The End of Year Danny Blind Interview

As per usual, the Big Interview with the Team Manager. Danny Blind (54) – former world class libero of Ajax – took over from Guus Hiddink at the end of the abyssmal qualification series for the Euro 2016 campaign.

blind monter

What word best describes 2015 for you?

Danny Blind: “Disappointment. Our goal was to reach the Euros in France and we failed.”.

Did Oranje overachieve at the World Cup 2014, reaching the semi finals, or did Oranje underachieve in this campaign?

DB: “We cannot compete structurally with the world top nations. We need to be realistic. We had two great World Cup campaigns, but inbetween we got cleaned out at the 2012 Euros. If it all clicks into place, we can compete, but if we run into trouble, with injuries or form issues, we suddenly become average. This is why we decided to build in some more security for the WC2014 tactics. We have vulnerable spots in our team and even Bert van Marwijk acknowledged this by fielding two holding midfielders in his team. These were conscious decisions to make the team stronger. In European terms, our clubs are getting weaker. The best players leave earlier and our development methods are lacking in certain areas. We were not able to produce a new generation of Robben/Sneijder/Van Persie quality players in the age group 24-28 years old. It might be partly the typical cycle in football as we experienced before, but we also need to look critically at our development process. This discussion we are having now is vital. We are a small football nation and we need to remain on our toes.”

blind bassie

And our identity. How realistic is the Dutch School of football as a foundation?

DB: “So what is this Dutch School exactly? Some people try to stick to this mythical thing. I didn’t make it up. I don’t know what it means. It’s not a black and white 4-3-3 vs 4-4-2 debate. You can play very attacking with 4-4-2 and very defensive with 4-3-3. It’s about the intent. Even PSV plays 4-3-3 but differently than Ajax’ 4-3-3. How do you position? Where do you put pressure on the ball? What are your actions in possession? What do you do when you lose possession? Do you press high or do you press at the halfway line? These are things that determine how you play. Not where players stand at the start of the match. And don’t forget, we won our one and only trophy playing 4-4-2. We didn’t use wingers. Koeman played as a wide left midfielder, Gerald Vanenburg on the right. No one criticised us then? No one came up with “What’s with the Dutch School??”. We can not play like we did in 1974 anymore. Every nation now can play like this. Back in 1974 we surprised the world with our total football but it is not unique anymore. And in Holland, it seems it is never good enough. If you lose with wingers, people criticise. If you win without wingers, people criticise. We have become vinegar pissers in Holland. I read everywhere that our clubs are not good enough to survive in Europe but if we want to pay realistic football, the same people blast us for abandoning our identity… Hello!! But as a coach, you need to be immune for all this. As a coach, you need to analyse and adapt your football tactics to what is needed to win games. And you can’t win without scoring, so most coaches do look at the best way to score goals.”

Is Phillip Cocu with his pragmatism at PSV an example? Seeing how he got through the CL group stages?

DB: “Absolutely. In the home game vs Wolfsburg, Cocu played 5 at the back. To make sure they’d win that game. That is what counts. PSV likes leaving the initiative to other teams at time, to score in the turn around. Some people say it’s blasphemy, but I applaud it. You cannot play like Bayern or Barca if you don’t have the players for it or the time to mould those tactics into the team. A young team like Ajax is not able to do this. I think we have gone too far with our wish to play attractive and dominant and with possession. What good does 65% possession do if you can’t use the ball to score goals? Do you actually believe people in Italy or Spain care about the system their national team plays? They cherish their titles. And rightfully so.”

blind doceert

What was your role in changing the Oranje 4-3-3 into 5-3-2 towards the WC2014?

DB: “That was Louis van Gaal. He asked me to analyse the way Juventus and Italy played, right after our friendly against France. They played 5-3-2 and he wanted to know what it would take for us to adapt to this system. The best example was Spain vs Italy at the Euros 2012. They drew 1-1 in the group and Italy played 5-3-2. In the finals, Italy went to 4-3-3 and got hammered by Spain, 0-4. Juve played with three in midfield but Pirlo plays deep, just in front of the defence. We prefer our central midfielder to be a number 10, close to the striker. We want to use wing backs in attack and we like to see one center back move forward as well. We decided that by tweaking the Italian style, we could make it work. But we also wanted the players to be able to switch back to 4-3-3 in case we needed to. We selected our players on the basis of these two systems.”

