilmots faied in tactics thats true and he is not a competent coach…Belgium needs a better coach and six or 5 another players in starting 11.

          1. I agree and disagree. Mourinho is a far better coach than Wilmots, but they both lack a tactical approach to attacking and instead just rely on their stars to figure out how to score on their own.

            There are obviously moments of individual brilliance that can change a game, but just hoping for that is not really a game plan for attacking.

            And I still feel that Belgium had enough quality to at least reach the finals of this tournament.

      1. Berjwin is just another overhyped product..Anyways i have no hope with both.So i gave up…
        Do any one remmber corpot Dropped Bruma for Van derhoorn for Isreal U21 euro…Eventully he got F@##ked in ass once De vrij got injured….Vs italy…
        I was looking Bruma,how a thoughtfull coach can make player in to better player.Now he is at wolfsburg.

  16. I think here is our U19 for the euros coming up:
    G
    van Osch – PSV
    R de Boer – ADO
    Paes – NEC
    D
    ter Avest – Twente
    Lelieveld Vitesse
    Verdonk Zwolle
    Carolina PSV
    Knoester – Feyenoord
    Troupee – Utrecht
    Zeefuik – Ajax
    Eiting – Ajax
    M
    Duarte – PSV
    Nouri -Ajax
    Vlap – Heerenveen
    Rosario – Almere
    F de Jong – Ajax
    Schuurman – Feyenoord
    Paal – PSV
    F
    Bergwijn – PSV
    Lammers – PSV
    Dekker – Ajax
    Bacuna – Groningen
    Grot – NEC
    van der Heijden – ADO

    Frenkie de Jong was on a list of 24 from Winter, but now, like Donnie van de Beek, he likely stays with Ajax who prepare for their CL qualifier.
    Besides those two, the CB pairing of van Drongelen and Fosu-Mensah,and also Dilrosun of Man City were big players involved in qualifiers who are not going to play – strange that TFM is absent, is he injured still? I hope that is the only reason he does not play..
    Kongolo of Man City and Mink Peeters of Real Madrid were some other players cut from the whom I was hoping to get a look at if possible.. too bad for now.

    Excited for the tournament, HUP Holland!

  17. this guy kevin diks is on verge of Fiorentina.i know that he is exceptionally good and he can buy pass any one as RB just 19 year old and 56 games for Vitsse…that itself says his ability..He should have stayed there for long time…move at 19 is very bad..

  18. Have read all sorts of Janssen rumored moves.. seems he is not happy that AZ have not accepted one of Spurs many low-ball offers, and he prefers to go there – while AZ have accepted one from PSG but VJ has rejected the move… would have to say PSG makes more sense from a developmental standpoint. Can’t see him playing much EPL or CL at Spurs behind Kane, and since Ibra gone from PSG, they only have Cavani left there who is also a winger and getting old.. anyway, I hope he gets lots of minutes wherever he goes, as it looks more and more likely that he is leaving AZ.

    1. Sybe its all depend on coach….whether its PSG or Spurs,kane is overrated for sure,he can pipe him…kane is no way better than Janssen ATM….but still lets see.i hope Everton sell Lukkau to PSG and janssen plays for Everton under koeman is the best for him..

      1. 25 goals in one of the best league in the world and this farter is saying he is overated.

        Kane is purely a klass Jan Huntelaar type of striker and at Tottenham he is the main focal point and that’s why he keeps scoring. Tottenham dont have decent wingers. Both Lamela and Eriksen are typical midfielders and with them on the wings,ts more like playing with three central midfielders with Alli in the middle. They continuously feed Kane all around giving him more space on wide as well which in other scenarios is mostly covered by wingers.

        Hodgson mistake was playing Rooney in the midfield.there was shift in the focal point and hence Kane was a isolated figure. Hodgson should have stuck with Tottenham combo when using Kane up front.

        The subs should have been Rooney and Sturidge for Kane and Alli or the other way around.

        2. Smelly farter wilson…u know how many games kane struggle din the begining of season?? and end of season???
          have u ever watched him? how dare u to compare klass jan with him..??has nt u seen totenham chalks with kane???hasnt u seen england chokes with kane??
          u r so dumb…u r the one who is always on wrong side…
          25 goals in EPL is good,cosidering the teammates in totenham thats not a big deal…kane is flopper like higuain..both are overrated ..

    2. It is a great chance for AZ to earn unprecedented amount of money through selling Janssen. It should be a win-win solution. Based on General Director of AZ, Alkmaar did not want to sell Janssen as they wanted to challenge this year Big three. Based on last information, Spurs have already met 20 million euro price tag and Janssen will soon leave for London club. Whether he is going to be successful in England, I do not know but I wish him all the best as he is a hope of Oranje.

  20. Kevin Diks to Fiorentina should be confirmed in the coming days.Fiorentina is a good team and should be a good place for him to take his development to the next level.let’s see whether he can live up to expectation or no.

  21. – If that’s true, he will have chance to play in very competitive league, Europa league next season, better teammate to improve himself.
    – Recently more Dutch player come to Serie A and just few mediocre guys playing for La Liga. This tell that our player quality’s problem

  23. Wow, i don’t give any hope on this guy, you can see he ‘s 22 year old but cannot reach first choice at Dutch league club even behide folk Kuijt & mediocre Elia.

    – Football specialist & big clubs appreciate Kevin Diks because his very high performance & potential. He’s only 19 year old but key player for VITESSE, played regularly last season.

    1. Could agree on this one but again With Kramers arrival its was always going to be hard for him to compete for starting 11 . At least now he can clock more minutes.the rest is wait and see game.

    2. Achabar is an intelligent player,but his short staure like Clasie is causing issue i think,we all looking big center forward like RVN etc…coz of his size he is getting over looked..

