On the road to Qatar: Daley “Dilemma” Blind

blog WC2022
by Jan

Here we go guys. Rip into it.

This time, not so much a profile but an analysis. Daley has been covered a lot on this blog. Yes, your friendly blogger is a fan of the left footer (he was a left footed slow player himself) and Blind is a veteran by now and much talked about, so logically he featured here a lot.

Schreuder benched Blind for the first time in a long while versus Rangers FC. Is this the moment the 32 year old will have to face the fact he is not good enough anymore? Who listens to Schreuder will hear that Blind still has a lot of credit with the coach. Whenever the results are bad, Blind is the first to cop criticism, but Schreuder simply points to the number of games Blind played and the fact that Wijndal needs minutes, as explanation for the benching of the left back.

Rafael van der Vaart – himself a left footer with limited speed – was vocal with his criticism: “The problem with Blind is, he can play on many positions on the pitch, but he is not the best option on any of those spots. Malacia the better left back, Ake the better left central defender and Frenkie the better holding mid. It feels like coaching always want to create a spot for him in the team. He seems beyond criticism.”

The problem for Blind is, his flaws are easier to spot than his strengths. His biggest problem is his lack of agility. He is dependent on a good organisation around him. This was the problem recently versus RKC Waalwijk.

Not quick and agile enough to put pressure on

Here in the pic above, Blind’s direct opponent Bel Hassani lures Blind into midfield. He needs to press high, but he is too slow and lacking agility to really follow Bel Hassani, and the result in this particular move is two chances for RKC as a result of Blind’s lack of explosivity.  As a result, Blind is swimming (drowning) in areas where his flaws are very visible and most direct opponents will beat him at these aspects of the game.

The second issue is his lack of speed. Ajax always plays with lots of space behind the last line and he lacks the speed to compensate this. He usually compensates this well with his intelligence and his reading of the game. He is able to steup up at the right time or to close the space by dropping back. When he fails to do so successfully, it really looks clumsy.

This below is from the Volendam game, in which the attacker would score from this move. Pasveer makes a big error and cops the criticism, although Ajax would win this with ease.

Not quick enough to close down

A third problem with Daley is his lack of heading power. Put next to Timber, who is also not the tallest, this is a problem. Blind is pretty good with long balls, as he judges the flight of the ball well and has time to position himself. But when he can’t use his smarts, he lacks the jumping power to really compete. In Oranje, he has the likes of Ake and Van Dijk to assist him with this.

This is another example from the Volendam game.

Not strong enough aerially

This doesn’t mean Blind is a terrible defender. Jose Mourinho wouldn’t play him as a defender in a European finals if he was. In terms of minutes in the Eredivisie, Blind has the most interceptions and in terms of successful tackles and repossessions, he scores higher than Owen Wijndal. There are also not many successful dribbles against him. It’s not easy to beat him in a one v one. Only Jurrien Timber has better stats than Blind.

In the Dutch league, his intelligence and positioning help him to remain one of the best defenders, but at a higher level – Champions League – his stats become really weak.

This is the dilemma for Alfred Schreuder at Ajax and Van Gaal at Oranje. Is it not time now to pick and choose the games where you can use Blind and his strengths versus games where he will be a liability.

Both coaches need to make the decision to see if the risk of playing Blind weighs up to the added value of the defender in possession.

This stat is key for most coached: Blind reaches the forwards almost twice as easy and often as his competition in an Ajax jersey.

# of successful passes into the final third

Daley Blind is the only defender n this list of players and their total passes to the final third. And as a defender, he is even the #1. A strong stat. In Europe, only Alexander-Arnold, Kimmich and Cancelo shine with this statistic. This is usually the domain of the playmaker, such as Kroos, Modric, Verrati or Pedri. The fact that defender Blind is amongst those players tells you something about his crucial role in the Ajax build up.

Only defender amongst attacking mids and forwards

The specialty of the house for Blind is his passing and in particular the fast low pass, which he plays fairly late so he draws in an opponent and plays the free man in.

This again v Volendam. He holds the pass until 5 (!) players of the opponent can be shoved aside with one deep pass. And Blind’s passes usually find a team mate.