How different is it working for Louis van Gaal or Guus Hiddink?

DB: “It was basically the same. I did most of the tactical talks re: future opponents. I did a bit more under Guus. I used to do the match preparation talk for him, in part as well. But Louis and Guus are very different. Guus likes to give his staff and players freedom to find their own solutions. Louis is a bit more dominant. They both had tremendous success with their approaches and I worked well with both.”

LVG Robben Brazil

When you got the team manager’s job, what were the key elements in your first team meeting?

DB: “My key message was about the tactics, about how to play. We would play 4-3-3 with a defensive mid. We needed to get results and I chose to play the way most players are able to. All our players are developed with this system, more or less. We didn’t have time to do other things. It would have been a big risk. I did consider 5-3-2 in WC2014 style, but the key players of that campaign (Robben, Van Persie, De Jong, Vlaar, De Vrij) were unavailable or not 100% fit. It didn’t make sense to go that route. I chose clarity and a system we are all accustomed to.”

One of the main criticisms Hiddink received was his tendency to go from the 5-3-2 to the 4-3-3 and back again. Tinkering…

DB: “We wanted to start with 4-3-3. We felt this campaign would allow us to go back to a more dominant style of play. However, the Czechs play 5-3-2 with attacking wing backs. As we were playing away, we felt it was better to start with 5-3-2 as well to counter their playing style. We had a game before the qualifications game against Italy. A friendly, but the execution left much to be desired, so based on this and on the Czech tactics, we decided to use the 5-3-2. We lost that game, as you know, but I don’t think it was due to the tactics, really. We simply made too many defensive mistakes and we forgot to score our opportunities… No system would have remedied that.”

BMI

And against Wales, you went back to the 5-3-2 system?

DB: “We have had a horrible campaign for the Euros and we need to build security back into the system. A foundation to fall back on. We will play a series of friendlies now which we will approach as if they’re World Cup finals. And we decided to do this with a more fortified defence. We need to get more body, personality in the team, before we go back to the 4-3-3. The World Cup demonstrated that moving from 5-3-2 to 4-3-3 is easier than the other way around. Ideally, our teams need to be able to play both systems. This is how we were able to break open games in Brazil 2014 and that is going to be our vision towards the future.”

jc wimlrg

Your team selection was criticised heavily by some, like Willem van Hanegem, saying you preferred Ajax players over other club players?

DB: “Ridiculous. Total hogwash. I want to win. And I select players that give me the most chance to win. We see 35 potential Oranje players every week. I have scouts visiting matches and we get reports every week. It’s a very detailed process. Then I read media reports by so-called experts that believe player A or B needs to play in Oranje. And I think “really?”. Did you see them play? I am fine with people having an opinion but it is silly to say I prefer certain clubs over others. No coach will ever do this. What do I gain with this? It is stupid.”

But you did select some young Ajax talent for whom European clubs like Rapid Wien or Molde were too strong?

DB: “I make decisions based on the data and insights I have for certain positions. Sure, Ajax didn’t do well against Molde or Rapid Wien, but Karsdorp and Van Beek of Feyenoord, excellent players, didn’t play European at all! At least Tete and Riedewald had that experience in their backpack. And today, no one criticises me for selecting them. Every analyst on tv now say that Tete is one of our biggest talents. Riedewald made his debut against Turkey and played a good game. So suddenly everyone stops moaning about this. That is typical.”

Jong_Oranje_in_Toulon

Did you ever hesitate to take over from Hiddink? Did you consider to ask the KNVB to use an interim coach?

DB: “No. It would have been better for me personally, maybe. And make a fresh start for the WC qualifications, but it would have made things complicated. You can’t walk away from responsibility. There was more than enough positives to look for and I saw a good possibility to qualify still.”

