Tag: Kluivert

by Jan

Oranje fans: e-unite!

Hi all, this is our safe space. This is where we can hang out all of us, safely, without fear of contamination. I mean, COVID19 contamination of course. Because we do have some other viruses going around here, which hopefully are not contagious… The Kuyt-is-bad-virus. The Daley-Blind-Is-In-Oranje-because-his-dad-used-to-be-virus. More dangerous than Corona, of course.

Enough jokes! I hope everyone is well? Safe? At home with family? And taking care of business!

I read that this virus has the most dramatic impact on men!! No more football, no more pub crawls, no more music events or partying, while women can still do what they do: cooking, ironing, vacuum cleaning, laundry… It’s not fair!

ENOUGH JOKES, I SAID!

Let me know how you are all going, below in the comments. There is still a lot of fun for us Oranje fans. Youtube is filled with super dooper clips. And we have this blog of course…

The news will come to you faster via other channels, so I won’t even try to be bringing you scoops.

But we do need to talk Euro tournament and the impact of the virus.

So I think common sense prevailed, we will not have the Euros this summer. A big bummer for most, but the Dutch will probably count their chickens… Memphis, Malen, Bergwijn… And more time for Zirkzee and Karsdorp and Wijndal and Boadu… It’s not that bad.

I do hope the competitions will be finalised properly and I hope this particularly for Liverpool!

I’m not going to go into conspiracy theories here or what this whole panic pandemonium means, there are heaps of comments and posts on social media and tweets and what not to deal with this.

So, we’ll keep our eye on the ball here, as far as I am concerned.

There is stuff to read, this blog to get with and start interacting more often, there are amazing youtube clips and classic games to enjoy too.

LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: A general view (GV) of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Davinson Sanchez of Tottenham and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris clear up toilet paper thrown on the pitch by the Leipzig fans during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and RB Leipzig at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 19, 2020 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

Tell me below how you guys get through all this.

I’ll start:

I’m working from home, in a remote little beach town in Australia. Life is going as per usual, with the exception of the availability of toilet paper!

I spend more time watching movies, as opposed to watching football and I probably hit the sack earlier. I can freely check the sports sites without the risk of seeing a final score of a game I have yet to watch.

I’m intrigued by this whole global shit show and focus – as an amateur anthropologist – on that, on American politics and other geo-political stuff.

We are not stocking food and supplies but take it all as it comes.

And you?

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by Jan

Mino Raiola: The Greatest

I got the request to write a piece on Mino Raiola, the Super Agent. I had this piece in preparation so the timing is perfect. Raiola on money, De Ligt, Ajax, Restaurant Napoli and transfers…

Last transfer window, it was mostly Raiola in the news. In particular his buddy-ship with Mark van Bommel and their coupe in Eindhoven… That topic is reserved for later…

A VI reporter visited Raiola in his office in Monte Carlo. “I don’t mean to be arrogant but I think I created this whole industry. Calcio Mercato, it’s an industry now. It’s like the entertainment world. I gave this new world colour as I am a stand up guy, who always speaks his truth and stand up for my players. In Italy, the day starts with football. That is culturally like this for many decades. The morning starts with a cappuccino and the sports papers. The Dutch are more down to Earth but at the end of the day, just as football crazy as the Italians.”

“The opening of the transfer window is like the premiere of a new musical. Curtains up and we need to perform. And the spotlights are on us agents, for a couple of weeks. We need to do the business in this small time frame, but make no mistake. I have guided Haaland now, but that job took a year. And his dad Ale Haaland, an ex pro player, was closely involved. We talked with the clubs, we listened to their plans, we assessed their offers…”

With adopted son Van Bommel

The phone rings. As it constantly does. This time, two women. Two old friends. The mothers of Calvin Stengs and Myron Boadu. They know each other for years now as they met when the two players started their friendship, in kindergarten. “I always work with the families. I include them in everything. And top players always have top parents. I am completely transparant. I’m taking Doynell Malen to Pittsburgh for instance and discuss the whole process with his family. Everyone is focused on “Can Malen reach the Euros?”. I’m not. It’s not about the Euros, it’s about his career and health. He’s going to be out for 4 months at least. Boadu and Zlatan spent time together in Pittsburgh last year. One day after Zlatan’s operations, Boadu saw him work out. Doing his excercises. Zlatan is the ideal warrior. He’s a beast. And I think it triggered Myron. He’s 38 years old now and went to AC Milan to win silverware. It says everything!”

Haaland, Malen, Stengs, Boadu, Wijndal, they’re all in Raiola’s portfolio. The future of Oranje according to him is Justin Kluivert, however. “When he decided to go to Rome, everyone in Holland was upset. How can Raiola do this to Kluivert, etc etc. This is bad for Dutch football, etc. But…where were they all when Sepp van den Berg went to Liverpool? I didn’t hear anyone! And Redan and Chong? And Zirkzee? If it was me who guided them, the nation would have been too small. But now? Nothing. And when Ajax signs a 16 year old kid from Norway, you also don’t hear anyone. It’s ridiculous!”

Stengs, Wijndal, Boadu

“Stengs, Boadu, Malen, Wijndal and even Gravenberch could have signed with huge clubs with huge paychecks. All of them. But they’re still in Holland. You don’t hear people about that, do you? I get calls about them on a daily basis. And we decided in conjunction with the family that another year in Holland was best. And when Ajax comes with a good plan for Boadu and Stengs, we’ll definitely listen.”

“And I get the question: Mino, who do I go for? Malen or Boadu? And I’m like: what kind of question is that. What do you need? A Ferrari or a Lambo? And the smart club will sign them all! But I am not saying they should reach for the top as yet. An intermediate step is probably best. But… we all know step-by-step is best, but… Consider this. Assume Barca or Madrid comes for one of them. With a big offer. Do we need to say no? Do we need to consider his career? Or his life? Can you stand in the player’s shoes? Is it not hard to resist that offer? It’s easy for the supporter or analyst to judge, but those are dilemmas. And I have to deal with that. Players can get injured and lose it all. We’re dealing with someone’s life and the life of his family. Boadu and Stengs both suffered severe injuries before, remember. That can happen. They were lucky to get back to the top. There is no guarantee. And Klaassen, he went when he was 24 years old already. To an EPL mid-tier club. And look how that went.”

In his office in Monaco, the entrance has a serious series of amazing jerseys framed on the wall. An impressive list. With personalised messages on the shirts. Pogba, Lozano, Matuidi, Donnarumma, Balotelli, Kean, De Ligt… “People like to see this. It’s important but not to boast for me. I am not interested in what I have done, only what I will be doing.”

And in his personal office, there is nothing that points towards football. The second big passion of Mino is represented here. Posters of 007 movies are on the wall. “When I die, I want to reincarnate as James Bond. I am a big fan. He only needs to say his name and the ladies undress, hahaha. Daniel Craig is my fave. He’s more human. More layers. He suffers at times.”

Raiola is open and hospitable. On his desk are books, like Thinking Fast and Slow, The School of Life and We are our brain by Dick Swaab. There is also a book by PSV general manager Toon Gerbrands. Raiola spoke with him only recently to discuss Van Bommel’s sacking. “Mark is family for me. When Mark is sad, I am sad. Mark is paying the price for the fact that last season PSV has a better team than this season. That is all I will say about it.”

“Mark is a perfectionist. And I appreciate that, but his strength is his weakness. He is world class in everything but not everyone is like that. Marcel Brands was too. John de Jong is not experienced enough. A guy like De Jong should work with a seasoned coach like Cocu. I don’t worry about Mark though, he will at some point become one of the best in the business. And he’s not arrogant. He wants to learn. He has a good name and many clubs, internationally, have already contacted me. He will take a break but he’ll be back.”

Squeezing the last dollars from Zlatan’s body!

Business cards are not present in Mino’s office. “My work are my player. I don’t do websites either. I work on trust. On a handshake. When I don’t feel it with a player, I won’t work with him. Players are like artists. Take Pogba. He’s a Basquiat. Expressive. Rebellious. De Ligt is a Rembrandt. The drawing you see now, already great, will end up being an amazing masterpiece like the Nightwatch. Unique. He had a tough time at Juve in the beginning but that’s normal. He is taking it in his stride and is taking it in like a sponge.”

De Ligt’s move to Juve was one of the most talked about topic last summer. Juve paid $75M for the Ajax defender and it took a long time for the pen to hit paper. According to Mino, that was all Ajax’ doing. “I don’t want to say too much about it, because the main thing is that Matthijs is happy. But Ajax made promises to Matthijs and broke them. It’s that simple. He could have signed for Juve a season before and Ajax pleaded with him to stay for one more season. And he did. There were verbal agreements made. But that season, the transfer market exploded for Ajax players, due to their CL campaign. And when Frenkie signed for Barca for a record fee, Ajax wanted more for De Ligt, suddenly.  What frustrates me, is that it was at the expense of Matthijs. I identify with my players, so when Matthijs is done wrong, it’s done to me as well. I am De Ligt.”

But, didn’t Overmars and Van de Sar do what Raiola does as well? Play hardball? “Yes, I’m tough. But I never promise something and then break my promise. Ever. I don’t have an issue with Marc or Edwin but I believe in handshake deals and trust and loyalty. Because I guarantee results to my players. And when Ajax or anyone else does this sorta thing, a player can look at me and say: what about your guarantee? I work with many top clubs in Europe like this, and I hope with Ajax too, in the future. Is the anger gone? My anger? It should be… It simply wasn’t the way it should be. And any case you are involved in, influences the next. Next time Ajax promises something, I want it on paper. I am happy to lose out on something but I don’t want my player to take the brunt of it.”