Pulling people in to open up the space

How do you like them apples? See below, with Blind – top left – passing into Bergwijn and took 4 players out with the one pass, hard and low and with precision.

Crisp passing to take players out

Another problem the coach will have at Ajax, is that with Blind you can play Alvarez and Klaassen in midfield, who usually don’t really contribute to the build up. Once you lose Blind, you’ll need to bring in a playmaker type player next to Alvarez (Taylor?) to assist with the build up, which will have an impact on the balance of the team.

This is less of a problem in Oranje, where Ake and Van Dijk also have a strong forward build up pass.

So, it seems simple as a football supporter to yell “Blind needs to be benched” but as he is the key man in the build up for Ajax, any coach will want to think twice before they shove that type of quality into the bin.

A little hint from me on my fave starting eleven: I would always take Blind to Qatar as he will be the ideal player to allow Malacia or Ake some rest when they need it.

The video below will explain why Blind was not a failure at Man United :-).

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58 comments

  2. I hoping Blind can do a Van Bronckhorst..rem he copped a lot of criticism for being slow at LB, but he captained the team and scored a scorcher Vs Uruguay at WC2010. 🙂

  3. Great post @Jan, Thanks!

    Great player. I am a Blind fan. I have always been. I really liked his dad too. He deserves all our respect, as Ajax and Orange fans.

    So, how do you see Blind in Van Gaal formation? With Ake covering his back, Blind can offer a lot of build up in a team that sometimes lacks creativity.

    I three first games of the World Cup will be used also to give rhythm to some players lacking of playing time, and defining the team for the know out rounds.

  4. I will not take him to World Cup. Ake, Malacia and VVD are good passer, FDJ is ideal for carrying the ball forward, there are so many options to bring the ball forward. Why do we need to take risk for him? And who will receive the ball against stronger opponent? In the Czech game, there were so many options to move the ball forward but who receive the ball? Noone. Stacking a lot of options to move the ball forward is not good. I would like to have Malacia up to receive the ball instead of another LB sit back and pass the ball forward to someone who will be isolated alone.

    I find it is ridiculous last Euro that FDB moved him centrally for Wijndal to take the left back spot. Wijndal did nothing to justify he can take the spot. And then to take him as LCB, FDB benched Ake for Blind to start. One mistake led to another. I would have started Blind as LB last Euro. I don’t think he was brilliant but there was no better option.

    Time has moved on, he is no longer at the previous level. And there are more options now. Struijk can play LB with forward passing, he is fast and strong in the air. Malacia can play LB with forward passing. Botman is doing so well in EPL. In my opinion, Struijk and Botman should be ahead of him in the squad. I will wait until last minute to decide between him and Malacia.

  5. By the way, since we are talking about left back. I want to share this goal of the great Büttner 🙂
    https://streamja.com/PV70G
    I thought it is a great goal. At the same time, I find it funny that wilson is so obsessed with Buttner. Buttner is not even close to be compared to Blind. His touch is even heavier than Dumfries and his strength is even weaker than Blind. I wonder why LVG even get him to MU.

  6. Thanks for the video and there are many others as well. I will see if I can compile it

    I had already written a big text ( story) but then decided to cut it short as to not make it boring by repeating same thing again and again.
    The only reason I look up to buttner is because he was scouted for his talent and ability by one the biggest club at that time when he unkown and then was not deemed good enough for call up by the very people whom should have backed him up. ( country men). Its very unfortunate what happened buttner but then you dont have to look far to see the shenanigans of dutch football, the jury and so forth. This has been well debated.

    Then the brutal truth will always prevail . Daley Blind would have never sniffed the doors of Man United if not for van gaal and neither would have being able to lay stakes in NT todate , again if not for van gaal and daddy the two main protagonist of what he is today.

    Moving on I want to throw light on something that Jan has mentioned above.

    ” He is dependent on a good organisation around him”

    I want somebody else to decode this before I do.