Did you know that Bert van Oostveen and Hans Jorritsma were going to talk to Hiddink?

DB: “I did not. I was not involved in any way. I was only asked, earlier already, that should – for some reason – Hiddink not be available all the way, I would be willing and able to take the role. Ideally, I would have liked to have Guus finish the job, with success in qualifiying. For me personally, much better and for Oranje as well of course.”

guus balt

Your personal coaching experience is comprised of one season at Ajax, some 10 years ago. Your predecessors have had decades of experience before they got the job.

DB: “I’ll have less credit than those coaches. That is logical. I can’t fall back on a long career as club coach. But the KNVB thinks I am the right man for the job and that is all that matters to me. I have gained a lot of experience as a player, captain of the team and I worked in numerous roles in football. I think I have the wherewithal to do the job and the KNVB thinks so too, apparently.”

Did you fear for your job after not qualifying?

DB: “No, that is not something I am concerned with. I have learned to put distance between me and the things I can’t control. If the KNVB wanted to make a change, my worying about it wouldn’t have made any difference, right? I want to do what I am passionate about. Should I don’t enjoy it anymore or should the KNVB not want to proceed with me, I’ll go and do something else. Of maybe do nothing for a spell. I am quite independent in that sense.”

Did you do an evaluation with Bert van Oostveen about the first months of your managerial role?

DB: “We discussed this, yes.”

JC

Johan Cruyff said, it doesn’t make sense to evaluate with someone who “knows shit about football”…

DB: “The evaluation was more about the process of this qualification campaign, decisions made and not made and how to move forward. I don’t discuss football matters with Van Oostveen really. We don’t go into detail about right footed left wingers or defensive mids vs offensive mids and all that. I have my staff to do that with. The KNVB does not have a technical director and therefore there is no one with football knowledge to correct me.”

The KNVB has said they will not enter into a structure as the one with you and Hiddink again. What does that tell you?

DB: “I don’t think about that. I can only judge my own situation. The KNVB knew I could make the move to Man United with Louis. My contract didn’t end and they gave me this option. I made my choice. I didn’t come up with this structure, they did. I don’t know why and I also don’t know why they don’t want to do this in the future. You should ask them.”

daley man

As you said, we lack strong players in the age category 24- 28 years old. Why is that and is it a problem?

DB: “It is how it is. Our veterans Robben, Sneijder and Van Persie are still the leading players in this squad. Younger players need to present themselves as such in a natural fashion. You can’t just force it. Most players younger than 24 are still more focused on their own game. They start to expand their horizon on the pitch when they reach their mid 20s. They see more, they see solutions on other sides of the pitch and they can support other players with coaching. Kevin Strootman is in that stage of his career but obviously he hasn’t been playing for a while. Ron Vlaar is a player who can do this and Gini Wijnaldum will get there. I expect Daley Blind to start becoming that player. We need those players to coach and guide the youngsters. Davy Klaassen is forced in that role at Ajax and it doing it well there but he’s not ready for it in Oranje of course. But you can see players making the right steps. I think we lacked some real talent in that age group. We had good players but it takes more. Mentality, physical strength… We had players who couldn’t cope with the physical demands and there were players who sadly got lost in their careers like Royston Drenthe. But, we do have tremendous talents at the moment… Willems, Tete, Bazoer, Karsdorp, Memphis, Van Beek….but these players will still be inconsistent. It is how it is…”

memphis hoed

As you said, mental issues. It seems a lot of youth players wearing the orange jersey are getting into disciplinary trouble. Is there enough focus on this aspect?

DB: “This has my special attention. I am part of a working committee focused on this and on defending. Our development programs are still world class in the field of technical ability and tactics but we have lost ground in the mental and physical side of things. It is crucial. In every sport, very professional methods and programs and coaching is introduced, years ago already. Rugby, hockey, athletics, baseball, American football…you’d be surprised. But not in football. In Holland, people still ridicule mental coaches, we need to make some big steps here.”

The German national team uses mental coaches. When will we see this with Oranje?