A lot of people felt De Ligt should have gone to Barcelona. “A lot of people say Barca is a Dutch club. And therefore it was sacrilege to bring Mat to Juve. I don’t work in my emotion. Barca for me is like NAC Breda or Watford. A club. I think about what is good for the player. They really believed at Barca that they could get De Ligt because Frenkie went there too. But do you think Pique will step aside for De Ligt? Just like that? And Matthijs actually always wanted to go to Juventus. He wants to be the best defender in the land of best defending. The interest from PSG and Barca and other clubs was intriguing, for him. But he went for Juve. And not for the money. Money doesn’t interest him. If Juve would require him to pay contribution, he would.  am here to make sure no one takes advantage of him. I have a good relationship with Pavel Nedved, technical director of Juventus. He’s like a son to me. Pavel says: “This kid is even more crazy than I was in his sports mentality. He himself is a Ballon d’Or!” When you tell Matthijs that by shaving his head he will win 1,2% speed or tackle verocity he will immediately shave his head.”

Raiola speaks seven languages. He studied Law and knows everyone in football. But the restaurant in Haarlem, operated by his parents, was his real university. “Ristorante Napoli was my university. My dad worked day and night. and I always went to assist him. What a man. Sweet for the family, tough at work. At 14 years old, I did the accounting and tax stuff for him. We had a lot of famous people come here. Shell top brass, but also Tonnie Bruins Slot, Michael van Praag, lots of politicians and artists. And also the boys from the bad neighbourhoods. It was like the Sopranos at times, hahaha.” Raiola does have that mafia image a bit. Sunglasses, overweight and swimming in money. The deal he made for Pogba at Man United paid Raiola $49 million euros over 5 years, according to the internet. “I never put a gun on anyone’s head at Man United. They wanted him and I made a good deal. But don’t tell anyone this: I kinda lime my image. And I really don’t care what people think of me. I believe in Holland I’m considered the worst man, after all the pedofiles. But in Italy, I’m a star. I can’t walk the streets there. People want to be on a selfie with me, or thanks me. When I finalised the De Ligt transfer to Juve, the Juventus tifosi sang for me, hahahaha.”

With Mkhitaryan and Pogba

“What drives me? Money not so much anymore. That is just a result of what you do. What drives me is the ability to help players and make their dreams come true. The hug I get from Boadu. That is my real pay. When Wijndal calls me and says “tell Real Madrid I’ll be coming soon!” that is what I love. And he means it! And I tell him: yep, I’ll be there, helping you to get there! You see, money follows dreams. And I can do this job for 50 years. But a player only has 15 years max to make his money. You can’t buy groceries with trophies, you know? And I do what is best for them. And when I do well, I get paid too. Simple. And when I don’t have a click with a player, I won’t represent him. And I don’t sign contracts with them. When they want to go better elsewhere, please do. Same with me. I want to be able to say: mate, I’m letting you go. Sorry. De Ligt, Haaland, Malen, Stengs, Kean, Donnarumma, Zlatan, Gravenberch, they give me energy. My wife always says: you have two official kids and than a whole bunch of non-official kids, hahaha.”

Not long ago, Raiola entered the dressing room of PSV, after a match vs Heerenveen. That was not done, everyone said. “Typical Dutch. What does it matter. I enter the dressing room at AC Milan often. You know what I want, I want to find a women player who is so good that Ajax signs her up and uses her. To break all these conventions. The football world needs innovation. In the US they do everything in the dressing room after a game. Interviews, eat, drink, sleep. PSV was in a tough phase and I have a couple of them under contract and I wanted to support them and congratulate them after their win. That was all it was.”

Source: VI Pro

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by Jan

Happy New Oranje Year: Looking Back

It’s that time again… The Dutch will sip Advocaat ( an egg based alcoholic thick creamy beverage, eaten with whipped cream – not the Feyenoord coach) and eat oliebollen (oilballs and the word describes the product really well) all night, while reminiscing about the glorious (not so much) past 10 years…

We look back in this post, but forward in the next.

For now, a look at the past 10 years gives us a remarkable roller-coaster ride with the boys dressed in orange. We were ever so close to gold in 2010 (Iker Cassilas toe kept us from winning it!), only to disappoint in 2012. We got back on our high horse in Brazil with bronze at the World Cup there, with mindblowing games vs Spain and Brazil, to name a couple. Only to completely implode in the post WC2014 period. Our Big Four started to show their weaknesses, the dynamics and hierarchy in the team disappeared, the KNVB made a number of bad mistakes (sacking Hiddink, putting Hans van Breukelen in charge of football strategy (what?!?!), allowing Advocaat to be assistant coach and then letting him leave for a big paycheck again, letting Ziyech slip through the cracks, etc etc) and we simply didn’t have the quality in the squad we needed to qualify.

But at the end of the decade, Ronald Koeman, Virgil van Dijk, Memphis Depay and Frenkie de Jong changed the way Oranje looked, smelled, played, performed and via the Nations League and the Euro Qualifications, Oranje managed to do what the KNVB wanted them to do: let the Dutch people love and adore the Oranje team again.

Without winning a single trophy (silver at the Nations League…okay…), Koeman re-established pride in the Dutch hearts.

So far so good, the real test lies up ahead. More on that in a later post.

Lets pick the best eleven of the past decade. I picked my eleven, feel free to add yours…

The Goalie: Maarten Stekelenburg (2004- 2016)

We can’t complain about our quality in goal keepers. Cillesen is a very capable goalie (probably close to world class but not really) while Tim Krul also played a crucial role at the World Cup 2014 for us. Overall, Cillesen never really made us jump out of our seat, I don’t think, like Stekelenburg did in 2010 with that sensational save vs Kaka in 2010. Brazil is leading 1-0 and is totally ransacking us in the first half. Right before half time, the 2-0 is on its way, but Stekelenburg doesn’t want to play along and stops the effort. In the second half, Oranje plays va banque and gets the win!

Right Back: Dirk Kuyt (2004 – 2014)

He’s not a right back. I know. He was a lot of things. Striker, right winger, midfielder but in all these roles, he was never the true talent, like Sneijder, Robben or Van Persie. Van Marwijk was told by a wise old man at the WC2010 that he should play Kuyt as right back! That man was Johan Cruyff, of course. Van Gaal actually did this during the WC2014. I don’t see a typical candidate pop up for this position… Van der Wiel? Van Rhijn? Janmaat? Karsdorp? Tete?  They were all decent and useful but it would be super cool to find a spot in the best eleven of the ’10s for Kuyt. As one particular poster used to say: “Dirk always earns his Heineken!”

Right central defender: John Heitinga (2004- 2013)

I want the next decade to be Mathijs de Ligt’s but the last ten years were more for Heitinga. The former Ajax player played at 5 major tournaments for Oranje and was a real warrior at the back for us. In 2010, Heitinga was the guardian of the gate, playing close to or something beyond the line of what was allowed and what was not. He ended up being redcarded in the finals for a very slight tug on a Spanish jersey. Seven minutes later, Iniesta scored. Heitinga is now on his way to become a top coach.

Left central defender: Virgil van Dijk (2015 – now)

He went from Forgotten Virgil to Phenomenal Virgil. The captain. The role model. In 2017, the Dutch KNVB “forgot” to add Virgil’s name to the squad list. Today, no one will overlook the late bloomer. Today he is the best defender in the world. It’s no surprise we reached the finals of the Nations League with him as our skipper. When he lifts the Henri Delaynay trophee coming summer, he will also be in the best eleven of the next decade.

Left back: Giovanni van Bronckhorst ( 1996 – 2010)

Gio van Bronckhorst started as a mercurial left winger at Feyenoord, which got him a move to Glasgow. At Arsenal he moved a line back to midfield and at Barcelona he played left back, amongst world class players like Ronaldinho and Iniesta. We all know the images from the WC2010: Casilla’s toe, the header by Sneijder vs Brazil, the Stekelenburg save, the battle to get Robben fit but one of the key moments is undoubtedly the massive strike from 40 odd yards against Uruguay in the semis. Gio makes his debut when Frenkie de Jong isn’t even born. But after the farewell of Arthur Numan and Winston Bogarde, the left back spot was Gio’s.

Holding mid right: Mark van Bommel ( 2000 – 2012)

Van Bommel. You hate to play against him. You’d love to play with him. Everywhere he goes, something happens. He says what he thinks. And he could be mean and rough, and taunt players with his sour black humour. He did not fit the typical Dutch football role model. Under father in law Van Marwijk, Van Bommel had his best time. He refused to play under Van Basten and he clashed with Van Gaal but this self critical and eager professional had a glorious career playing for Fortuna, PSV, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and AC Milan.

Holding mid left: Frenkie de Jong ( 2018 – now)

One can’t escape this lad. He’s one of the new faces of our Oranje team and the driving force of why we are considered back at the top. Griezmann said he never played against a better opponent. And Griezmann played against Barca and Real Madrid many times… He is slick like an eel, he dribbles, he turns, he faints, he passes and he does it all like a dancer. No comparison with his namesake Nigel. De Jong was the playmaker pushing Oranje to new heights, like he did Ajax in the CL. No Barcelona player played as many minutes as he did this new season. We all expect him to shine again in Amsterdam this coming summer.