  24. Talking about future of Orange, i think it’s very easy to predict, they are these players

    K.Diks, Fosu-Mensah, Ake, Bazoer, Nouri, Mallen, Janssen, Dos Santos,J.Kluivert, Hoedt, Juste, Riedewald, Tete, Živković, R.Kongolo, Ramselaar, Hendrix

    But again, it will go true or not depend on each of individual situation.

  25. Looking at Van Ginkel at Stoke,Clasie at Southampton you would agree Akes adaptability at EPL level has been a great and timely one especially with him turning heads every where he has gone on loan. He has also brushed aside competitions and held his spot in the starting 11 which goes to saw where his credentials lies.hopefully he will get the opportunity to play DM at Bournemouth

    1. Yes, @Wilson

      I really prefer to see Ake & Fosu-Mensah play as defensive midfielder as replacements for Nigel de Jong. I know they are versatile for all position of back-line but with their physical & style i am still believe their best position could be MD.

      P/S : we are also have some other decent & potential MDs for near future ex: Hendrix of PSV, last season Emergence de Roon of Atalanta. They are real MD.

  26. Marten de Roon’s move to Middlesborough is completed, well deserved and good for him – made the most tackles (122) and the second most interceptions (132) of all Serie A players this past season.
    Interested to see how he copes in the EPL with much better competition.

  29. Quincy promes!
    The guy played two excellent seasons in Russia scoring around 32 goals in 50 games maybe, he confirmed himself as a very good player, still at a young age, you expect to see some interest from big clubs in Europe, I don’t want to say Real Madrid and Barcelona or the manchesters but I am thinking u should hear about an interest from Liverpool, Tottenham, juve, borussia dortmund but you google his name and u hear nothing around this guy!!! What is it with Dutch players not being attractive to big teams anymore ???
    I guess it is related to all the failures a lot of these Dutch players had in big teams, Elia in juventus, drenthe in Real Madrid, and even failures in lesser teams like luuk de Jong in new castle or many other Dutch strikers in premiere league like the guy who played for Saint etienne after I can’t remember his name!!!
    Vincent Janssen on the other hand seems to be the real deal, I hope he can prove himself with Tottenham and finally get us excited for an oranje player in a big team with some champions league time!!! He might help improve the image of Dutch players in big leagues, only time will tell though…

    1. Alaa its all about quality…many new dutch players lacks quality,Promes lacks it..but his workman ethics he is balancing it,he is available all the time,immese lungs,he is like connecting oil in team…..any ways he is not my first choice though i prefer him over less hardworking and ineffective players..
      there is enough news about Bazoer,Janssen in news TFM etc too…i mean these players has quality..i think thats the differnce. Look at how much attention Memphis got…as people thought he is talented as he is but you know 85kg for 1.74 m will severely affect your stamina and over all footballing skills..i am afraid of new generation stupid physical trainers who encourage players to get bulk up and loose their natural ability..it is becoming a trend now..

  30. Some players potentially will follow Janssen, de Roon, De Hoorn, Stam come to PL.

    Cillicsen, Strootman, Mitchell Dijks, Willems, El Ghazi, Promes, Bazoer

    So let’s see what will happen for them.

  32. Van Dijk move also should be on cards if John stones departs Everton. Koeman is set to make his second signing of Zenit midfielder Axel Witsel.

  33. Van der weil has also officially signed for Fenerbahce after the club used Dirk Kyuts connection to lure him to Turkey.

    What a waste, at 28 he should have reaching his peak,don’t think his move will help in that course. His chapter can finally be closed now.

  34. Tottenham have met 20 million euro priced asked by AZ for Janssen. It looks like he is moving to London by the end of this week. 20 million euros is almost entire budget of AZ!!! Will AZ purchase another central striker? Hopefully, they will go with another option rather than Heracles central striker Weghorst.

    1. Yes, saw that as well. Hope Janssen does well. Where does he fit in with Spurs? I guess they are planning to play he and Kane up front together. Wonder how that will work.

      1. i have seen kane + Vardy in England that was a disaster…i am not optimitic about kane…
        Janssen requires players who move intelligently with out ball…this is pretty absent from kane..i hope janssen forces kane to bench…

        1. Looks like AZ is signing Weghorst. He is very different type of central striker and I do not see any big difference between him and Robert Muhren that plays for AZ B-team. Not sure why they are spending money for such a one-dimensional player as Weghorst…

    2. ’20 million euros is almost entire budget of AZ’

      Haizz, it’s too cheap if we compare to other players from other countries. Cheap cost but they have to consider bargain so many times 🙂

      – Renato Sanches around €35m
      – Sadio Mane around of £34m.
      – Christian Benteke around £30m target
      – Lukaka £65m fee for target

      I don’t see so much different in term of quality & level from those expensive player and our dutch talent
      Remember in the past RVN, Kluivert, Bergkhamp, Hassenbank, Maakay were also cheap comparing with player lower level & less quality than them.

      1. I just read the article where Max Huiberts denied Tottenham’s third bid of 20 million euro for Janssen. The Dutch Media started stirring water, saying that Janssen can take AZ to court if the former does not allow him to leave for Tottenham for a lesser price. I do not see that is coming but you never know. When large amount of money is at steak people tend to forget about what club has done for them. I believe AZ did a lot for Janssen in terms of his development.

      2. Ruud this always happens with dutch players,there is lots of portugal agnets are their in business,liek mendes,etc..they are smart in bargaining and marketiing mediocre talents…now I just heared BMI is 10 m toeverton and kevin diks just 2m to fiorentina…which says it all…BMI just failed in porto and still gets 10..i think dutch clubs should make a name in CL again by winning it and players must stay there untill they win CL..this will have a huge impact in dutch eredivise and selling dutch talents…We will get more populairty and popularity brings you sponsorship bumpers and money..