DB: “It’s a very current debate. I believe in mental coaching, but in individual cases. I don’t think you want to create a one-size-fits-all culture. You need to work with the individual. What does it take to perform 100% twice a week. It’s tough. How do they process setbacks? Can they do a critical self analysis, etc etc. Now, this process is hit and miss. We hope it all works out. The best will float to the top, etc etc but we lose ground. There are many things we can do to streamline this.”

Blind staf

With today’s knowledge, what would you have done differently in the past year?

DB: “It’s easy to talk with hindsight. I do still support all my choices in player selections and substitutions. I subbed Huntelaar against Iceland, when Martins Indi got redcarded. We had to play with 10 man, we wouldn’t be able to dominate, so Huntelaar would be less relevant. I preferred fast players with depth. I still think that was the way to go, but obviously, if you don’t get the result, as a coach, you failed. Whatever your decision making. But if we would have turned the game around, people would have said “Great coaching!”.”

selectie

What needs to be the key word for Oranje in 2016?

DB: “We need to become a team again. We need to cover up our vulnerabilities and perform in unity. This needs to happen off and on the pitch. With the conduct and responsibility and accountability that goes with it. At home against Iceland, that team spirit was there. I was quite happy, despite the loss of course. But against Turkey, we lost that unity, that spirit. We lost against Iceland due to the red card of Martins Indi, the injury of Robben and the mistake by Van der Wiel. But from a team perspective we did a lot of things right. Against Turkey, some players were more concerned with themselves. Now, we need to find that unity as we are in a tough qualification group. Sweden and France are very strong and both going to the Euros. We are not. Considering our current status, France is favorite for top spot. People see us as the number 2, but we will need to reposition ourselves internationally. And we need to abandon that Dutch School nonsense. We need to be pragmatic and realistic. As it will be tough enough without all that to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.”

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118 comments

  1. Van Aanholt with another goal! Good for him… so fast that he gets forward really well, plus works really hard, just too bad he is so poor defensively. I think all the Spurs goals minus the penalty came from that side.. Lens was pretty poor, don’t really like his character either. Both really poor passing stats and not one successful cross between the two of them, although they did lead their team in take-on attempts – maybe not what you want from D and Mid playing away from home. haha

    Koeman and Southampton doing 5 at the back at home to WBA – maybe he liked that interview with Blind haha
    van Dijk on the RCB of the 3 CBs. Clasie apparently fatigued and left out of the side altogether (he did finally do 90 mins last match, and 80 before that when Wanyama had the RC).. and they’ve already scored 5 mins in

    1. Annholt is better as winger more effective than Depay in left wing..but he is poor defender..
      Annholt has electric pace like Roben thats theedge with him Depay deosnt have that.thats kills of our chances..how many games danny blind needs to understand that????

          1. i would say it is foolish to think that Afellay,depay,RVP,hunter with help of Sneijder and at defense vrijil,bMI would make us qualify for WC2014..

          2. Because no manager anywhere would pick a defender who was sitting on the bench in the second worse team in the EPL who has the most goals against, to play out if his usual position and as a winger after not much experience there.

            Sure, now he has 3 goals and another assist in the last 3 games but he did not play like that before Nov.. and he could just as easily lose this current form and be back to an average player who works hard but is poor positionally and doesn’t always make the best decisions..

            I’ll make you a deal – if he plays like he is now until mid March when a squad comes to be selected, and he doesn’t make a provisional squad then you can go ahead moan about it..
            Until then, let’s be patient and you can see what kind of consistency he can produce.

            For the record, I am not saying it wouldn’t work for him to play as a winger…but I am def saying that he has never been the best choice for the winger position before – and I agree Memphis is not either now but has been before and can be again.