Attacking mid centre: Wesley Sneijder ( 2003 – 2018)

When you get a testimonial and people like Mourinho, Seedorf, Kuyt, Kluivert, Robben, Van Bommel, Van Bronckhorst, Eto’o, Davids, Cesar, Zanettti, Chivu, Milito, Cannavaro, Litmanen and more are coming, you know you were a world class player. Sneijder was the mouthy little general in midfield who played for Real Madrid and won the CL with Inter. His WC 2010 campaign on top of that CL trophy should have resulted in the Ballon d’Or for him, but hey… One of the most popular Oranje players.

Right wing: Arjen Robben ( 2003 – 2017)

Mercurial. Focused. Playful. The young Arjen Robben was a sensation at 16, a pro at 18 and playing for Mourinho’s Chelsea at 20 years old. If he wasn’t that vulnerable, he would have been mentioned in one sentence with the likes of Messi and C Ronaldo. I once calculated he lost 5 full seasons due to injuries, but when he was fit he was a complete army all by himself. Work ethics, speed, guile, dribbling skills, tremendous kicking ability and the ability to score and assist from any angle. Add to that his leadership and personality and Robben deserves to be in the top 5 of best Dutch players ever! In that list, JC, Van Hanegem and Van Basten probably will never be replaced. So there is Arjen Robben on #4 (for me).

Centre striker: Robin van Persie ( 2005 – 2017)

Van Persie was the black sheep in a family of artists. Sculpturs and painters. Mum, dad and sis. But Robin ended up being an artist as well. A genius. His volleys for Arsenal and Man United are of the highest caliber. Works of art. But the most iconic goal he scored was the flying header vs Spain. Around 7,2 million Dutch football fans were gasping for air when Daley Blind played his pass to the sprinting Van Persie. He flew like a superhero towards the ball and headed it over Casillas into the top corner. Van Persie laughed and beamed in his final days, more than ever. In his younger years, he could be difficult, moody. His top years were in England, in the footsteps of Dennis Bergkamp. An icon in the EPL and adored in the Kuip in his final season. And 50 goals in Oranje? No one does it better.

Left winger: Memphis Depay ( 2013 – now)

Back in 2014, Memphis was Van Gaal’s trump card. Whenever Oranje was stuck, the youngster was released to run amok. In 2019, he carried Oranje like he carries the lion tattoo on his back. He was the marauding, drifting, productive and at times brilliant leader of the attacking line. But socially, he also to a leading role in this young group and won the sympathy from the Dutch people. It’s such a shame that he might have to forego this Euro tournament. His knee injury will throw him back in his amazing development. But he has started his recovery with a lot of positivity. So there is hope!

Coach: Louis van Gaal ( 2012 – 2014)

Tough one. Bert van Marwijk impressed by reaching the finals in 2010. But the quality of play was disappointing. Ronald Koeman impressed by rejuvenating Oranje and pulling them from the doldrums. But Koeman hasn’t won anything yet. He might be the best coach in the coming decade. But Van Gaal probably performed best with a team consisting of top players in the autumn of their career and a couple of up and comers (Blind, Memphis, De Vrij, Wijnaldum). The 2012 campaign didn’t instill a lot of optimism in the Dutch fans for the 2014 tournament and despite the negative vibe, Van Gaal turned Oranje into a fighting machine. He chooses realisme over romantic football and gets really close to the WC finals. The old physical ed teacher getting the best out of his pupils, once again!

The bench consists of:

Jesper Cillessen, the current no. 1 and all around best goalie we have now.

Gregory van der Wiel as right back, the former Ajax man retired and was always more a business man than a player, despite adventures with PSG, Fenerbahce, Cagliari and Toronto. When he did play for Oranje, he was without question the preferred option.

Stefan de Vrij as centre back. He was a key player in Van Gaal’s World Cup campaign and has had a tremendous career in Italy where the pundits can’t believe he’s not a regular starter in Oranje.

Daley Blind, a smart and complete ball player, usable as left back, midfielder and central defender. Like wine, getting better and better as age progresses. Among first players on the team sheet for Ronald Koeman and Erik ten Hag.

Nigel de Jong, central midfielder, breaker, tackler, passer. Even in Van Gaal’s 2014 WC marauding team, Nigel played key roles as a sub.

Gini Wijnaldum, the marathon man and Jack of all Trades. Can play any position and a great team player (particularly with buddy Memphis).

Rafael van der Vaart, the gifted playmaker. Able to make something out of nothing. Beautiful left foot, great vision and guile and colourful as well.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar… Yes, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Patrick Kluivert, Marco van Basten, Robin van Persie….they will all grace the walls of young football fans with their incredible talents, whereas Klaas Jan is a more the working class striker… But what a striker. The 36 year old is still going strong for Ajax. The Hunter actually has the best stats when it comes to scoring goals. The perfect pinch hitter for this Oranje.

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by Jan

What Mo Ihattaren can offer Oranje

The news that PSV youngster Mo Ihattaren selected to play for Oranje, over Morocco brought a huge smile to Ronald Koeman’s face. And if it wasn’t for some private matters the playmaker needed to attend to, he might well have made it in the squad for the Northern Ireland and Estonia games.

After Hakim Ziyech ditched Oranje, the focus from Zeist changed. Got sharper. Apparently, Oranje lost some of its glare and glamour internationally, and it was clear we needed to make a bigger effort to keep the big talents on board.

Mo Ihattaren was the next big name prospect that was courted by Morocco. They were able to turn Mazraoui and Amrabat their way, two players that most likely could have played for Oranje, but were never considered “key”.

Ziyech is of course in the category “extraordinary” and Mo should also been seen like this.

It’s actually quite remarkable how the whole nation started to get involved with Ihattaren’s future (partly fueled by the dramatic miss of Ziyech). But Ihattaren only had a limited number of miles on the clock, of course. He made his debut this year, in January, as a sub. He played not more than 19 games as a starter in all competitions. And in those matches he left such an impression that Koeman was definitely ready to gift the midfielder his debut, at 17 years and 9 months old. What makes him so special?

Ziyech on the left (Morocco) and Mo in the middle (Netherlands)

His breakthrough tells the story. He is only 16 years old when Van Bommel uses him in the match vs FC Groningen (Cruyff also made his debut vs Groningen, but that is probably a coincidence).

Usually, young talents are introduced in teams that are in form. This allows them to try the big stage, to blend in where others can back them up and to give them confidence. But in the phase where PSV is playing lacklustre and weak, Mo goes from benchwarmer to starter. It says a lot about the faith Van Bommel has in the youngster. Ihattaren doesn’t come in to a well-oiled machine. He is actually the oil, Mark van Bommel needs to get his team playing again. With him in the team, PSV wins three games in a row after the winter break. The top talent gets a new contract (till 2022) and a fixed spot in the squad.

No. 10 – The Playmaker or Right Wing

Ihattaren can be used on two positions in the PSV system ( 4-2-3-1). As a left footed right forward he can dribble inside to open up the play with different options (shoot, dribble, pass, one-two). Van Bommel uses him here at the start of the season.  This is where he can grow into the team, so to speak, as this spot demands less from him, in a physical sense.

But, after a handful of games, Van Bommel knows enough and puts him on the #10 spot. This starts in September, away against RKC. The left footer starts on the right again but when RKC leads 1-0, the PSV coach moves Mo to the axis of the field. He is key in creating the equaliser and the winning goal and proves that he is the guy who fuels the attacking machine of PSV.

This limited number of games proves that the talent does best in the axis for PSV. When comparing his stats, you’ll see that whether he plays on the right or centrally does not impact the number of dribbles. But the number of chances created explodes when Mo plays centrally: 4 times more than when he plays on the flank. He also clearly demonstrates that physically, he is very capable of holding his own.

He is also present when PSV is struggling and needs something special. PSV drew against LASK Linz (0-0) and Sparta Rotterdam (2-2) but that was not for lack of trying by him. Ihattaren created in these games 9 (!) chances for his team mates.  PSV lost the second game vs LASK 4-1, but Mo created three of the four chances PSV created. Last season, his brilliance were the remedy for a sluggish PSV. This season he is one of the leading players for PSV.

Ihattaren as starter 2019/20

Aspect Right Wing # 10
Chances created * 0,66 2,3
Successful dribbles 54% 48%

*Per match

The steps this kid makes are actually giant leaps! As a 17 year old, he is one of the first players on the team sheet for Van Bommel. In Oranje, however, he will have to settle for the spot on the right flank, it seems. And that has everything to do with how Koeman looks at his team. Koeman believes in couples, in duos.. Players that gel well. “I don’t want to take the couple Wijnaldum and Memphis apart, jut like I prefer Bergwijn with Dumfries on the right”. As Memphis is the wandering playmaker for Oranje now, Wijnaldum’s role is more a penetrating and running one. Getting in the box as a false striker. Wijnaldum and Donny van de Beek are the types Koeman is looking for there. Ihattaren plays with a striker (Malen) who himself is more a dynamic, penetrating runner, so Mo can use his through ball to bring him in position.