  35. – If Memphis & Blind still remain at MU we are still have at least three guys at the club.
    – Everton also 1 potential contingent for Dutch player with Koeman & Stelenburg there already & some target Martins Indi, Strootman, etc.
    – Spur also a good place for Dutch player with Vorm and most likely Janssen there, Winajdum in target

    Conclusion: very eager if the things happen next season we can watch PM with so many choices on tv every week

    MU, Swansea,Everton, Spur

  36. If we have Promes + El Ghazi at Liverpool & Mallen emerge next season in first sqad at Arsenal , same things for R.Kongolo + Dilrosun at M.City then perfect 🙂

    1. Promes and Elgahzi has limitations..i dont know about Rodney and Dilrosun.As normally these plastic money clubs buys mostly very highly talented ones..

      1. I can confirm that everyone has limit. Sadly, many good commenters have left the blog because someone’s negativity and repetition has gone over their limit.

      2. Promes and Elgahzi remind me Lens, before he went to abroad he was very talented, however Promes & El Ghazi are still young if they come to good club & coach & a little bit lucky they will become better better otherwise we have to accept their mediocre career path.

        We have so many cases like this Memphis, Kishna, etc so let’s see.

      1. Yes, @TIJU

        I watched him sometimes, he made me impressive with only 19 year old but he play as a senior guys & dominated all most the games he played like the way that Fosu-Mesah did in MU but for sure everyone know his club Vitesse Arnhelm is much smaller than MU for this comparison, some well-known newspapers in Europe have admitted his talent and give him very high rating in the list of top young talent in the world, don’t know why his cost is too cheap.

        1. Now bonnuci is 45m targetd by manshitty plastic club…had kevin diks played vs Englad as RB for us then he would have got 20 milion…like Depay got in WC2014,janssen vs England etc..

  39. Trust me, we have some Wonderkids(assume under 20) who can play senior level now for big leagues they are as bellow:

    Riedewald, Tete, Bazoer, Fosu-Mesah, Kevin Diks, Dos Santos, Mallen, Ramselaar

    1. perfect prediction……i did saw a scary video of Mensah hitting Gym and he is been encouraged to get bulk up..i mean by lead by stupid jobless physical trainers who are desperate to save their jobs,,,i dont want to see him becoming another Depay..

        1. i mean has job but particualry nothing to do in that job…or to show off that tehy doing great thing..these players are becoming victim of that..

    1. I think it’s good for Robin, he can prove he ‘s still in high level of football industry and valueable for top leagues, furthermore come to some average clubs like Boro or Lester, i am sure they will pay him more money than other big clubs Arsenal, Barca

        1. Wow, his performance at MU was definitely good he even dominated Rooney during his time there, last season at Fenebache is not too bad he ‘s still in top of scorer list of Turkey league. But as a fan of RVP i think his best is at Arsenal last season before come to MU at that time he could score any goal at any place on the field. His career path somehow look like Ruud van Nisterooy’s , RVN best was at MU however, after moved to Real Marid, he’s still at top level of striker then go down to Hamburg & that’s it.

          1. 2011-2012, 2012-2013 are his best , one for Arsenal and one for MU, he had two continuously big awards as top goal scorer in PM but each for different clubs :).

  42. Disgusting. One penalty, one goal on a childish mistake. And otherwise the frogs have not touched the ball. Hate these defensive teams. Oh we’ll have a nice final.

    1. Weird the author only mentions Donnie van de Beek and Frenkie de Jong. Bummed not to see those two CMs, but those 2 CBs are also big misses. Also disappointed that Mink Peeters was cut, but I think he is slightly younger and not involved in the qualifiers.
      Anyway, not sure about who will play D, in the qualifiers I think Fosu-Mensah and van Drongelen of Sparta played most, but only TFM was nailed on and neither are playing these finals.

      I would love for a strong midfield to emerge for the Netherlands in general, so I am looking at:
      – Eiting (except I think he may play as LB, even though he is DM with Ajax)
      – Duarte of PSV, who will likely play DM
      – Schuurman, loaned from Feyenoord to Willem II this season)
      – and especially, Nouri hopefully as a 10.

      Up front I hope to see good things from Steven Bergwijn from LW and Sam Lammers in the middle, as they had 3 and 4 goals (respectively) in 6 games.

      Hopefully Aron Winter can motivate these guys to some nice cohesive attacking football.
      Tuesday v Croatia we will see!!

      1. Some good quotes from the manager Aron Winter (google translated):
        “Until now, there was much attention to the guys who could not join or should their club,” says Winter. “That is really behind us. These eighteen guys going to do it. They have shown that they deserve to wear the Oranje’s last weeks at the European Championships. It is an eager, passionate and cohesive group. I have great faith in these guys and the staff.”

      1. Yes, @Sybe Pals

        I know Donyell Malen only 17, but he is very talented played & scored many games for u21 Arsenal and this year maybe will be consider to first squad. 17 – 19 only 2 years he’s not that young for u19, right?

        1. IMO, it’s not about the age, you can see TFM now is playing for first team of MU & called for Orange, he’s only 18. 🙂

          If you give me another reason like quality, not ready yet, was cut, missing or not suitable to Aaron’s tactic then i will agree 🙂

          1. Fair enough re age, I do not suggest a player must be a certain age to play for orange – but being 17 means he just plays for the U17 euros a couple months ago – and IMO he was not great, nowhere near ready. Did you watch it?
            0 goals over the 5 games, he was not great technique (bad first touch etc) in pressure situations and tactically not even close. But worse, sulking in the last 20 mins of the semi v Portugal shows an even worse attitude, very immature yet.
            The difference between TFM (whom hopefully does not choose for Ghana) and Donyell Malen is night and day.