  2. hahah wijnaldum again…Janmaat plays like winger….he is not superfast winger but his crosses are nice and good..
    can we play
    Annholt—–Luuk——-Karsdorp/Janmaat
    ——-Wijnaldum—Bazoer——
    ————-Hendrix———–
    Williams–Raidwald–Bruma–Tete
    ———–Krul/Vermeer————-
    i 100% convinced this team will beat france by marjins..dont be surprised…

  3. @sybal pals …i gav u stat of Depay…u can be experienced in things doing in wrong way…..yes Depay was there we sucked..Afellay was we sucked …Neither depay or Afellay is good at defense or their positional sense is also poor…At least if we consider annholt as winger we have extra defender to support our orginal LB…Anyways Annholt extra pace makes difficulties for any defender…
    FYI..for me Annholt is not a LB ..so i dont give a damn about hispositioing…its stupidity to play him as LB and play depay as LW..i mean by doing that we make sure we will concede goals form leftwing and we wont be creating anything through Depay…
    FYI..its Manu is Top team and sundreland is relegation team…so its difficult to perform with lesser players at sundreland with a coach from another country.
    if Blind slecets Annholt as LB i would call it as stupid selection…but as LW it would be an eye opener for everyone…

    1. I know Tiju, but like I said, no manager will do it.
      So van Aanholt as a LW is only your fantasy.

      You don’t have to give me stats (at least it was not goal .com this time) I already know how bad Memphis has been this season.. and I did not say Afelaay is better, but actually he has good recent form and is getting praise in England recently haha

      So you reject my deal offer? 😉

        1. Not sure I understand what you mean there haha

          but I was thinkin, NONE of the players on your shit list that you bring up over and over (Memphis, Afellay, Narsingh, RvP, Huntelaar, BMI, and now Nigel de Jong for some reason?) have played our last match, and only 1 was even selected… what is your reason?
          so maybe give the negativity a rest, my friend

          1. i hope u noted that we won last match with out afellay,Depay,BMI,weil vs a qualified team like wales..that sums it up all.if it was Reikik we would have had a better victory..

  4. Cool interview, I really liked what Blind had to,say, particularly the parts about “Dutch style play” , we do need to move forward as a nation and play to our strengths not some phantom playing style. I said earlier that I was going to be positive about our team , coach included, and this interview gives me some hope, my only concern will be playing his son as a key player but I hope he proves me wrong!
    @Tiju I know you like bringing up stats to prove your points about players, i don’t think there would be a Dutch player in the world with better playing stats than Ibrahim Affellay over the past month, so if there was a team being picked at the moment he would be first choice. I know this will be hard for you to accept because of your dislike for poor Ibi, but stats don’t lie!
    As for Van Aanholt, yes he could play as a winger he is very similar to Jaanmaat but I don’t think the coach would do it as Sybe Pals has said.
    Did you notice during the week that Bacuna played right mid in a 433 in the FA Cup game for Villa. He looked lost to me and they drew against a weak opposition, but I guess they are at the point of trying anything to,improve their current form.

    1. I hear you regarding Blind picking his son.. but I appreciated what he said about him “I expect Daley Blind to start becoming that player.”
      This means he is aware that Daley has NOT yet become that player, not yet ‘expanded his horizons’, become a top player or a leader of the squad.. This leads me to believe that if we are 100% fit Blind might not pick his son to the starting 11, but we don’t know since we have never been 100% since I can remember recently

    2. @vanbanger…Afellay ???seriously??Annholt has better stat than him,bruma qulified PSV for cL…are you smoking???anyways i not interested in talking abt Afellay…as he is not for NT material…
      Bacuna???bacuna is bacuna annholt is annholt..how can u say bacuna is failed so annholt also would fail as LW????thats stupid thinking…
      We need to play our strentgh Depay,afellay,nasringh,RVP,hunter are not out strentgh nijel also gone….its the time for
      Luuk/dost/locadia

      1. Afellay wasn’t good for us in the qualifiers on LW but his recent form at stoke in CM has been very good, as van banger says you can’t deny that..
        if you’re not interested in him then stop talking about him hahaha 😉

      2. Tiju you need to read my post again carefully then reply, because this reply makes no sense what so ever.
        For the record Van Aanholt’ s playing stats don’t come close to Affellay who has over 90% pass completions compared to PVA at around 65%, Affellay also makes double the number of passes that PVA does.
        It makes your arguments weak when you only use stats that favour your opinion and disregard them when they tell a different story. Also you raise Afellay in nearly every post that you submit so don’t say that you are not talking about him because you do!
        Where was I comparing Bacuna to anyone????? It was an observation of mine that’s all that he played right mid, not left wing!
        Also for the record – I don’t smoke but I do pay attention to a lot of football matters.
        As I said read my post again and comment accordingly!