In Oranje, Ihattaren seems to be the solution for the problem raised by Koeman after the lost Nation Leagues final : “Defensively and in midfield, we’re ok. But up front, we could use some more creativity.” Against Estonia, Northern Ireland and Belarus Oranje was lacking creativity in the small spaces, around Memphis. The job opening of a false winger with the gift of the slide-rule through pass seems to be the ideal role for Ihattaren. Also because, like Bergwijn, he is used to play with Dumfries…

Life goes fast for the youngster. His tremendous potential was known already, both nationally and internationally. The public is now also aware of the capabilities of the kid. It only takes a view on the clip of Young PSV vs Young Barcelona in the Youth League, of November last year. He is the youngest on the pitch and gets the ball on the edge of the box. In between two defenders he turns, looks quickly over his shoulder and backheels the ball into the path of Vertessen who scores. His composure on the ball, under pressure, his vision and creativity…

Everyone who worked with him, will use the term “extraordinary”. Whether it’s Marcel Brands, Mark van Bommel, Bert van Marwijk or Kees van Wonderen. And they are not alone, as scouts and reps of Barcelona, Man City, Chelsea and Inter Milan have already knocked on the door of Mo’s agent Henk-Maarten Chin.

Kristof Aelbrecht – currently assistant coach at Fortuna Sittard – worked with him in the U16s. “In the PSV youth, it was always Little Mo this, Little Mo that. I immediately told him, that is not how I will work with you. From now on, you are Big Mo! And I need you to think and act like a pro. The kids were always looking at scoring, or assists. When you enter the U16 realm it’s also about physical, about mentality, about nutrition and rest. Are you coachable, that sort of thing. It’s about awareness. In my time, Mo always made the difference. We played away against Roda JC at some stage and he wasn’t top fit. I took him out after an hour. He wasn’t taking care of his tasks. Well, that was a first for him! I didn’t do this because I liked doing it, but I had to make a point. He was disappointed, offended and simply angry. He was so pissed off that he refused to get on the bus. His brother Yassir couldn’t even bring him to reason.

Yassir and Mo Ihattaren

Yassir: “He said: take me home now or I stay here. I couldn’t leave him so we drove back in my car. And it was a constant rant: That coach this, that coach that, etc etc. I told him: accept it! Your coach was right! it was a long drive, hahaha. But when we got close to home, I really got fed up and stopped the car. I looked at him and said: Listen!! We support you with the whole family. We do everything for your dream! And you won’t ruin it because you are a spoilt kid! This is Kanalen-eiland (the suburb where Mo lives in Utrecht). This is where the kids hang who haven’t made it. The chances for these kids to leave this behind are slim. Make up your mind. What do you want?”

And thus, both brothers made an appointment with coach Aelbrecht to ask him, what Mo needed to do to improve. Aelbrecht and his assistant Adil Ramzi grabbed some video images and showed Mo that he simply wasn’t fit enough.

So, he started with a new diet and he started to work on his lung capacity and endurance. Every morning at 6 am, Mo woke and went for a run. That was in 2017. Today, Mo Ihattaren is super fit.

Aelbrecht: “I had times that I feared I lost him. That I was too tough on him, but he picked it up. We at PSV had to stay true to our values and now you can see what an incredible player he has become.”

Yassir Ihattaren tells the story, but it could also have been told by his sister, his other brothers or his parents. Because the whole family is involved with the dream of the youngest in the family. Ihattaren Incorporated, one could call it.

His older brother gave up his job as teacher history to manage and assist his brother. Yassir and another brother were talents too but their careers ended in the top of the amateur class, as the parents were simply not capable to assist with their careers. With Benjamin Mo, it’s another story as the older brothers jump in to assist. Mo’s father passed away tragically last month.

The whole family keeps Mo in check and keep on motivating him and inspiring him. “Whenever Mo wants to buy something expensive, we will all give our opinion and sometimes we say “hey buddy, stay normal please!” hahahaha.”

Marcel Brands was PSV’s technical director for years and he remembers seeing the little Mo on the PSV youth grounds. “I’d ask him after his match: Mo, how was the match? And he’d say something like: Good. I scored three and two assists. So funny.” When Brands left for Everton, the club immediately wanted to talk about the #10 in the PSV youth. Brands: “I am happy that he’s still at PSV. Don’t get me wrong, if he wants to come here, I’d be over the moon, but I think he needs to stay. Play a couple of seasons at PSV, make your debut in Oranje and go abroad when you’re really ready. It’s a big step.”

Yassir is adamant that Henk-Maarten Chin will be their agent to stay. “We have had them all, Riola, Jansen, you name them. But Henk-Maarten is also family now. We’re loyal people. And we don’t need anyone to bring Mo to the top. Mo will bring Mo to the top.”

The experts say this.

Bert van Marwijk assisted Van Bommel last season and is quite clear about Ihattaren: “It says a lot always when the players who have arrived accept a youngster just like that. They look for him, they trust him. You see it with Frenkie at Barcelona as well. He’s already part of the key players there. And Mo is also a player that solves problems. Mo thinks ahead, like a chess player. He is always two steps ahead. His biggest enemy is complacency.”

Art Langeler used to be Head of Youth Development at PSV. “We have developed a trajectory which gives him the best chances to reach his potential. From an Oranje perspective, we also need to do all we can to give him the right vibe. I don’t even want him to doubt his choice for Holland.”

Kees van Wonderen won the European title with Oranje U17 with Mo Ihattaren in the team. “He played almost everything and was important for the team. He is very skilled, tactically shrewd and mentally strong. He is also happy to do the dirty work and make dirty yards if possible. And his family is important. They won’t put him on a pedestal. They’re critical and he is open to criticism. There are no guarantees but Mo has everything to become a top player.”

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by Jan

Oranje’s new direction

Before the Estonia match, Koeman announced he would make some changes and test some ideas… He never is the type to test things while in the race for a prize or trophy, but now, qualified as we were, he was happy to experiment.

At first sight, it didn’t look much like an experiment: 4 defenders, 2 holding mids, a deep striker… But in reality there were indeed some interesting changes…

The most remarkable one was a decision that yours truly already suggested here a number of times: use Quincy Promes as the right wing back instead of Dumfries or Veltman.

Dumfries lacks positional / tactical nous and ball skills but offers speed and power. Veltman lacks speed and power but offers neat passing and experience. But both are just not good enough (for now).

So with most of our opponents playing without an out and out left winger and with our team playing with a left back who lacks the legs to race up and down the flank, why not use the right flank for a player who can – basically – do everything!

He can score, he can dribble, he can run, he can assist, he reads the game well and he’s game: Quincy Promes as right wing back!

And with a right winger who hardly plays on the right wing, a midfielder like Van de Beek and a wing back like Promes can utilise that space.

Stengs was the right winger vs Estonia and he demonstrated to have earned the right to be in the squad. Of course, left footed Berghuis can play in this role too as can Mo Ihattaren and Bergwijn.

Depay came from the left, with marathon man Patrick van Aanholt behind him, and Luuk de Jong as deep striker.

Some elements which Koeman can use…

Luuk de Jong as distractor for Memphis

The comeback at home vs Northern Ireland opened up this option in Koeman’s mind. The Lyon striker couldn’t find an opening against this defensive opponent. Once Memphis went to the left, with Luuk in de team, he found the key to unlock the Northern Irish door.

Against Estonia, Luuk de Jong didn’t impress. He had a supporting role and only one attempt on goal. But as a distractor, he’s really useful.

Luuk de Jong blocks the defender allowing Promes time and space

In the 6th minute, he creates the space for Memphis and then he sets a block so Promes can come in possession and assist Gini’s first goal. Luuk makes his move to the near post and creates space for Gini’s header.

Luuk going near post, binding 2 defenders

Same thing with Oranje’s second goal. Luuk makes a dart to the far post creating space for Ake. Two defenders are with Luuk and Ake has a relatively easy header.

Luuk de Jong takes 2 defenders with him when jumping to the far post

And Ake can enter the space vacated by De Jong & Co

And the fact that in both cases, Memphis creates the goals makes the picture complete. Memphis is rested after the break and Myron Boadu takes his spot. And by then it’s clear that this is a good tactics to use against teams parking the bus.

Memphis’ heat map of the first half. No longer needed as target man upfront, now free to roam

Power on the wings

The position of the backs have been a discussie topic for years. Denzel Dumfries and Joel Veltman miss the composure, technique and vision in the final stage of their rush forward. Something Blind has in spades on the other side, but Daley lacks the pace and the power. The lacklustre performance on the right prompted Koeman to use a different option: Quincy Promes. Estonia was a good opportunity to test his ability. Koeman: “Promes as right back is a solution for the future, in particular against these types of opponents. Because Promes can do everything. He can play winger, he can assist, score, run, but he’s also strong in the duels. And when we need to defend, well…he needs to defend. That’s normal.”

Van Aanholt can do what Promes does on the left. They both show power on the wings and keep on running up and down. This allows Stengs, Memphis and Boadu to find space in the half spaces or midfield. Promes again proves his value by his assist on Wijnaldum (1-0).

Van Aanholt pressing high

It’s also remarkable how Oranje presses with high intensity and high risk. Van Aanholt almost presses the back on to their corner flag. When he does, Ake moves forward as well. This style of pressing resembles what Ajax does. Usually, Oranje plays it less risky. This does show vs Estonia, as a number of times, the forwards press up and the defenders stay in place, allowing Estonia – pretty limited team – to find a way out.