          2. PS I also do not suggest that he will not get more mature as he gets older! Just that he is not even close to being ready now..

    1. Yes, I just read it too. Hopefully, it will be finalized this Friday and the boy can finally leave AZ. I am so excited for AZ, they will bag the amount which is equal to their budget!!! What a hit!

  47. My line up for the game vs Sweden right now.

    1- Zoet
    2- Tete
    3- Bruma (De Vrij has to be in form to regain his spot)
    4- Van Dijk
    5- Willems
    6- Bazoer
    7- Promes (Depay if returns to his best)
    8- Strootman
    9- Janssen
    10- Wijnaldum (Sneijder and Klaassen as back ups)
    11- Robben

    With this team we should be able to deliver a win vs the Swedish.

  48. Can someone explain to me the Janssen move? Why the hell would he want to go to Tottenham? They have Kane.

    I really like if Oranje players can go to Atletico Madrid. Simeone is a wonderful tactician and players like Janssen can thrive there. I just don’t get some of the moves some of these players are making.

    1. I read that Poteccino spoke to him and said they would accommodate using both players.. so maybe 442? I don’t know, I didn’t read any quotes so it’s all heresay…

      I don’t like the move myself, but must wish him well of course.

      1. A 442 seems very likely given they have Dele Ali who needs to play as a #10. Maybe a 442 diamond? Still seems unlikely though. I think Janssen needs to be ready for a season of substitute appearances and capital one cup games. Hopefully Kane has another good season and Tottenham are forced to sell him clearing the path for Janssen to start.

    2. Kane is not that great striker..he is okay striker he is not RVN,kluivert,Bergkamp etc…Janssen can easily displace him if he works hard(Not in gym)..But i doubt Janssen—Kane combo..i dont think think it will work..
      Janssen has clearly stated kane doesnt scare him.Janssen is way too smart than kane…

      1. Spurs are competing in 4 comps coming season, including CL. They don’t have proper replacement for Kane. Janssen will start as a sub and will get a season or so to get used to the game in England: Cap One, maybe some sub turns here or there. I wouldn’t be surprised if Spurs would sign another striker even.

        Kane will remain #1 and will most certainly make a move at some stage, if the right club comes along and Spurs were lucky to have Kane injury free last season.

  49. Just read an article which said that in Tottenham Vincent will be used as Kane’s substitute. I am happy with the outcome of this deal but it would be much better if Vincent would go to the club which did not have the first choice central striker. If he does not get a regular playing time that would affect his form which consequently will affect his performance at Oranje. To me, his is the best central sttiker at Oranje at this point and dismay of his form will badly affect national team.

  50. That is discouraging. He needs to play. Coming on in the 70th minute; playing the odd cup tie. Not enough. But we’ll see. Hopefully, he plays so well that he forces Spurs to play him.

    Short term, shouldn’t affect him for the Sweden game in September. He has just come off a long season, plus the friendlies. But long term…

  51. I think Janssen is going to flourish working with Poch, I watched every Spurs game and they were playing the best football of all teams in the EPL, that’s Poch’s style possession based but very attacking. Hopefully Vincent can handle the step up in class and the speed of the game, he won’t have a lot of time on the ball against the top sides. And most of all I’m happy to have a Dutch player at Spurs again!

    1. Thanks, it reads well for us let’s hope they can deliver a good result. At this age their next step is senior football, somewhere, the scouts will be out in force at the tournament.

  54. happy for Man united,i am sure they will be ahead of mancity this time..Quality players in Zlatan and Khitaryan..with Eric Baily as Smalling partner..Blind will get his time as Shniderlin,mata,and herrara are not that good…
    Martial—–Zlatan——–Rashford
    ———–Khitaryan————-
    ——Blind——–Pogba/lkante——–
    Shaw———————–mensah
    ———Baily—-smalling———-
    ———–De gea——————-
    on bench
    Rooney
    Shniderlin
    Darmian
    lindgraad…

  55. Fenerbahce moving for Alex Buttner. should be intresting lineup. they have already signed roman neustadter from Schalke, Van der weil PSG, and Martin Skertel from Liverpool is also about to be finalized.

  56. it was hard for France,Portugal was defensively were well organised team.but it was luck that gave them victory.Portugal was not a bad team but France was better..anywas Portugal is the team used to kick out dutch from 2002Wc,2004EC,2006WC etc finally they have a trophy with 1 world class player and we have nothing with 4 world class players in 2006,2008,2010,2012 and 2014…the stubborn stupidity of the coaches cost us a trophy except for LVG in 2014 and 2008 EC.
    Sad end to a defensive EC..

    1. France got a taste of their own medicine against Germany: having all the opportunities to score, but losing in the end.

      Payet was already exhausted after the first half vs Germany, he should not have started the final. Pogba and Matuidi almost never participated in the offensive.

      As I had been saying since the beginning of the tournament, France wasn’t that good, and played against mediocre team before the final (bar Germany). People were praising them for their offensive based on statistics (which are like mini-skirts, they hide the essential parts;-)), particularly their 13 goals. But they were forgetting 5 of them were scored against a tired Iceland team, and none against frigging Switzerland…

      That being said, I am really happy to have seen a final that can not be suspected of fixing, not like that sorry 1998 affair.

      1. for me france ,italy,Germany and portugal were the teams.it was bad luck that ItalyVs Germany Vs france clashed…this hapens in every world cup and Ec.i mean good team cancell out each other…

        1. Overall I think it was an average tournament, not a lot of stand out moments or goals for that matter. It was very defensive in most games but in the end that worked for Portugal, congrats to them for their first silverware in a major comp.
          I’m glad it’s over so we can get back to Oranje qualifiers!