    1. The Wilson comment that Blind wouldn’t have been signed by Man U if LVG wouldn’t have moved there is a bit nonsensical. Would Pep have signed Antony? Would Nagelsmann have signed Benzema at Real Madrid? It’s all so fairytalish. Statements that cannot be proven. All cliches and open doors. Coaches have players they know and admire and sign them.

      So what? What does it prove?

      “He is dependent on a good organisation around him” means that Blind’s flaws need to be compensated by a good organisation. How hard is that to understand?

      It’s the same with Cruyff at Feyenoord playing with Brard as left winger.
      Or Van Hanegem with Wim Jansen.
      Or Alexander Arnold and Gomes.
      Koopmeinder and Dumfries.

      it’s team tactics. It is what football is about.

      1. Easily proven and well documented.van gaal has been known for his whom he knows signings and which had led to his failure. Barcelona, bayern, Man united and players he signed was no exception

  7. Buttner was hired by Sir alex.. i remmber..while Blind was Lui van gaal guy for possession football.Blind Lost to shaw.Most english consider dutch league as farmers league and they dont trust ducth eredivise players much…Period…Daley Blind got chance in Manu by Lui van gaal,Memhis Depay got in to Manunited by Lui van gaal…Period..We cannot proves it by documnents but Logically it fits the bill..

    1. I think he does. But unless a provisional squad player got injured and pulled out, he cannot be selected. Also, the sample size is too small, 3 matches so it is hard to tell.

      But given other players do not show anything, it might be a wild card if he can come.

  9. I am sorry that I open a can of worms. But sorry Wilson, Buttner failure has nothing to do with Dutch coaches and system. Do you suggest that NT and LVG has to play him to save his career? Why do they have to do that? After MU, he did not succeed anywhere else. So in a way, the system did not make the right decision in this case.

    Now the two things are not mutual exclusive. There is systematic bias in the selection. There are players that should be called and played long time ago and they did not get it. Like Gosens, Struijk, Botman and Ake over Blind. Their club success tell that the system failed to play the best talent.

  10. Malen created a penalty for Dortmund today. Hope he can start scoring fast to save his career.
    @Eduardorw: Here is an article from Dortmund forum about his current situation https://www.fearthewall.com/2022/11/4/23440989/when-does-donyell-malens-form-become-a-crisis-borussia-dortmund-bvb-bundesliga

    Basically, Malen need to score more. He was given plenty of chances and he could not take it. Take Moukoko for example, he is given chances and he start scoring goals. Those are his competition.

    2. Donyell Malen is a gane change when he comes in as Sub..He was livewere whenever he played as Sub in NT..He has tons of pace like Roben,He can find a gaol out of the blue..He can recives pases from Vrigil,Blind,ake,timber better than Danjuma due to his extra pace…We need Malen at qatar than Danjuma..Berjwin and Malen are fastest players we in offense ,We need both..

      1. It has been long time ago. And as far as i remember, he did not score any important goal at all for Oranje to justify the selection.

        By the way, Danjuma is faster than Malen. Given what is happening, I am not convinced by Malen or Danjuma. Both has bad form. So is Lang and Depay.

        1. @kevin Danjuma is faster.. Then we need to redifune what is fast.. How could you say that.. Malen is qith electric boots.. Are you out of yiur mind… Danjuma has some dribbles, works very poor, no tracking back, he does have a decent finishing.. He is not faster than Berjwin, malen or even Gakpo.. Malen ha scored goals at crunch time, team looked better with malen as Sub.. I dont rate Danjuma over Berjwin, Depay, Gakpo or Berghuis.. So Danjuma will be a sub if gets call.. As a substitute impact malen ia best not Danjuma.. Watch again Danjuma and malen games… You will undertsand who has better pace, who had important goals for NT..

  11. @ Kevin

    I’m thinking I should have posted the whole content which I said I cut it short. Its still fresh in my mind so it’s easy to answer your arguments.