        1. MY STAT IS ALL ABOUT GOALS,ASSISTS ANaHOLT WINS OVER THERE ..Least interested in having 100 % pass acuracy and producing nothing…
          i didnt understand y u brought bacuna inbetween..thats y.
          its ur freedome to choose afellay kind of players(i mean not just afellay)and sit an watch euro with out dutch in tournament..

  5. PSV at Feyenoord.. missed the first half, but looked like Feyenoord had a slight edge in stats.
    Start of 2H, great work from Propper after a Guardado free kick, to get a cross in as if van Beek was not even marking for a Moreno goal. Even tho it was a foul from Vilhena which gave that free kick, I thought Vilhena was the best CM and Vejinovic had the slight edge in the midfield, over Hendrix and Guardado, although most of the half they were chasing the game so had to be better and take some risks. Kongolo pretty decent CB partner to van Beek showing his versatility, keeping Luuk de Jong the to scorer in the Eredivisie off. Not the best game for van Beek, probably lucky not to get a red for a late slide tackle on Arias.
    Feyenoord just missing that edge in their attack, Elia – Kramer – Kuyt not really cutting it IMO, although great Achahbar finally get his first appearance of the season but he couldn’t make much impact. The PSV forward line Locadia – de Jong – Pereiro much more potent, esp in depth, and probably explains PSV now edging Feyenoord in the table for second spot.
    PSV add a late counter attacking goal after Feyenoord had all the pressure, with the sub Narsingh again moving passed van Beek as if he was not there..
    PSV with a comprehensive win 2-0 at de Kuip

    Ajax continue to win as well, 1-0 away to ADO without their captain Klaassen, to hold onto top spot.
    Sounds like Ajax were disappointingly with young Bazoer and van de Beek looking their ages in the middle, with the strong back 4 of Tete-Veltman-Riedewald-Dijks saving the day after a nice Younes goal.
    I didn’t watch tho because the match was on way too early for me haha

    But it’s nice to hear that Bazoer rejected a move to Napoli saying he is not ready, even though Ajax had apparently accepted the $25M offer.

  6. van Gaal and injury-riddled Man United win away at Liverpool… took 78 minutes for United to manage a shot on target but Rooney made it count. Thx to De Gea and their defensive hard work again they pull off a win after not creating much at all… big points for them nonetheless.
    Only watched the last 15. Blind looked decent, and in the lead to the corner kick goal made an instrumental tackle. Although lucky not to have been the goat late on when he was a little sleepy and played Firmino onside, although he did not realize it either.
    Memphis subbed on at 72 but was not noticeable.

    Now for Stoke v Arsenal.. Pieters in his office and Afellay starts in CM again, unfortunately Ozil is injured and Sanchez not yet back, but still a big game for the dutchies at in-form Stoke.
    With Shakiri injured I thought Ibi might move to the wing with van Ginkel coming in, but no…
    Looks like Arsenal have not won away at Stoke since Ramsey had his leg broken there by that horrible Shawcross tackle!

    1. Thanks for the reviews in Holland, I’ll have to find time to,watch a replay.
      Big win for ManU or a big 3 points I should say, Van Gaal may see out the season now. Also Stoke City sitting 7th in the league what a turn around in form for them, I’m just dissapointed that MVG is not getting a run, he came on late to replace IBI but he needs more time on the pitch to get runs on the board. I have a suspicion that it has a lot to do with the whole Chelsea thing, maybe he is heading back there soon? (Guus). But Stoke are doing fine without him so go figure.

      1. I did see the PSV-Feyenoord match. Full of intensity, fight and passion. Its really too bad that the big 3 only play 4 matches like that each year,(against each other in the league), where the emotion and consequences of the game ask the players to play to the outer edge of their abilities from the start.