          1. Since goals were less numbers it was not that beautyful..But you know u cannt expect European teams to play that offensive by forgetting defense..european teams are well oragnized…

  58. Portugal showed the world how with passion and team spirit as well with an organized team anything can happen.

    Without Ronaldo they even played good football. Nothing spectacular but it worked. France is a strong team but it was fun to see the hosts lose the final. That can be good for Oranje because they might start the qualifiers with some doubts, hunger for revenge but some critics because of their failure.

    I think Pogba and Matuidi are not real holding mids like Strootman or Bazoer that are more effective in box to box situations because those French players are more offensive. If Holland pressures them they will suffer. I don´t rate that high French defence and now Oranje has found tough central defenders in Bruma, De Vrij and Van Dijk.

    I congratulate the Portuguese and hope Oranje starts strong the WC qualifiers.

    1. France is strong team portugal was lucky that deshamps played with Giroud for Martial..Speedy,dribbling,brilliant martial would have torn them apart had he started as striker..anyways past is past…its gone…
      We are getting a strong midfeild with Strootman–Bazoer-Propper-Hendrix-Ginkel-Sneijder/Blind..and Ramseelar.agree
      Good back line to not that great though…
      But everything can be bottled if we play headlesschikens or show off spoiled guys play unfront..
      i would go for
      Roben—–Janssen—–Kevin diks
      ————Propper————
      ——Bazoer——Strootman—–
      Williams——————–Tete
      ———Veltman—Bruma——–
      ————Zoet———————as starters
      on bench
      Annholt—–Luuk——-Wijnaldum
      ———-Ramseelar————
      ——Hendrix—–Ake———–
      Mensah——————-Janmaat
      ——-kongolo—-Devrij———
      ———–krul/Cillessen———

      1. de Vrij & van Dijk are our best central defender if they are in fitness, Kongolo recently doesn’t improve more while Veltman & Bruma become more mature but not at top level of defence

        1. i De vrij is clever player who has proven in bigstage…Van dijk Vs veltman i dont know who is better,i like Veltman smartness..Van dijk looks confused all time,very poor marking/Positioning at aerials,if he do improve that he could be lethal in headers in scoring and defending.
          but you know i prefer fast agile central defenders who can recover even from mistake..
          We dont have a good clever,Speedy(Winger who can run faster than faster RBs and LBs),effective,winger bar Roben
          Memphis doesnt have extra pace like Annholt has,So Memphis wont be able to catch the pass..hence its ends up with futility..Memphis doesnt track back and it affecets team balance.His off the ball movemnet is not great…
          Promes lacks quality to dribble or shoot…but his defesnive work is aweseome..So he can be there but not as starter.
          Mensah can be a beast in DM too..

          1. Anyway, we have quite lots options & qualities for back line & central & wingers irrespective each of their individual weakness. Hopefully next time Eredivisie & other leagues can generate more creative player like Niejder/Vart & striker like Kluivert/Nisterooy.

      2. I think if you put Mensah at defensive midfielder even better, he & de Roon/Anita/Ake/Hendrix are real stopper same as our Nigel de Jong. Bazoer, Propper, Strootman are box-to-box guys i think

        1. I remember last time someones in this room told that, Orange ‘s lacking of winger and central. It’s not true, see now how much we have for wings and central. Crucially we are lacking of real striker. Now we have only a Janssen in form. In the past at same time we even have around 6 or 7 strikers at top level Bergkham, Kluivert, Nisterooy, Hassenbank, Maakay, Hesselink

  59. Anybody thinks Benzema would have made the difference for France.I jus hope Wenger will learn from this Tournment that Giroud is jus an average striker and don’t fit the bill on big stage.was kind of surprised with the omission of Lacazette.

    1. Not at all..Giroud is not great as a finisher agreed…France best striker is Antony martial not Giroud ,Gignac or benzema…Martial would have been a headache for Pepe and Fonte…Pepe would have got redcarded soon..it was shocking to see such a qulaity player to be benched for Giroud…it was like dutch NT in 2010 WC.kuyt played for Vaart.or kuyt in 2006WC For RVN vs portugal..
      Anyways coaches always find a way to loose by benching best players.

    2. I don´t think so. Griezmann was the best in the Euros and could not help the team and he is in better form than Benzema.

      Very frustrating for the French but they missed quite a few chances and Portugal did what they had to do and had a lot of luck.

  60. I think it’s very difficult for attackers who are reliant on speed to break down embedded defenses. Martial, Lacazette, etc., probably would not have been any more effective at breaking down Portugal than the other French players because there was no space behind them to attack into.

    Coman, who also has tremendous speed, was actually pretty effective in the midfield (and Sissoko as well with his powerful runs), but where there is no room to operate, you’re just running into a wall.

    The only way to beat this type of defense is through quick combination play and off-the-ball movement. Or alternatively, to give them the ball a little, let them get up the field themselves and then counterattack them…

    1. JB….Coman has pace,Martial has pace and intelligence/smartness.that makes Martial lethal and Coman is not.Our Annholt can do what Coman can do in wings..

  61. This tournament thought every manager how a strong defence and balance in midfield is key. Nothing new but Portugal maximized it´s chances.

    Holland has a very young team but I am confident with the addition of Advocaat we can have a teacher in the squad that can speed up the process for the youngsters and I am confident Danny Blind will be more and more focused.

    I identify some leaders in De Vrij and Van Dijk, Strotman and Robben. Vincent Janssen with his move to Tottenham will provide a new chapter for the number 9 position and I am sure Holland will match France in the number 1 or 2 position in the group. The new generation is not ready just yet but in 1-2 years they will grow a lot and I see plenty of potential. Many are saying that the new Dutch players do not have the talent of Sneijder, Robben and Van Persie. I disagree, I see Janssen as a better striker than Van Persie for example, but they need playing time to mature and play in top leagues. That will make Oranje stronger and the new generation will be able fo fill the holes left of the old guard.