    1.I never said anywhere they should have saved Buttners career, but just like how the jury accepted and backed blinds weakness to be compensated by his strengths, good organization tatically around him which Jan has modified in his comment

    “He is dependent on a good organisation around him” means that Blind’s flaws need to be compensated by a good organisation. How hard is that to understand”

    I remember we had full blown debate in reference to this couple of post back. ITS THE BLOODY SAME THING AS HE NEEDS PROTECTION and which has become a distinctive feature of his and previlage which only he can receive and nobody else. This is the same backing up I was talking about should van gaal and co would have given Buttner at that time. Note this was one year before the world cup, transition period and a player playing at Man united with man of the match performances( on the record). Im not obsessed about this but this was decsive moment in both their careers. Ones trajectory lifted off because he had the backing (protection, good organization, tatical setup, compensation + intelligence ) and the others was shot down deemed not good enough even though being scouted and playing at Man united. this is why I have been critical about both van gaal and daddy for all this years. You just have to read between lines. NOTE there wasnt much in it AT THAT TIME. Blind had just broken into ajax starting 11 that season while Buttner had moved to to man united where the transition from eredivisie to epl needed some time and which was going smoothly. A simple rotation would have been a legit call and it would benefited the team in everyway given how buren the LB position has over the years. Like I said this was critical juncture for both their careers and the jury opted to invest in Blind and not consider Buttner.

    Well the shenanigans of dutch football, ( hope it’s the right word) for years has been under spot light. Fairly debated on plenty of occasions here as well and even todate you don’t need to look far to see it. karsdorp rift , Rensch selection, Malacia backup status, Ajax thing, club thing, tribal factor and so on.

    2.They are multiple reasons why Buttner trajectory spiralled down wards after his move from Man united and this happened to many young talented players on the move. The list is long but it all comes down to building a good andfoundation and sometimes this can tricky depending on alot of factors.

    Injuries, financial fair play crisis at Dynamo moscow, high wages, moving, loaned out as a result, relegation and then playing in second division after the club were forced to sell all their big name players and finishing bottom with no option but to start with youth players. this all marred Buttner stay dynamo moscow and later got his contract terminated on a mutual basis with cash stricken club. He was clubless for some period before arriving at Anderlecht where he tried getting back to his old form but had lost it. From here on wards it just crashed.

    Like I said at Man united he was blossoming with confidence and was slowly building a stable foundation to kick start on . He won EPL title ( part of the team),he was scoring assisting. This was the strategy and Alex Ferguson’s system at that time. Scouting young talents and slowly polishing them. Buttner would have flourished if not van gaal.he was making a case for himself.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/manchester-united-1-bayern-munich-1-five-tactical-observations-including-alexander-buttner-is-a-worthy-understudy-to-patrice-evra-and-marouane-fellaini-must-show-his-worth-9235383.html

    I have tried alot looking for this game but have not been able to find it. It’s worth watching to gauge at what level Buttner was even though he was behind evra ( bench) at that time.

    It also doesnt happen over night in EPL either. klaassen, VDBeek, berghuis, Memphis. I suppose if Buttner would have been a AJax, feyenoord,PSV man, it would have a different outcome like to those who came back and got called up to NT.BMI?!?

    No use dwelling on this though, blinds chapter is coming to end.

    1. I am not trying to defend Blind. In my opinion, Blind time has passed. He is not even starting for Ajax against PSV. It would be a shame if he got called to WC.

      At the same time, you should not dismiss his career. Three Dutch players played at MU. Blind survived the longest time. Then after that, both him and Depay had a decent career with Ajax and Lyon. Buttner did nothing to justify that he deserved it. There is no point in investing at Oranje level. Who is in form need to be called. It is not even a club where you develop people slowly. Was Blind good the whole period in Oranje? No. Who can compete with him there? Recently, many and they did not get chances. And obviously there is system bias here. Previously, I see his call up is justified. I do not see why NT team need to call Buttner to invest in him so that he can compete with Blind. Just as I do not why NT team need to call Rensch because of his potential future.

  12. Bakker with a goal and an assist. He become much better on the ball compared to his time at PSG. Given the current form, I think he should go to world cup.

    Frimpong also has an assist. He pressures the keeper to give the ball away.

    1. @Wilson: I am surprised by Bakker. He looks a lot more comfortable on the ball now and his speed is also really good. I remember when he played at PSG, his teammates completely skipped him in passing because they know he cannot do anything. In the last game of Leverkusen, he does a lot of triangle and 1-2 with his teammate. Both his goal and his assist show how much he has evolved as a player.