The high press leaving the rest defence wanting at times

The forward pressing backs… The conclusion: with two of them pressing high, the risk is higher but so is our threat. Organisationally, it’s a problem, as the rest defence is vulnerable with both backs gone. This is why Koeman enjoyes playing a more stable deep lying play-making back on the left (Daley Blind) and a marauding right back on the other side (Dumfries, Promes).

Creativity in midield

The most positive aspect of the Estonia tactics, is the way our midfield operates. The recent 0-0 vs Northern Ireland is a good example of the way Oranje played defensive minded opponents. A lot of possession, not enough creativity up front and fully depending on the intelligence of Frenkie de Jong. Whenever the opponent sacrifices a man marker for De Jong, we get ourselves into trouble. In this system, less so. Koeman uses a strong passer of the ball next to De Jong (Davy Propper), which allows for a quicker pass forward than with De Roon. Promes and Van Aanholt are also good build up passers (as is Blind of course). Memphis and Stengs can bring their creativity from the flanks, something Oranje needed badly. Babel – despite his work ethics – couldn’t deliver this too well. Combined with the runs from midfield from Wijnaldum, Memphis and Stengs had ample options for the combination. Wijnaldum’s hattrick has everything to do with this.

The typical Oranje field positions. The full backs are widest. The wingers are in the half spaces. The #10 is close to the striker

With free-style wandering wingers and controlling midfielders who will continuously press up, Holland has a lot of variance and options through the centre. There are constantly different players popping up in certain areas, the Estonia defenders were played drunk. With more time, Koeman will be able to bring in more “automatisms” between the players.

The 4-0 is a good example of Holland’s dynamics. It’s Stengs that pops up in the #10 role and turns the ball around. Sub striker Weghorst makes a run to the left, allowing space for Boadu (left winger) and Wijnaldum (#10) to make a run in behind. Stengs has the skill to find Wijnaldum and the Liverpool midfielder finishes coolly. Two assists in this game for Stengs, a goal for Boadu and a number of positives for Ronald Koeman.

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by Jan

Oranje qualifies after 6 years again!

It had to happen at some stage. A nation like Holland wouldn’t keep missing out on tournaments. History taught us so much. The tremendous development of players like Virgil, Memphis, Frenkie and Matthijs will have helped enormously, but it was also the changes made by coach Koeman that helped us reach a higher level.

Despite some negative responses after the 0-0 vs Northern Ireland this Saturday (we could have and should have won it and become the group leader, but hey… I won’t be raining on any parade), the overall feeling was joy and pride and relief.

Ronald Koeman’s first big decision when he was appointed as NT Manager, was to skip the training camps in flash and touristy Noordwijk to the boring woods of Zeist, to the KNVB’s sports centre. He didn’t want to turn the internationals into prisoners so much, but he did want them more “in his control”. So instead of individuals and little cliques, Koeman created a whole squad-vibe, supported by his captain and vice-captains (Virgil, Memphis, Daley, Strootman) and introduced group whatsapps and other group initiatives to help turn our talents into a cohesive team.

He did more.

  • Dominate the axis of the pitch

In the run up to the first matches under his management, Koeman was cryptic in his answers. Asked what system he was going to play: “I am not going to tell you. But I won’t call it 4-3-3.” With this comment, he said goodbye to the (Louis van Gaal) mantra, that wingers need to keep the pitch wide and cross balls into the box. Koeman wants a left footed player on the right, and a right footed player on the left. He wants them to come inside and he wants the full backs to keep the width. Koeman knows it’s easier to win games if you dominate the middle of the pitch. He wants his team to keep the ball in the central axis of the field as long as possible. In the EPL, most successful teams stock up their central areas. Pep Guardiola uses the full backs to come centrally to support, while Klopp at Liverpool uses Firmino to drop back and support and two wingers who constantly come to the centre of the park. Ten Hag and Van Bommel play a similar style in the Dutch competition. The number of crosses has diminished significantly as a result. In the EPL we saw 40 crosses per match in the 2008/2009 season, and that has imploded to only 24 on average in last season.

Typical positioning of Oranje in possession. A winger and the #10 (circled) forming a square with the midfielders (in rectangular)

Koeman used to be a fan of the tall #9 striker (Graziano Pelle at Feyenoord and Southampton) but with the mercurial Memphis as an option, Koeman has steered away from aerial attacks and crosses. He uses Depay as striker, with runners Babel, Promes and / or Bergwijn on the wings. All players who can play central striker, winger and #10 in midfield, allowing for maximum flexibility.

In this way, Oranje has more options when playing the minions who come to park the bus and want to force Oranje to the flanks. This was what happened under Hiddink and Blind a lot, when we failed to qualify versus Iceland, Turkey and Bulgaria. They forced us to go wide and use the crosses, which are relatively easy to defend. Under Koeman, we also struggled at times to find the way through, but Oranje always was able to find that solution. The cross is no longer Plan A, but basically Plan B or C when everything else fails…

  • Play Forward!

Not long ago, we had a national debate about the question, why is Wijnaldum a key player at Liverpool and mediocre in Oranje? The midfielder who won the CL with Liverpool was at times unrecognisable in the orange jersey. With Daley Blind, Kevin Strootman and Memphis Depay he became the symbol of player who couldn’t lead Oranje to the big tournaments… With the new playing system under Koeman, we might conclude that it wasn’t him/them. It was how they were used. With Wijnaldum, the discussion has been turned around even. In Liverpool, they’re asking “how can we use Gini like Oranje does, so he can decide more games for us?”. Wijnaldum: “That has to do with my new role in Oranje. I have more freedom now.” With Memphis, Blind and Wijnaldum performing much better in Oranje has to do with the build up. Koeman destroyed the Dutch Disease of playing the ball square constantly. In the run up to the World Cup 2018, more than half of the passes in 9 out of 10 games played by Holland were played between central defenders. In one of this first press conferences, Koeman said: “I don’t like to see players playing back to the keeper. Find space up front. Make it hard for the opponent. Let them deal with the issue. When you want to create something, you need to play the forward pass.”

When we are faced with two pressing forwards, Frenkie drops next to the centre backs, keeping the full backs higher on the pitch

Koeman has demanded from his players that they see and recognise where to apply pressure. If the opponent has one player pressing, we need to find the second team mate to come and help and create the man more situation. Do they press with two, than we need a defender to join in.

Koeman’s second principle: find the space behind their last defender. With the introduction of Frenkie de Jong, Koeman starts playing the 4-2-3-1 and manages to find the pass behind the last defender. Now Oranje starts to make an impression in an attacking sense as well.

This is a perfect example, vs Germany. Blind gets the second ball after a pressure moment on the left. In the failed qualification matches, he might have played it square to De Jong. Or he would control the ball first and turn back to his central defender to slowly build up again. But not now.

See how deep Promes is playing, as a make shift right back

Without hesitation he plays the ball hard and low into the feet of Memphis. The holding mid of Germany is too late and is played out. Wijnaldum is already dashing forward, Memphis finds him and Malen is on hand to score.

The late, great Johan Cruyff once said: sometimes something needs to happen before something happens… This Oranje does make things happen by playing the forward pass. Possession has become a means again, not the end.

  • Defend Space

Koeman: “We need to build a consistent core of players. I don’t change a lot because we never have a lot of time to build a dynamic. All we do now is just add some details about the opponent and off we go!”.

We conceded a goal against Belarus. Koeman: “We are suddenly faced with a situation of two defenders against three attackers! Maybe the others think Virgil van Dijk can deal with everything!”

And then he sums up the list of errors: Joel Veltman not pressing the ball so the cross can be played in easily. De Jong doesn’t track his runner. Blind doesn’t squeeze in time, and as a result Van Dijk and De Ligt are facing 3 opponents. The Dutch NT doesn’t make couples on the pitch, in a manmarking manner. We defend the spaces. Compactness is a key word for Koeman. The distances between our players should be max 10 t0 12 meters. With this, we can always give backing to team mates and offer options in possession. Everything he wants, was forgotten in that one situation vs Belarus.

  • Do what you can to win!

Wijnaldum: “Koeman explains what we need to do to win the game. And if we can’t make it happen in the first half, he will explain calmly in the break what we need to do to win. This group absorbs all this very well.”

The little note assistant Lodeweges used in the away game vs Germany has reached epic proportions. We were 2-1 down in Germany and in the final stage of the game, Van Dijk is directed forward to operate as second striker for Oranje. Just before time, it’s a cross by Vilhena which reaches Van Dijk and he scores the 2-2 securing our spot in the finals of the Nations League.

Koeman also directed Frenkie de Jong to play as third central defender in that Germany match, allowing or more control.

In the home game vs Germany for the Euro qualification, we see more shots of Lodeweges with notes in his hand. In this match, we play a 4-2-3-1 again, but Koeman adapts defensively. Koeman mirrors the German 3-5-2 by using Promes as a wingback. Oranje fights back from trailing 0-2 to 2-2 but loses in the dying minutes.

The “Germany System” with Promes as wingback

Not that long ago, Dutch NT coached would be heavily criticised for abandoning the Dutch 4-3-3 system. The Dutch NT needed to play to their strengths, people said. Van Gaal got massive complaints from the football world when he played with three centre backs at the World Cup 2014. Koeman didn’t seem to care about all these sentiments, went his own way, and got the results. Koeman is also not the type – as opposed to Van Gaal – to be very open to the press what he is doing. He deflects questions about tactics and uses so-called kitchen tile one-liners to explain things to the media. He always plays tactics down and says those discussions are not so important. His motto: if I don’t start the conversation, I won’t get any hassle from it.