    I will keep confidence in Robben but certainly Danny Blind has to have more options since this man is not getting any younger and his injury problems started again so he should speed up Memphis, El Ghazi, Promes and players like that in their development. I am confident but I recognize that in this transition we might see an Oranje team that can surprise us for the good and for the bad. We used to have a very realiable team from 1998 to 2014 but this a new chapter for Dutch football.

  63. In 2013 Janssen was kicked out from Feynoord and from there on Elvis Manu,kazim Richards and Co were stars of Feynoord..Now Janssen is in Tottenham..were is Elvis???
    is this saying something???are people getting fooled by stupid dribbling and neglecting really intelligent players???

    1. Manu’s case was totally different compared to Janssen.he mostly featured off the bench and he did make good impact while coming on.his decision to move from Feyenoord came at a time when he realized no matter what he does he won’t get selected into NT. Janssen raise came at time when other prominent strikers were out of form or are struggling. Even Bast Dot when he was top scorer for Heerenveen couldnt make the cut because of the fiercest rivarly between Huntelaar and RVP back in the days.

      Manu’s move to Brighton was solely after he declared his avalibility for Ghana and he knew a move to championship would have increased his chances of being selected for Ghana as the offer came by on his way.

      Janssen to Tottenham I would say is a gamble for both him and for
      Pochettino. When I look at Vorm,Its jus pops up in my mind what if Janssen ends up like him, jus sitting on the bench, playing second fiddle to Kane or not at all if Kane keeps his momentum going. To think about it, to prove himself he will need as much minutes he can and if he can’t get those minutes,it could become a nightmare for him.

      1. No i think u r not getting my point…My point is that Janssen is kicked out and Elvis got welcomed by selectors.which fool of slector did that?.Finally we know that Elvis is flop compared to Janssen..its fact whether Janssen can be succees or failure in spurs…that doesnt matter at all.Janssen is playing in a top class team and Janssen has earned it with his smart play..Elvis could play for any team “””if he plays well “”””even he plays for Feynoord he could play for dutch or Ghana..so that doesnt make sense at all,its individual choice.but i think Dutch demand Quality and it would be tough for elvis..
        My points is all about smart players is been overlooked for Futile dribblers. with less vision and reading capability..i think this is the reason behind we see more of Elvis manus,Elghazi,Promes nowadays…and we are no more nurturing Vaart,Wesly..
        Janssen Vs Elvis is prime example of how intelligence wins over just physical attributes..

        1. I wouldn’t compare Elvis and Janssen at all,unless they were playing at the same time or same club. When Manu was playing for Feyenoord,Janssen was playing in ereste divisive. If both were playing together for Feyenoord And AZ at the same time then it would have been easier for to compare. It useless comparing past players with currents ones especially when every year eredivisie gets depleted of the grit to sustain the competition level.

          Looking at what happened to Depay,I will definitely wanna wait and see Janssen in action before commenting further. When he was at PSV,he also had a good outings for NT

          But development wise and for future his move is a great one.

  64. Sporting also apparently had a bid rejected by PSV for Locadia.looks like PSV will run out of depth with the vague left by departed players.midfield shouldn’t be a problem.not sure about the back line.apparently they signed this German center back from Stuttgart who was was a free agent.

  65. Can’t wait to see our u19 beat u19 Croatia in next three hours, a little regret for Mesah,R.Kongolo,Dilrosun if we have them in this tournament we don’t have to worry any rival. 🙂

  67. Dutch U19s win 3-1 over Croatia.

    We were dominant with some brilliant attacking football in the first half, but on our heals after the red in the second half but Croatia couldn’t take advantage.

    Bergwijn opens the scoring with a beauty and then WHAT A GOAL by Lammers, and check out the assist from Nouri: https://twitter.com/pachumart/status/752813958885679104
    But our defence looks a bit loose, maybe to be expected when you lose 2 of your stars of qualifying. Zeefuik left the 2H early with a second yellow, giving Croatia the upper hand and tons of chances before Bergwijn killed the game off.
    Great start!
    Really liked Nouri and Schuurman together in front of Duarte, and Bergwijn looks great too!
    Just need to work on our collective defending.

  68. What a peach of an assist by Nouri!
    How’s his overall play in this match?
    Despite the many rave reviews about him, seems like he isn’t ready yet for top flight football. Apparently still overlooked by the Ajax first team. Blind didn’t call him up for the few friendlies. No big clubs seems to be after him also.

    Do you guys think he is ready for NT team? Would love to see him being called for to the NT team…even provisional squad will be good. At least a breath of fresh air in the team.

    2. Not yet ready for top flight yet to me – great for young players to do well and get great reviews, but let’s be relaxed on them as they are so young yet!
      His overall play is ok, he and Schuurman work well together and he also wears the C, so consider his leadership quality as well. Also I think he may be more used to playing with van de Beek and F de Jong whom Ajax have made not available.

      If he is touted by some as being the next Sneijder, then let’s wait to see how he is when he is 23 – the age Wes was when he went to Madrid, of course by then he had torn up the Eredivisie…

    3. Nouri for sure not ready yet for Orange, you can make a compare at this position now, his mentor Klassen ‘s captain for Ajax better than him ten times but not reach a stable place at NT.

  69. Janssen to Tottenham is a done deal. It is fantastic news I think he is the perfect fit for them with Pocchetino as his coach he will learn a lot.

  70. The best thing is that he has a good coach who can really make him develop into one of the best strikers.

    Let’s see how fast he adapts to the EPL.