  13. Ajax lost against PSV. It is time to reduce Ajax’s presence at Oranje.

    Blind: Out. Period. Not even starting for Ajax.
    Klaassen: Same as above.
    Rensch: Not ready. He is one for the future. I do not write him off. He can develop and compete with Frimpong and Dumfries later.
    Taylor: Not sure what happen but he does not start anymore. I thought he was good the time he started for Ajax and Oranje.
    Timber: he should go to World Cup. I think he is the victim. No good players around him.

    As for PSV, I think Gakpo will go for sure. He should start as 10 based on his form. LDJ is competing with Weghorst for the pinch hitter. This is good. I think this race will go down to the last minute.

    1. Well. Why use some fantasy score instead of real match statistic?

      https://www.transfermarkt.us/arnaut-danjuma/leistungsdaten/spieler/355861/plus/0?saison=2021
      vs
      https://www.transfermarkt.us/donyell-malen/leistungsdaten/spieler/326029/plus/0?saison=2021

      https://www.transfermarkt.us/arnaut-danjuma/leistungsdaten/spieler/355861/plus/0?saison=2022
      vs
      https://www.transfermarkt.us/donyell-malen/leistungsdaten/spieler/326029/plus/0?saison=2022

      Anyway, I do not want to go down this route. You can keep your opinion. It really does not matter what you or I think. I hope Malen will do better so that he can shine at Dortmund. But he need to start scoring for his own good.

  15. Blind is out for a reason.. Shrewder doesn’t trust him.. Rensch played as LB.. Infact Ajax played really well… Luuk De jong quality was too much for calvin Bassey.. I think luuk might have sealed his place for Qatar… He scores at crunch time.. Gakpo and his work rate off the world.. Berjwin worked so well.. Since Rensch can play LB and RB.. I feel Rensch will get the nod over frimpong.. Van gaal will not drop Blind..

  17. Blindemma is over. Nice to hear bakker in form and his stats. Frimpong still playing well. I think Xavi Simons played well yesterday and even helped with defensive work for PSV.

  18. I saw Ajax – PSV and Ajax lost because of Blind I think. He was so slow, I didn’t even see him in the highlights.

    Simons impressed me again. A fighter and a great player. I think Luuk also made clear why we need him in Qatar.

    Saw Man United versus Villa and I have to say, Donny van de Beek looks really lost in that team. I’m a bit saddened by it. He might want to go back to Holland, maybe to AZ Alkmaar?

  19. @ Kevin

    Re: Bakker

    I remember when he was at PSG, there were people here who said he will never be a NT material but looks like tides has turned. This is what I was earlier talking about on how for some players it doesn’t just happens over night and its takes time to build that foundation and to hit the ground rolling . I remember saying he needs to be looked at after 1-2 seasons playing consistently and his move to leverkusen was a timely and progressive one from playing consistently point view. This is the reason( confidence factor) behind his mini development at this point time. Indeed he has showed marked improvement but there is still room for more. He is still immature and his behaviour vs Atletico Madrid ( carrasco) was a evident of it. I was reading he has become the public enemy no 1 by the AM fans.

    I also watched him vs Bayern Munich. He was straight away subbed at HT in that game because he simply couldnt contain Musiala who started upfront as Striker active mostly on his flank . To quick for him given his robust and heavy footed physic. Musiala Scored once and assisted twice before HT in that game and in all phases he left bakker for dead. He is slow off the blocks on turns.

    Like Malacia he also needs to bring more and improve on his crossing game and free flowing going forward,something like Dumfries or frimpong I would say. For Malacia I think he is in the same boat as bakker when he wad at PSG. He has taken a big step and finds himself competiting with more experienced and more technical Luke Shaw. Unless Malacia can play more and gain that confidence booster it will be hard for him to compete with Shaw who offensively provides better outlets than him creating more and better chances.