        (Dutch) Players that stood out for me: Propper; the guy just seems totally unafraid, plays a tough game and is always looking to push forward. Brouma. Brenet. Kuyt (of course—his work rate is still unbelievable, always the first one back to help on defense and he is always forward in the attack), Vilhena, another player with high work rate. Kongolo looked good. Karsdorp had his moments both good and bad, but he played with energy and edge.

  7. Ryan Donk apparently made his first start for Galatasaray in Turkish Premier league as DM in 4-1-4-1 formation. Let’s see if can revive his reputation which he was known for at AZ. Apparently he scored his first goal in the cup competition leading to his debut in Super Lig.

      1. In case if you have forgotten he was seen as the next Jaap Stam at U 21 level and was also in that U 21 squad that won the Euro U 21 Championship in 2007.since he was in Alkmaar,as usually chances was always going to be futile leading to NT selection and hence his move abroad ended in a disaster.

      1. Tiju I really admire you character, there are times when you are on top of the table making noise and sometimes you hide underneath to save your ass.

        Karim Rekik use to be in your fantasy lineups while he was playing and now when he has been relegated to bench you come up with this shit

        And what happened to your Rooney
        Thriller now that he is giving United a life line.

        And before you comment go back and read what you wrote.

        1. WHAT A BIG STUPID U ARE WILSON…fyi KARIM rEIKIK IS STILL BIG TALENT FOR ME STILL ….NOW..poor guy’s development is stalked when he went for money. thats what i said….ur brain needs to develop.a lot wilson..u r pathetic.
          I am glad rooney came back..though i didnt expcet that…

          1. Again unnecessarily jumping and shouting. It was not his choice but Marseille came up with the best bargin as Atletico Madrid and PSV were both locked in a three club battle to sign him and as his parent club city went for the best bargin with buy out clause in his contract. It would have been foolish for him not to move as there was no room for him at City so blaming him is again you bizzare assumptions which you always get it out from the blue

            Facts, facts and facts.maybe next time perhaps.

          2. the money move Tiju is probably referring to is Rekik’s initial move to Man City 4 years ago..

            Wilson, do you know the proverb about glass houses?

          3. Hey pals can you elaborate more on the proverb you mentioned.is it that same one with throwing stones and what are you referring it to if it’s the same proverb.

            As for Rekik two years at City, two seasons at PSV and now at Marseille is kind of right step for any young player at 21 imo.
            His needs to work hard at Marseille simply because of stiff competition from Rolando (31) who is far more experienced than him and showing more commandabilty now. But to say that this is because of him moving to city at a young age is
            Just ridiculous.

            On top of this looking at hector Merno performance for PSV,I wonder whom cocu would have relegated to bench if PSV would have signed Rekik permanently.

          4. “people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”
            it means: be careful to criticize others if you have similar weakness yourself

            You blame Tiju for bizarre assumptions, yet you assume too much about his post here.
            You say unnecessarily jumping and shouting after you’ve insulted and provoked him to frustration, yet the same quantity of jumping on people and unnecessary things (maybe more) come out of you.
            You tell him to go back and read what he wrote, except you wont do this – or youd see that Tiju has been criticizing Rekik for moving so young for ages even though he believes in him as a player.

            And actually Rekik left when he was 16 from Feyenoord, then spent 2 years being loaned and not playing at Man City before being loaned to PSV two times after training camps, as he was deemed not good enough for City yet before finally leaving permanently for Marseille, which he was actually pushing for 2 summers ago.
            To say he is now on the bench for 4 matches because of this of course is ridiculous as you say, but youre the only one who says that.
            Its not so hard to see Tiju’s point – that if Rekik had stayed at Feyenoord he may be further along now than he is.
            And he might be right, I dont know..

            Also to your last comment, if PSV signed Rekik permanently they probably would not have signed Moreno – but who knows, so put that in your unnecessary file. 😉

    1. Thanks for posting this article, do you know much about Castillo?
      I was hoping that with Mourinho gone the youngsters might get a look in at Chelsea, really they should take MVG back and let him play each week so he can become a good player for them next season.