    This is the XI I’d like our first qualifier vs Sweden:

    ———————-Zoet————————-

    ———Tete—-Bruma—-VanDijk—–Aanholt——

    ———-Bazoer—–Strootman—–VanGinkel——-

    ———–Robben——Janssen—–Promes———-

    1. where are Propper & Wijnadum, they are in form. I don’t know why you guys persistently appreciate Bruma over de Vrij(if he’s in fitness). Van Ginkel was failed for both Nation & Clubs i think.

      1. May be Bruma is faster and more strong..But De vrij is good reader of game,very very feet etc…both are nor perfect so cannot decide who is better..

    2. Miguel i like ur line up i can see that this physically strong line up who has the lungs,spirit and teh intelligence to win a trophy i sure this a very balanced team…
      But you our blind will put his son Daley as starter may be as LCB,B or DM…the he might add Depay for promes..the klassen for Ginkel…this makes the team weak and he mightescape with a draw..or May be bloody Roben/Janssen will save him with a unconvincing victory….
      Off late with out even sneijder and Roben we stared winning.but this doesnt mean that we won with Depay,Klassen and Afellay…i hope Blind takes a note of it..

  71. I like Miguel´s line up.

    Even though Wijnaldum has scored vs. Poland and Austria, which Cristiano Ronaldo could not, he seems to disappear most of the game. He and Klaassen need to develop to be more involved in the game, sometimes they are just invisible.

    Anyway, I would to adress something. I think that Danny Blind knows to work with youngsters but it seems odd to me how he delayed so much in giving Janssen a chance when he was being the best striker in the Eredivisie and Van Persie-Huntelaar had a bad year overall.

    Also, what about not selecting Kevin Dijks and Fiorentina just signed him and Marten de Room was a star in Atalanta (SERIE A!) and now he was bought by Boro in the Premier League. Why these players haven´t had a chance when it is clear we need a holding mid like De Room specially since Strootman was absent and is a concern in terms of fitness still and Dijks was never considered or at least he has not played at all under Blind. Also comes to mind Virgil Van Dijk, that was top performer for Celtic last year and this year for Southampton but has just a few games in Oranje and we were lacking central defenders for a while.

    I think there are some players that have been protected a lot like Cillessen or Daley Blind and others deserve a chance. Hiddink also made that mistake with Martins Indi and Van der Wiel and quite a few others that were making stupid mistakes and Blind played them some games still and finally those two have been axed from now.

    I believe that the National Team is not a matter of friends and family and the best have to play and it seems that has not been the case because I find it amazing how De Room was targeted by Milan and Napoli and Mr. Blind is making a case for his last name because he is the only one that seems not to care.

    Anyway, I think we have more talent in other leagues, not massive but we have good players there that can be handful. For now I would stick with Miguel´s line up but we need a plan B if Strootman has issues again with his knee and I don´t think Daley Blind is the answer. Maybe Marten de Roon deserves a chance and in Miguel´s line up there are players that really have been overlooked in the past and now are flourishing at their clubs like Promes and Van Aanholt and those two for example, played very good vs. Austria.

    It is urgent to mould the youngsters with one or two leaders of the old guard and also it is urgent to find a new goalie. It is clear Cillessen ir regresing and meanwhile Zoet is growing as a goalie more and more. I saw some highlights of Ajax preseason games and although it is very early, Cillessen seems a clown. He cost us a few goals in qualifying. He is not a leader and we need a goalie with presence! Not a kid there! Van Gaal knew hot to maximize his skills but without Van Gaal he is lost. Many players experienced that because Van Gaal is behind you all the time. Example: When Litmanen left Ajax, he found it hard to be the same player. Even Kluivert had terrible games at club level but when he was managed by Van Gaal at Ajax and Barcelona he was king. Just saying that the National Team has to be taken more seriously and play the guys that are the best of the best in the country. Not the coach friends and family! I think Advocaat as a senior assistant has to zoom this and also new Technical Director of the KNVB Hans van Breukelen should put emphasis on this.

    It is as easy as the very best have to play. In my mind right now the best defender we have is Virgil Van Dijk. Well my friends, I find it interestings that in Southampton at Premier League level he is a beast but at the National Team he is just starting to learn the trade and it seems he doesn´t have the same confidence. Why? Because the coach has to tell him: from now on you have my confidence and if you keep performing like this you will be one of the key players for our defence in the years to come. But seems that is not happening…just saying…thoughts?

    1. Mario now you posted your best comment in this blog…this is truth..I hate biased selections of players.But it always happend not just in dutch NT and many NT..Look at france Martial was sitting in bench while Giroud wa splayed and they sucked…
      RVN was in tear Vs 2006WC VS portugal while kuyt played..
      Vaart was Sucked in bigtime in Bert black era of dutchfootball..this happend always in one way or another way…cannt help it..
      Now i think Daley Blind is undeservedly taken as CB..
      Memphis is getting selecetion game after game at least in bench after doing very poor in club and not even playing.
      Klassen is getting selection with out much performance..

  72. Also…what is happening that guys like Ziyech or even Fosuh Mensah are switching to playing countries like Morocco and Mensah is considering Ghana…Blind has to tell them that they will be important in the future of Oranje and offer them some confidence and a platform to develop and represent a country with football history, not a country that is amateur in football like Ghana, with all the respect, Ghana is nothing in football. They have had some good players but have no football tradition and palmarés.

    Anyway, Ziyech is a lost case, he was selected late and then Morocco convinced or paid him money. I don´t know what happened, but I do know the coaching staff delayed a lot and that opened the door for him to doubt and finally opted for Morocco. Same story…there some protected players and that has to change. I think finally it is starting to happen. In the summer games I saw new faces but we have a long way and still think some players are being overlooked.