  • Focus on the turn-around

Virgil van Dijk: “At some stage, space opens up and we have lads up front with speed who can benefit from this. And we do.”

A quick look to the stats show us that Oranje is deadly in ball possession. We have dynamic forwards, with legs and lungs and similar players in midfield (Van de Beek, Wijnaldum!) who can bridge any distance to the goal easily. This kind of counter goals were long considered an inferior way to win games. We usually blame Portugal and Germany (in the past century) for using these tactics. Today, victories vs Germany and Portugal (…) have silenced the criticasters.

Opponent Goal scorer Number of Passes
Belarus Georginio Wijnaldum 5
Belarus Georginio Wijnaldum 3
Northern Ireland Memphis Depay 3
Northern Ireland Luuk de Jong 8
Northern Ireland Memphis Depay 1
Estonia Ryan Babel 5
Estonia Ryan Babel 3
Estonia Memphis Depay 10
Estonia Georginio Wijnaldum 1
Germany Frenkie de Jong 6
Germany Ryan Babel 1
Germany Donyell Malen 3
Germany Georginio Wijnaldum 4
England Matthijs de Ligt 1
England Quincy Promes 0
England Quincy Promes 1
Germany Matthijs de Ligt 2
Germany Memphis Depay 8
Belarus Memphis Depay 0
Belarus Georginio Wijnaldum 7
Belarus Memphis Depay 0
Belarus Virgil van Dijk 1
Germany Quincy Promes 5
Germany Virgil van Dijk 0
France Memphis Depay 0
France Georginio Wijnaldum 0
Belgium Arnaut Groeneveld 3
Germany Virgil van Dijk 0
Germany Memphis Depay 2
Germany Georginio Wijnaldum 1
France Ryan Babel 4
Peru Memphis Depay 3
Peru Memphis Depay 0
Italy Nathan Aké 5
Slovakia Quincy Promes 3
Portugal Memphis Depay 5
Portugal Ryan Babel 15
Portugal Virgil van Dijk 2

In the run up to the Northern Ireland game, Koeman says this: “We want to score quick and start well. We are even better when we can play compact, with a goal to the good. Our counter attacks are super dangerous.” So, under Koeman we play dominant first, to counter-attack later. Our forwards feel most comfortable when they have space in front of them, and turn-around experts Wijnaldum and De Roon also feel best with space in front. And playing compact doesn’t mean playing defensive. You can press high, and be compact still. But when that doesn’t work, the players will drop back on their own half. And then the team requires patience to wait for the right moment to pounce.

In the small spaces of the modern game, the counter attack is an essential weapon. Even Man City, Barcelona, Bayern and Liverpool play like this, with France winning the World Cup in this style.

The turn around vs Germany, with De Roon playing the forward pass

Like any NT manager before him, Ronald Koeman benefits from the work done by the club coaches. Van Dijk and Wijnaldum feel at home in this style, because Klopp works the exact same way. De Ligt, Blind and De Jong will always try and find the solution by playing forward, because Ten Hag demands this at Ajax. Bergwijn will fortify our midfield and make way for Dumfries, because Van Bommel wants this from them at PSV. Babel, Promes and De Roon will help balance the team because these players learned to be a team player.

Koeman’s biggest strength, is that he has developed a playing style utilising the strength of his players.

So, one more game. A match in which Virgil will not be present due to personal circumstances. Gini Wijnaldum will be the captain and Koeman promised a completely new system / approach…

We’ll see…

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by Jan

Why Koeman can’t ignore Stengs

Calvin Stengs is 20 years old. If you deduct his year of being badly injured, he’s actually only 19 years old… When he came on the scene, some two years ago, we could all see how special he could become. Some players are not “discovered” by any scout, as even Stevie Wonder could see how talented this lad was.

Let’s analyse him.

Positional Intelligence

In today’s world, wingers play on the wrong flank, given their favorite foot. Robben started life as a left winger. As did Berghuis. And dozens of others, who ended up playing on the right wing. The so-called Inverted Winger. Calvin Stengs is one of those. Like Ziyech at Ajax, a gifted left footer on the right wing. But Stengs can’t be compared to Robben or even Leroy Sane. He looks a bit like Sane, he even walks a bit like him, but Stengs is one of those wingers who doesn’t rely on speed. He’s not slow, by all means, but he will not bamboozle opponents with explosive sprints or dazzling speed. If you have to compare the young AZ player, you probably end up with Angel di Maria, who is reborn at PSG.

He will start on the team sheet as right winger. But he will do most damage in the half space on the right, while the AZ right back Svensson will cover the channel on the right with overlaps. The interaction between these two and the timely passing of midfielders Midtsjo and Koopmeiners are the foundations of Stengs play.

But it’s not a one-trick pony gameplay, here. AZ also used the variance, of having the back dive into the half space, and allowing Stengs to drift all the way to the touch line.

Stengs loves to wonder in a free role and when he really gets the space he needs, he can create threatening situations from nothing. Sometimes, Stengs will pop up in the half space on the left, starting a combination with left winger Idrissi. It’s the intelligence of Wijndal, the left back playing wide and high usually, and the covering runs of Dani de Wit who will take Stengs position on the right hand side of the field.

Stengs popping up in the left half space to confuse the opponent

Stengs is also really comfortable playing on the “10” position and using his smarts and positioning to keep opponents busy, and keeping them from putting pressure on AZ Full backs, like Stengs did vs PSV. His midfield play kept Doan from pressuring Wijndal. Stengs will use his positioning skills to play in between the lines and once in possession he usually can find the killer pass, as he did in the game vs PSV, taking 3 or 4 opponents out with one pass.

Stengs dropping deep to force Doan to follow, allowing for Wijndal to get in possession

In Oranje, Koeman uses the 4-2-3-1 formation, with the right winger more on the half space while left back Daley Blind usually positions himself as a third central defender and starts the build up play. As a result, Dumfries (or whoever is right back) gets the freedom to move up into the area vacated by the right winger. This right winger position is therefore ideal for Stengs, who loves to wander and roam and who can easily play the role of all midfielders. With his versatility and intelligent positioning, it will be easier for the real left winger (Malen, Promes, Bergwijn) to play his part.

Functional skills

AZ scored four times vs PSV and with three of them, Stengs individual class was on display. Before the opening goal, the 20 year old does something remarkable. When Boadu keeps the ball in field, after a header by Wijndal, Stengs becomes available as a result of a smart little run. When Boadu plays into Midtsjo who dribbles towards the right, Stengs is running along in the same direction. But suddenly he stops. This results in him being completely unmarked behind Erick Gutierrez. Stengs than plays a killer pass into Boadu. The pass gets the applause, but Stengs’ movement deserves as much kudos.

The freedom Stengs creates for himself in between the lines

The second goal is a real team goal, yes with a magical dropkick by Midtsjo, but Stengs again is the architect. First, he controls a loose ball really well, then he loses 3 PSV players with one-two shimmies. He has a touch and go with Midtsjo and then opens on the right, where Svensson and Sugawara are in a two vs one situation. His assist for the 3-0 was quite simple but still smart. PSV is looking to get back into the game. Svensson passes into Stengs who is one on one with left back Sadilek. His typical dribble style will put the fear of God in the PSV defender: short steps, lots of touches, relatively straight back but with a plan. He wants to dribble diagonally inside, knowing that Svensson will be on his moped on the right flank. Stengs makes Sadilek believe he’ll go for goal, by emulating that body style. But he passes the ball gently to Svensson who finishes: 3-0. (see below)

Whether Stengs is Holland’s best winger is debatable, but the big plus is that he can play in different styles: running in between the lines, acrobatic individual skills and dribbling, to allow his team mates to score.

Productivity

He is involved in eightteen goals (18) this season (in 20 official games). Eight goals and ten assits. His productivity is the result of his individual qualities, yes, but also the result of the way AZ plays under Arne Slot. Stengs, like Boadu and Idrissi, doesn’t need any time to think in finding the right positions on the pitch.

Stengs productivity is not the result of luck. Only Dusan Tadic, Steven Bergwijn and Brian Smeets (the Sparta revelation this season) created more chances for team mates than Stengs (19). Also, the number of shots on goal (26) brings him in the top 10 of the Eredivisie. Stengs is super productive thanks to his skill set but also because Slot organises his team around these qualities. It will be interesting to see how Stengs’ productivity will fair in Oranje…

Stengs waiting for the cross, as a real right winger here…

Work Ethic

When Arne Slot is asked about Astana attacker Rotariu, who played for AZ in the past, he says: “He is very skilled on the ball, but we wanted more from him without it. He had difficulty with that. When you look at Calvin, and his work ethic… I mean, he can do anything with a ball but he works like a horse when we don’t have it.”

The statistics support this. Stengs has won the ball back more times (55) than Boadu and Idrissi together (54)! By positioning himself smartly in between centre back, full back and holding mid, Stengs can jump at any given time on a risky pass in the build up of the opponent. This is a situation vs Heracles Almelo.

Stengs, in red with jersey 7, putting pressure via his “jump” on the left back, who is about to lose possession

He also supports his team mates, even on his own half. A risky pass by Joey Konings goes beyond him but he sees with a carpenter’s eye that the ball is not good enough so he can put pressure on the receiver, with Svensson, to win the ball back.