  20. Ajax recent poor form could really jeopardize Remko Pasveer, Kenneth Taylor, Brobbey chances of getting selected. Can’t imagine Blind not getting selected though.
    Van De Beek’s style of play not suitable for EPL. I always think he is more for Serie A which is more tactical and positional play than the high intensity and running of EPL.

  21. I watched VDB a couple of times at MU. I think there are two issues: his role is to make run and create space for others or receive the through ball, but like Jan said he is lost. There is no synchronization with other players, so he made run, there were space and it is not occupied by his teammates. They look at him and think what is he doing. Compared to his time at Ajax, he now only do one job and one trick pony does not work. At Ajax, he can defend, he can carry the ball and pass the ball, not as good as FDJ but he can still do that. Now he does not. The second issue is that his teammates do not trust him. Their passing sequence skip him most of the time. He really need better instruction and training from ETH to get in sync with his team. Otherwise, it is better for him to go somewhere else as his relationship with his team is broken.

    1. like others he was never going to survive in epl. another version of klaassen, not technical enough on ball and thrives only in passing game and poaching if within range . pretty much to do with how they have been groomed in eredivisie (Dutch/ajax style – short passes, tikki taka ). I said this before and Im predicting the same for Talyor when he leaves Ajax. I will also mention Veerman here as his shortfall is evident now apart from his technical passing ability.

      you just have to look at xavi simons and see whats missing in this guys.

  22. Brazil’s confirmed squad:

    Goalkeepers: Alisson (Liverpool), Ederson (Manchester City), Weverton (Palmeiras)

    Defenders: Alex Sandro (Juventus), Alex Telles (Sevilla) Dani Alves (Pumas), Danilo (Juventus), Bremer (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Paris Saint Germain), Thiago Silva (Chelsea)

    Midfielders: Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle United), Casemiro (Manchester United), Everton Ribeiro (Flamengo), Fabinho (Liverpool), Fred (Manchester United), Lucas Paqueta (West Ham United)

    Attackers: Antony (Manchester United), Gabriel Jesus (Arsenal), Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal), Neymar (Paris Saint Germain), Pedro (Flamengo), Raphinha (Barcelona), Richarlison (Tottenham Hotspur), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)

  24. Wesley Sneijer has positioned himself to be the saviour of Mo Ihattaren. The former PSV super talent couldn’t convince Ajax due to off pitch antics and is sent back to Juve. Most Dutch ex-players have given up in him. Van Hanegem was asked by a friend to speak to Mo, Willem said “yes, but let him call this week! If not, I’m out.” He never called. Van der Vaart named him a “weak turd”. Now, Sneijder told the media that Mo reached out to him, and is 1000% committed to fight back. Sneijder will be his “fitness and performance coach” moving forward and will move back to Italy with Mo.

  25. Summerville is definitely an option for post WC, but don’t expect LVG to even consider him. How many left wing options do we need: Danjuma, Bergwijn, Memphis, Gakpo, Malen, Lang… Now Summerville is the new kid on the block? Forget it.

    Even Ajax; woes will not impact LVG decisions. Yes, Ajax was terrible (I think Emanueal thought Ajax played really well???? Really??). It was shite.

    Even Van Hanegem felt that wonderboy Timber had lost it. But he also said what I think: Van Gaal has the ego to say “I will fix this. Under my leadership, all will be well”.

    I think Taylor might have lost his spot, as has Pasveer and I hope Rensch. Too early for the kid. Grit and intelligence is what LVG needs for this WC squad. He will rate both Klaassen and Berghuis.

    Oh, and keep dreaming people but Blind will make the cut, no dramas.

    1. @Jan.. Ajax lacked something in defense, which is primarily due to Bassey.. Thats why they lost… They had possesion 60 percent, created chances, couldn’t find goal.. They put pressure on psv.. Bassey looked shiite infront of luuk. Ajax problem is deeper than bassey though.. It was a close fight.. As i always felt that ajax players has some weakness in mentality…

  26. Dick Advocaat weighed in on the Blind discussion. He basically said something like: “Yes, he is slower and has weaknesses in defence, which usually are compensated by his play on the ball. But make no mistake: this is what most people don’t know but I do, as I worked with him. Blind is constantly at it. Constantly talking, coaching but also constantly working the referee. You cannot underestimate the importance of players like Blind, Tadic, or previously at Feyenoord with Toornstra… these guys are important even if they don’t play great.”