    1. I am not convinced that there are protected players, and while the selected players may not be what I would have chosen either, I think Blind has different problems.
      Actually I can usually see the logic in his selections.

      I agree with your thoughts on the keeper position and with giving de Roon a shot (Blind has mentioned he is on his radar), but he probably has to show further improvement at his new higher level.
      Kevin Diks is great, but I think Tete is better. Karsdorp and Brenet also had decent seasons, equal if not better to Diks.

      Apparently Ziyech thought he could play a friendly and come back, just dumb. Great player though! Ould Chikh and Tannane have also chosen Morocco.. I hope Ayoub has not.
      Will be very disappointed if TFM choses Ghana, what a waste for us.
      But fair enough if thats the countries they feel they need to play for. Just hard to swallow when born in the netherlands and grew up in the systems.

      1. Sybe Kevin diks is more attacked minded RB with better defensive skills than Janmaat and Karsdorp….while Tete is best indefense but contributing little to attack..We have 2 spots for RB..so why not Kevin diks and tete..???
        Hakim was overlooked for long time,finally he got sleceted he was injured and eventually some wicked convinced him to join morroco.may be he is afraid of bias..who knows…
        Mensah is still injured,i mean groin injury he has not choosen Ghana.But there are people who are trying to lure him to Ghana..But i think Blind is alert in that case and Mensah will be back..
        Wijnaldum should concentrate on wings as we have no quality wingers bar Roben..But we are flooded with talents in midfeild and defense…
        For me its all about balanced 23 man squad not just 11 as you have to have many plans and requires different quality players…
        GKs
        Krul>Zoet>Vermeer>Cillessen—–4nos/3
        RBs
        Tete=Kevindiks>Janmaat>Karsdorp–4nos/2
        RCBs
        Devrij=Bruma>Veltman>Van beek—4nos/2
        LCBs
        Mensah>Kongolo>Virgil>Vlaar—-4nos/2
        LBs
        Mensah=Annholt=William>Brenet–4Nos/2
        Holding mids duo
        Stroot-Bazoer>Hendrix-DeRoon>Ake-Ginkel/Blind-3nos/2
        the playmaker
        Ramsselaar=Sneijder=Propper——3nos/2
        Left wingers
        Wijnaldum=naouri=Williams=Annholt—4nos/2
        Rightwingers
        Roben>Kevindiks>karsdorp–3nos/2
        Strikers
        Janssen>Luuk=Dost>Locadia 3nos/2 this should be our talent pool…Others has to prove in their clubs at first step..which they have not done so far more than a year i mean Memphis,clasie,Klassen etc,,

    1. Thanks Ruud you picked it up before me but either way going back to what Mario said,I also shared the very same sentiment in the previous blog and Sybe Pals said the same thing as what he had mentioned above. I had mentioned on how the door gets opened for selection and also how a foreign coach can change this fiasco that is currently going on club based selection.

      This is just another example of how for some players,it all comes down to looking out of the box in order to turn those dump heads around.indeed true when Van Dijk was at Groningen,he was also never seen as a NT material and look at him now how he is turning heads at Southampton via celtic. I remember very well he made in into the eredivisie team of year before Celtic scooped him up and then again during the world cup selection Van Dijk vs Veltman.Van Gaal opted for Veltman based on what????

      Jus like Ake,St Juste is a versatile player and has never been deemed as NT material,even at U21 level jus because he is playing for Heerenveen and he has to prove himself more.you look at what happened to hendrix ,he was prefered ahead of Ake and Juste at DM through for U21s and look at him now. if this guy would have in PSV,Feyenoord, Ajax,I can gurantee you he already would have made the NT by now.this is the biggest problem I find with these dick head coach which the KNVB keeps selecting them. If they would have regularly rotated the trio at DM somebody would have broken in the the senior team.
      Well this is how the system works and there is no two ways about it and this will continue if they continue with these delusional coaches.

      1. I will also share this,if you guys follow Rugby,jus recently England came down to Australia for a rugby test match series and it was a white wash.apparently England is being coached too of Australian greats Eddie Jones and Glen Ella. The first thing they did when they were appointed was to tell the England Rugby Union,don’t tell them what to do. They watched all the teams and then selected the team based on their performance and individual capability rather than where they play.whereas before it was mainly from the top clubs from whom the squad used to get selected.
        History was created when they won the series 3-0.

        This is why I think a foreign coach will be better off than most of these Player turned coaches.

        Being said this I do rate Koeman highly and if he could be the man who can bring glory back to NT.

  74. Somehow, our central back guys distribution is quite balanced now in big leagues.

    – Germany: Bruma & Gouweleeuw
    – Italia: Hoedt & de Vrij
    – England: van Dijk & der Hoorn
    – France: Rekik
    – Portugal: Martins Indi
    – Belgium: Denswil & Nuytinck
    – NT: Riedewald, van Beek, Veltman, Juste, Letschert, Kongolo, Viergever some now in target to be come to big clubs.

    This is a good predictable prospect for our Orange’s CB position. 🙂

  75. @Ruud: actually I think De Vrij is better than Bruma but he was injured many months that’s why I think it’d be smarter to play in September with Bruma who had his best season ever!.

    As Mario said I also find it difficult to believe that Blind didn’t play Janssen earlier especially with the crisis we were having in qualifyings. He didn’t want to fight with RVP or Huntelaar and that’s bullshit he is the boss!!!.

    Fosu-Mensah can still play with Holland and Blind has to do his best in convincing him to play for Oranje.

    1. I can guarantee that if we loose Fosu-Mensah, that’s our Orange’s shame it will be very big mistake as he even more potential than Ziyech, Tannane. Only at 18 year old but he can dominate some very big name Valencia, Damian, Young, etc at MU. He has proved himself and quite tended to NT so now is work of DL & KNVB i think

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