Stengs recognises the risky pass and aids Svensson in putting pressure on, on his own half

This work rate and defensive smarts make him a real target for the big top clubs and of course for Oranje. Most talented forwards coming through the systems lack this defensive awareness and willingness to work for the team. This may not sound sexy, but the willingness and ability of players in the modern game to defend, to effectively put pressure on opponents are becoming crucial in top competitions (see Liverpool, Man City, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Ajax, Atletico Madrid, Dortmund). Stengs is not a speed train on the wing, and he’s also not a goal scoring forward, who gets 20+ goals, but his technical brilliance, his positional intelligence, versatility, productivity and work ethics make him a talent of the extraordinary category. Not bad for a lad who suffered a horror injury two years ago.

He will come into the Dutch squad and will probably never leave it again. He will most likely start, even, with Bergwijn injured, Malen uncertain and Berghuis in a form dip. And next? I can see Ziyech leave Ajax this coming summer and Stengs making a record move (25Mio? 30Mio?) to Ajax.

After two seasons Ajax, anything can happen. Liverpool, PSG, Bayern (with Ten Hag?), even Barcelona….

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by Jan

Oranje’s Future

CIRCUS XAVI SIMONS

Oranje U17 – Kosovo U17. Final score: 1-1

The last two squads of Oranje U17 won the European championship and Wednesday, a new campaign will start. Team coach Mischa Visser, taking over from Peter van der Veen temporarily, started the qualification with a match vs Kosovo, and they do so with 20 new names. These talents practiced twice against France and won both matches. This Kosovo also seemed to be prey for the Dutch talents, in particular when PSV midfielder Jimenez scored within 10 minutes with a shot from distance.

After that quick goal, Oranje has extreme possession, close to 90%, but they can’t create more chances. Kosovo plays terribly defensive. When Oranje fails to clear a ball, it’s a freak goal by a Kosovarian: 1-1. The home team can’t believe it. Visser immediately brings Xavi Simons on to the pitch.

Circus Xavi can start, although it already started when the midfielder exits the players bus. It’s unreal to see how popular the 16 year old is. This squad is full of talented young lads, but we don’t know any of their names. With Simons, it’s different. In the 100 meters from players bus to the dressing room, dozens of fans raced to Xavi for an autograph and when he starts his warming up, the excitement can be sensed on the stands.

Once Simons is on the pitch, Simons demands the ball continuously and is close to scoring, twice. First with a tremendous free kick and later with a shot that flies over the bar. After the game is over, no one talks about the strange stats. Possession 90-10. Attempts on goal: 21-1. Goals 1-1. The fans who are present all chase Simons as if he’s a Beatle. He patiently joins in on the selfies and joins his family once he can. After this Circus Xavi performance, one has to feel for the 16 year old who probably feels the pressure from the extreme hype to perform conform to expectations in the coming years.

WORLD CUP FAVORITE

Oranje U18 – Belgium U18. Final score: 3-2

In two weeks, the Dutch NT U18 will participate in the World Cup in Brazil. This might well be a historical tournament for us, as this group oozes talent! Peter van de Veen won the European title twice with one hand tied to their back. And against Belgium, in this friendly, at times it’s just sumptuous to watch these lads play. In particular, the combinations between  Naci Ünüvar and Mohamed Taabouni (see main photo) are of exceptional quality. Taabouni scores early after a trademark outside foot pass by Ünüvar, who repeats that feat once more later on. This team has so much football in it, that at times it all goes a tad too easily.

Belgium, with Wesley Sonck as the team manager, benefit from the this complacency and score twice from a counter. Jayden Braaf comes on as a sub and rectifies it all with two identical goals. Coming inside and placing the ball with his right into the far corner. The left winger started his season at Man City strong and it says a lot about the strength of this team that he started on the bench. Braaf gets the spotlight with his two goals, but man of the match is Taabouni. The 17 year old playmaker constantly draws the game towards him and always finds the right solution. AZ has another gem in their midst.

 

HOPE FOR FEYENOORD (AND ADO)

Oranje U19 – Lithuania U19. Final score: 8-2

NT manager Maarten Stekelenburg’s team is a week in Lithuania for the Euro qualification tournament and plays top drawer football. First, it’s Moldavia with 5-0 and last Friday they won 8-2 vs Lithuania. It’s the role of the Feyenoord players in particular that catches the eye. Seven of the eight goals were scored by players who are signed with Feyenoord. Cry Summerville, on loan with ADO Den Haag, scored four goals, while Azarkan and Burger also scored.

It offers hope for Feyenoord, whose youth academy has had some lean times recently. Five years in a row, the Feyenoord Academy was considered the best of the country, but the last seasons, AZ and Ajax is topping the bill. Of all the youth teams’ players, 55 in total, 13 are from Ajax and 13 from AZ. Feyenoord offers 5 players and PSV a mere 2.

A talented generation is coming through for Feyenoord, and it’s exciting to watch Cry Summerville play for ADO Den Haag, who can use some goalscoring capabilities.

 

THE INBETWEENERS

Oranje U20 – Portugal U20. Final Score: 1-1.

In theory, Bert Konterman could well be the most fortunate coach at Oranje U20, with the ability to play Mathijs de Ligt and Donyell Malen, but both players have moved to the big Oranje and most likely foregood. Young Oranje has players who could also play for this team. Tahith Chong and Mitchell van Bergen are two more experienced players of repute but both players were not able to play due to slight injuries.

Konterman had to change his team on three spots and the lack of flow was noticeable. The Portuguese do all they can to stop Oranje playing and to suck the oxygen out of the game. The Dutch goal is the result of a dead ball set play. Ekkelenkamp is first to react when the Portuguese goalie spills the free kick of Obispo.

This Under20 team is a sort of inbetween-team. Players who can’t play for Young Oranje anymore can still play here and make minutes. The interest in the matches of this team is much less than with other teams. The time this team plays, for instance, is at the same time as the big Oranje, vs Northern Ireland.

 

ORANJE’S SHOWROOM

Young Oranje closes the international week with a strong 4-2- win over Portugal and a 0-4 win over Norway. The matches resulted in one big AZ show. Five AZ players are in the starting line up and three claimed a key role. Koopmeiners, Stengs and Boadu showed what was clearly visible in other rep teams: AZ has gold in their hands.

 

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by Jan

Sloppy Oranje close to Euro2020

Koeman was fuming after the match. Serious look on his face. “Congratulations, you have one foot in the Euros,” was the interviewer’s attempt to see a smile on Koeman’s face.

Koeman did what everybody wanted him to do. Play Malen from the start, bench Dumfries and use Van de Beek instead of De Roon.

The first half ended 2-0. That could have given the impression that all was well in the Land of Orange. But it wasn’t really. A suicide block by De Ligt saved the openings goal by Belarus. And the quality of play in the first half didn’t really get us all too excited.

Van de Beek for instance… He had a strong opener and almost scored a typical Van de Beek goal, making a diagonal run into the box. His lob just landed on the roof of the goal. Otherwise, Donny got lost in traffic, where Malen, Promes, Wijnaldum and Bergwijn also tried to find space.

Malen then. A great player, who needs space to run into. Where Memphis wants the ball mostly in his feet, Malen likes to dart in behind. But vs Belarus, there was hardly any space for Malen to use his strength.

Promes had a better game, I felt. He was crisp on the ball, not as sloppy as Veltman or Bergwijn. His cross for Wijnaldum was wonderful but Promes seems to be the first player to sub, apparently. I would have used him as wingback and bench Veltman.

So over to Joel Veltman. A strange animal. Too small for centre back. Not good (fast, gifted) enough to play full back. A good defender but needing a lot of fouls (and collecting yellows) while his handling speed in attack is too slow. But, still better than Dumfries, who really needs to improve massively in his touch and ball handling. Dumfries running in to space? Great! Dumfries making dummy runs? Wonderful. Dumfries heading the ball? Very good! But against smaller nations like Belarus or Northern Ireland, he’s not good enough.

But neither is Veltman. Koeman came up with the “Diamond midfield” in a 3-4-3 system.

Knowing that Belarus played with 1 forward, Blind, De Ligt and Van Dijk played at the back, with Veltman as the right wing back. The only thing Veltman did well was his positioning, but the flow of the moves all seem to stop whenever he got the ball. He had 12 crosses (!) and only 1(!) was decent. The rest was wasted.

Another example of Koeman being risk averse. If you know Belarus doesn’t play with a left winger and we need attacking power on the wings, why not use Quincy Promes as wingback??

In this tactical set up, the wings weren’t used properly. Promes and Malen were supposed to cover the left flank, Veltman and Bergwijn the right, but we never had the proper pace to outdo the opponent. And in that central area of our attack, it simply was too crowded.

Only once did we manage to find a forward running player, when Daley Blind passed onto Promes who made a run in behind and his touch just let him down.

Other than that, it was a header opportunity for Gini and a shot from distance by Gini that made the difference, while we (De Ligt in particular) looked shaky at the back.

The change made in the second half, after we allowed Belarus their goal, was very much needed.

With De Roon for Van de Beek, we moved one body out of the busy zone back to the midfield and with Luuk de Jong we had a target man which Malen and co. could use to their advantage. Luuk got one header opportunity which he directed over the goal.