  27. Malen v Danjuma is not a fair comparison. They’re different players for me: Malen is a winger and will have more assists. Danjuma is a striker, a goal scorer. Less assists, more goals. Malen is more like Gakpo, Danjuma more like Memphis. Gakpo is the assist king.

  28. Ajax vs PSV:

    1. Luuk de Jong make I’m his case. He is going to Qatar.
    2. Simmons. Impressing every game.
    3. Rensch. He did not offer nothing in attack and failed keeping Simmons under control. I think Blind would be a better option. At least Blind can offer build up and danger.
    4. Schreuder. I don’t know if he made the changes because of the preassure or because he believe in them. I was happy seeing Kudos and Brobbey playing together for first time, but I didn’t like to see again Bergwijn on the right to keep Tadic on the left. Ajax got better when they switch sides but it was not enough. I don’t understand why he replaced Blind for Rensch.
    5. Ajax didn’t keen when to pressure and when to pays. I saw a lot of insecurity on the tactics. Ajax problems go beyond the lack of quo Alti of the replacements.

  31. So, who will be the 6 strikers?

    We have for sure
    1. Depay
    2. Berjwin
    3. Gapko

    4. As target man I wok say 90% certainty Luuk de Jong
    5. Then I will say 50%/50% between Janssen and Brobbey

    And then we have a spot for another one:
    Danjuma, Lang, Werghorst, Simmons and Malen.

    6. If I can bet it will be Danjuma.

    Lang or Simmons can make the cut as playmaker.

    Our 6 midfielders will be:

    1. Frenkie
    2. Koipermaners
    3. De Room
    4. Berghuis
    5. Klassen
    6. Graverbench/Taylor/Simmons/Lang

    If we can have another midfielder, because Van Gaal wont take 4 goalkeepers or 10 defenders, I think he will take or Graverbench/Taylor and either Lang/Simmons.

    In this duel Simmons /Lang I se:

    Lang has more experience with Orange. I think Lang is more creative, more outside the box player. It if Lang is going to play, it will be in 10 than as an attacker.

    Simmons used to play more in 10 position than Lang. Also Simmons play right wing. This make him a great option if we need to play 433 at some point.

    1. @Eduardorw…
      We can take
      3 Gks
      10 Defenders
      7 forwards
      6 Midfeilders
      Toatl no is 26…i feel we would loosers if we dont struijk and Botman with us…

  33. Are we talking about the Dick Advocaat that recommended Gullit be made NT coach because French players showed him so much regard and were fawning over him after a match, even after France ran through Oranje that Gullit was part of as staff?

    That Advocaat who probably has made the worst substitution in international history by withdrawing his best player by a mile, Arjen Robben, against the Czechs because “the midfield was being overrun”?

    Why do these people words mean so much to some when their actions speak so loudly of their folly and inadequacies?

    The Advocaat who still to this day stands by that substitution,still bent on gaslighting the Dutch populace, still dealing with an ego, buttressed by a receptive environment, now totally out of control.

    Yes it is that Advocaat who has won a few competition but still suffers, and will always be a victim, of being blindsided by his massive ego firmly anchored in mass delusion.

    Yes it is that Advocaat at it again. That, however slow, however lethargic, however of a bench warmer and luxury player Blind is, he deserves a starting spot. A starting spot because he is an extension of the coach and he’s also always working the ref.

    The great communicator. Daley Blind. That’s what it has finally come down to. Forget about the fact that he can’t recover under any circumstances, poor in the air, abysmal form, started riding pine, he still has to start because Dick thinks he is a great communicator.

    And believe you me, twenty years from now, after Qatar, after Blind has been tarred and feathered, with tail between legs, Dick will proclaim, with a protruded torso, that his inclusion was the right thing to do.

    It, Is. Pathological.

    Dick is part of a “thing” that is hard to put a finger on.