The Belarus goal was another typical example of a series of mistakes in a row, just like with the Northern Ireland goal.

In this case, I believe it was a matter of the Dutch cheering and slapping each other on the back at half time! “We have it in the bag! 2-0 guys, lets score two more in the second half. Yay!!”.

Well, that arrogance and complacency got them good! Because Belarus demonstrated in one attack that they can play!

The player who crossed the ball in, had all the time in the world to do so, as Veltman simply didn’t close the ball down. Frenkie de Jong let his man drift off. Frenkie actually saw it (as the footage shows) but decided to point at him and let Van Dijk deal with it. Blind was in two minds: do I help out or do I stay and guard my own man?

As a result, it was 3 attackers vs 2 central defenders. The cross was excellent and so was the header. Boom! And now Oranje had to battle for the 3 points.

Wijnaldum was the man who made the difference! He had another dart into the box, allowing Malen his second goal for Oranje on a plate. But it baffles me why the former Ajax talent didn’t pick the left corner of the goal, where the goalie wouldn’t have been able to stop the ball. That should have been 3-1.

And late in the game, Gini even had the legs/lungs (like vs Germany) to break out again, but a slip stopped him from scoring his hat trick.

The mood after the game was mixed. Van Dijk did have a big smile on his face, saying it was a great day! When the interviewer asked about it, he said: “Oh, that is for a personal reason. Not because of this match.” I think Virgil might have heard he is becoming a father again or something like that?

Wijnaldum was critical. Proud of his goals, but with his experience at the WorldCup 2014, he knows shit needs to improve pronto. Wijnaldum also mentioned the problem Oranje faced in the second half: “We didn’t start well in the second half. We were complacent. I think the 2-0 gave us the idea we would have an easy and fun second half. That really needs to improve.”

De Ligt was very open and honest: “I know I’m not at my best. The change I made, moving to Italy, it’s harder than I thought. There is a lot of new elements to my life now and I need a bit more time, but I’m sure and confident things will turn around. I have a lot of faith in myself and I’m not concerned. You know, in all those games I played in recently, I may not look 100% but we did win all the games, so… It’s not that bad.”

Ronald Koeman was happy on the one hand, and fuming on the other. He did make a comment on the pitch, which indeed was quite shitty. And he couldn’t resist the following statement: “Maybe we are simply not good enough yet, that we can just play these nations off the pitch…”

The Netherlands now are with one foot in the Euros. One more point is needed and if we get that in Belfast, we are good to book our tickets. Koeman does want to win the group, as that will also give us a spot as group leader at the Euros.

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by Jan

Frenkie: “We have so much room to grow!”

The competitions have started again. And with a focus on the Dutchies, it’s clear that we are seeing – mostly – pretty decent developments. Yes, Mathijs de Ligt might need a tad more time to get used to Sarri’s new way of playing for Juve. Even Bonucci says in interviews he needs more time himself! And yes, Luuk de Jong hasn’t scored yet (but don’t worry: he will). Cillesen is allowing goals, yes, and maybe he’s not as good as Neuer or Kapa or De Gea but he’s still good enough for Oranje.

It’s all good news. PSV’s forwards, Ajax’ continuous run, AZ’s talents knocking on the door, but also the return to fitness of Danjuma, the goals of Weghorst, the minutes made by Chong and most importantly the key role Frenkie is playing already in this Barcelona. Only Feyenoord is a bit of an up and down team at the moment… Epically beating Porto and then losing horrifically against Fortuna Sittard? But all good lessons for the players and hopefully they’ll find their spine soon.

Frenkie oozes confidence: “We have made a good run with Oranje, but now we really need to win the next two matches as we will make a giant leap forward to qualification. Northern Ireland is the key game, and away against Belarus, well…with all due respect, we really should win that. We will have the upperhand vs Germany and Northern Ireland in terms of 1v1 result and we have it all in our own hands.” Frenkie has a right to be cocky. He started in 10 of Barca’s 11 official matches and the media can’t stop talking him up. He’s seen as a real asset, providing creativity and solutions from midfield and accelerating the game where possible. Some media even claim that the current Barcelona team is struggling to keep up with Frenkie’s game!

“Yes its going well, but I never worried about that. For me, it’s new team mates and a new stadium and a new country and language, but the football for me is always the same. I wouldn’t know how to play differently. Barca signed me with their full brain, as we say in Holland, and they know what they’re getting. And to be honest, we’re not playing that well. We can still do so much better. But a Barca that plays average, always has a Suarez or a Messi to break the deadlock. That bycicle kick of Suarez? He doesn’t it constantly in training. That was meant to happen like this, I can tell you. And I am as surprised by what he does as the fans are, hahaha. We have so much quality, we can always find an opening.”

Oranje is not that far progressed. “Not yet!”, Frenkie smiles. “But we will work towards this. I believe we can play better but if you see how we played partly during the Nations League semi finals and the second half vs Germany… That is the level we need to hold on to. We can still improve and that is a good thing! We all sense there is room to grow.”

The goal is reaching the Euro2020 tournament. “I did play final tournaments in the youth system. It’s really good fun to play at those, but this one is the real deal! It’s a disgrace in a way that The Netherlands missed out twice! I really want to be part of the group that will qualify again.”

Another player who entered the trainings camp for Oranje with his chest out is skipper Virgil van Dijk. “We’re now 8 points ahead of Man City with Liverpool! Who would have thought that so early in the season. Wow! Winning the CL with Liverpool was huge, but winning the title in England will be even bigger. We want to win everything now, the title, the FA Cup, the World Cup for clubs, everything!”

Van Dijk never played a final tournament. Not even in the youth. “Four years ago, I made my debut vs Kazachstan. Boy, what a difference. Things didn’t go so smoothly, to say the least. And if you look at the steps we made since then? It can go quickly and it all is based on the talent coming through. It’s cyclic I think and we’re on a good run now.”

Van Dijk wants to temper the euphoria. “We haven’t won a single thing yet. Yes it’s going well but Thursday, Northern Ireland…it will be tough. Yes, it’s a full Kuip and all this, but I know the Northern Ireland team and I know most of their players and I’m telling you: it will be a tough match! But no matter how you look at it: we want to win and we will qualify because we are ready. We have the players, the technical staff, the history, the fans, we simply belong at that stage.”

Ronald Koeman was asked about this new look Oranje. His analysis. “It all comes in waves. I was also part of a young group in the 1980s that had to be brought in because Oranje was disappointing on all levels. With Vanenburg, Van Basten, Gullit… And we were kids. But we had the pizzazz, we had the courage and some luck. Now, we see another tremendous generation knocking on the doors of the top. Frenkie de Jong, two seasons ago, was not yet a certainty. Virgil was overlooked by most clubs, Dumfries, Ake, Van De Beek… And there is more coming and that is wonderful. I also believe we changed things at club level. Today most clubs have their players 8 hours per day. In the years before, other countries trained harder. Longer. Players were fitter. Today, I think we can compete.”

Asked why Koeman is not open to make changes in his squad (think Weghorst vs Luuk or bringing in Stengs instead of Berghuis), he said: “You have to understand that I have been working with these lads for 1,5 years now and we don’t have a lot of time before matches to fit in new players. There is always that urge to give younger talents chances, but we need to win Thursday. I don’t have time to focus on a young player coming in and getting him into the system. It’s definitely something I long to do, I can also see we have some good players coming through, but I want to do it slowly but surely. I selected Berghuis over Stengs, both left footed forwards, because Steven has the experience within Oranje. He has been part of Oranje for years, on and off. But Stengs is definitely knocking on the door. Koopmeiners too, a player I am following. He has leadership skills, great feet, mentally strong, so yes. And there are more options, I am aware but we will find the right time to start to include these new lads.”

Asked about the Weghorst / Luuk de Jong debate. “Weghorst scores easily and now he has a number of goals while Luuk hasn’t, but I don’t look at that only. I look at what they do without the ball and how they can be of use for the team. As a pinch hitter, I think Luuk offers more. More “gogme”, more smarts and experience. Luuk is great in holding up the ball and finding team mates, with his head or chest or feet. Wout is more a finisher. But you can’t claim Luuk doesn’t know how to score, right? He was Eredivisie top scorer so he knows how to do it.”

Asked about Mo Ihattaren. “It’s clear that he will become a European top player. No doubt. We really want him to play for Oranje, but considering his private situation (Mo’s dad recently died) we have said we would give him time. I am not going to stalk him, particularly not now. He is only 17 years old and he needs to decide on his own time.”

He did have to drop players, as for instance Donny van de Beek is back to full fitness. “I decided to drop a midfielder extra as Davy Propper isn’t fit either. We now have one extra forward. I think it’s legit, as we will be playing opponents who will want us to have the ball. Tonny Vilhena was part of Oranje for years now, so it’s hard on him, but things will keep changing, I’m sure. Players get injured, or we need more midfielders maybe against other opponents. The least fun thing for a team manager is calling players who are loyal and have had contributions to tell them they are not needed. I do look at how polyvalent a player actually is, of course, and with the likes of Donny but also Malen we have players who can play on more than one spot. I think Malen can play on 4 positions… That is rich.”

The Northern Ireland match is seen as a key match and a difficult one.

I think Holland will thrash them: 4-0. The Belarus away game will probably prove to be more difficult… Malen, Memphis, Donny and De Ligt on the score sheet.

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