    It is probably a deep-seated sense of insecurity, due to a chronic lack of international achievement, conversely, fuelling a superiority complex, that every outsider sees for what it is, except the ones who couldn’t possibly let themselves do so, as a valuable coping mechanism tool would be stripped from the psyche.

    Psychobabble, this is not.

    Dutch management is abnormal, weirdly strange. Club level(Ajax, as it were) and NT. And has to be written about as such.

    Two weeks to a world Cup and a player in Blind you have accommodated at all cost is sent to the bench. Is it a fair coincidence or Schreuder doing his “look at me” routine? This is probably Schreuder pulling his VanBasten-Nistelroy stunt. And speculations like this wont be outside the realm of Dutch management reality.

    The pettiness and vendettas are present, alive and well.

    And I do not need to write a treatise as a roundabout way to open up on my criticism of Berghhuis and Blind, as Jan suggested a post or two ago. Both players record speaks loud and clear.

    Berghuis. The less said the better. He has been chronically ineffective as an Oranje player and carries around this annoying propensity of missing clear-cut chances.

    Again, trying to make us see what is clearly not there.

    We do see that every now and then, the emperor discards his clothes.

    I see clearly with the unspoiled mind of a child.

  34. When did Advocaat work with Blind? Were that 3 matches in WC qualification when we failed to qualify? And that is good example of leadership because why?

    “Constantly talking, coaching but also constantly working the referee.” And I find this is totally bs. Blind did not work the referee in any way. The Italians did. He did what? Ajax vs Chelsea, Netherlands vs Sweden, Netherlands vs Turkey so many wrong calls go against the team and he did nothing. And the constantly talking and coaching part is just another lame excuse. Is this why these teams show strength in important moment like vs Spurs semi final, the WC and Euro qualifications, the Czech game.

    If he go to WC, it shows one thing. That you do not need to play, you can talk to success in Netherlands football. And perhaps that will explain the disappearance of Netherlands football at international level.

    And why did all the coaches and ex players start talking about Blind and find excuses for him? Why did no one talk for Botman? Hello, his team is third in EPL. He started every match. People in England start comparing him to VVD. Oh I know why, all the coaches and ex players do not coach in EPL.

  35. I dont think Brazil cant be beaten, Argentina beat them in that copa America final. Scaloni tactics was to defend well and hit on the counter which worked and they won 1-0 in that final. Tactical smartness is required against such teams

  36. @Kevin you are right. Other teams are choosing (including Brazil) players based om form. Your question on Botman is right. Remember that myself and almost every one had concluded a month ago that the World cup selection is gonna be controversial vis a vis the Ajax situation.

    1. @Manoj Srtuijk and Botman both are excellent form…Blind not starting even at ajax..Malaca doesnt start at MAnu(which is okay)…Blind cannot even beat a mediocre winjdal at Ajax..thats the issue..if LVG has balls he should go with both struijk and botman with Ake,Virgil,Malacia,,ATTACK WIN GAMES but DEFENSE WIN TITLES…I MEAN F@%kig Titles.

  37. LB is looking like it did going into 2012, no real good answer. Van Gaal showed in 2014 that he’d use players outside of their usual positions. (Kuyt as both a right and left wingback, Wijnaldum as a ball foraging, defensive mf partner to Nigel De Kong, Blind sliding inside to lcb at times.) So perhaps Ake at left wingback and Botman or De ligt (even though it is his off foot) at lcb.

  40. Van Gaal has had history of using players out of their preferred..position for which sometimes he has had to pay the price when it has backfired and for some he been called a genius if it has surpassed expectation. The famous fallout with Rivaldo at Barcelona who refused to play out of his preferred position, Bayern, van bommel burst up. 2014 was no different and it worked surpassing expectations and he got the credit. It has merely being experiments which he tried to cushion it with his tactical pros

    This is why he remains unpredictable. But with all due respect he won’t be able replicate his of 2014 feet this time around. The reason being:

    First and foremost. the competency level this time around is way higher than 2014. Spain, Brazil, Argentina.

    Secondly the No Robben factor who single handed carried the team on his shoulder in 2014 .

    And thirdly the current form of the players.

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