      1. @Vanbanger..i dont know much about Castillo…anyways i know chelsea is graveyard for a youngster…i have no hope left for this kid…
        MVG must leave chelsea or he will be loaned out in every two months to many clubs..At the age of 22 you need to be regular in first team if they want to develop…thats waht davy proper is doing with PSV…MVG must move to Feynoor,PSv or even Ajax if he wants to be a better player…
        Hiddink will depart chelsea end of the season,so its completly useless for MVG to continue in chelsea with out hiddink..

  8. Again Swansea game today showed how vulnerable Ake can be with pacy wingers..though it ended just 1-0 it could have being more worse for Watford if shots were more on target.

  9. Bazoer rejected a 25 milion move which is accepted by Ajax and Reikik could have done same..Anyways he was better than Demichelis,,Bazoer has shown sense to move to Ajax and now he proved it againn unlike other stupid kids and their greedy parents..

  10. Nathan Ake was pretty good for Watford on Monday, again at LB like all season so far, straight back into the squad after the 3 match ban for that awful red card he got v Spurs.
    He was maybe their best player, either him or Watson, I thought. His attack wasn’t as good as it was before his ban, but fine with me as he was great defensively and a main reason Swansea at home was held to no goals from open play, just the goal from the mess after the corner, and they were even on goal attempts.
    But he led the whole game in both tackles (flawless 9/9) and interceptions (6).
    And he did create a 1 good chance even though his crosses weren’t very good, would do well to work on that if he continues to play LB.

    Always wonder how it would have be different had he not agreed to leave Feyenoord for Chelsea at 15.. but now he is about to turn 21 and beginning to mature.

    1. Ake is a talent , no doubt and he is still very young so I only see improvement for him, however I don’t see him as becoming a world class player for me his movement is not great he looks heavy, but I hope I’m wrong because we need some of our youngsters to take the next step.
      @Tiju – MVG seams to be in limbo ATM, I really hope he finds a good home soon as he is coming into his prime learning years, I would hate to see that wasted. I rate his potential much higher than Ake I just hope he gets every chance to reach his ceiling!
      BTW does anyone know what’s happened to Jon De Guzman ? I haven’t heard anything about him for a long time and was just qurious.

      1. We lost some talents to horrendous injury–Romeo Castelen
        guys went too early and Got F@##ked by big clubs with out a proper mentor or guide
        Deridder
        Drenthe
        Babel all there were immensly talented but faded away…
        Now strootman is fighting Vs injury…
        in new Generation
        Vanginkel
        Ake…
        Luckily Bruma and Annholt are developing of late.i meam once they left that Shi#$$t club….
        Ake is fantastic DM ,he reads the game well and has vison,has got good speed,so far the best player of watford..
        Ginkel is rotting in bench at his right age when needs to play weekly basis..
        the plastic money clubs,Chelsea,Mancity,Madrid and PSg are graveyards for young guys…
        the idiotic parents and kids must look in to wijnaldum and strootman case both left after maturing in eredivise..

  11. “”As for Rekik two years at City, two seasons at PSV and now at Marseille is kind of right step for any young player at 21 imo.””””””
    2 years at city hs development got stalked
    next 2 years at PSV he just gained rythem.then he left again for a futility…
    he should have behaved like wijnaldum or Bazoer…or Strootman..

  12. Wijnaldum has been in fantastic form this season although he has to be more consistent.

    Janmaat is doing great as well.

    Van Aanholt has to get a call for Oranje. He is amazing.

    Blind as CB has been doing great! he is getting used to that spot and we really need a good CB.

    Strootman will be back soon I really hope he can reach his old form that’d be beautiful news!

    Depay is doing better and better.

  13. The weaker line of our team is our midfield. We don’t have great holding midfielders and our defenders are good but they are not Frank de Boer or Koeman so we do need to play as a unit in order to qualify to the WC.

    1. @miguel its not just midfeild,its forward line too..we are truting in Depay,RVP,hunter and afellay..which is a false hope…when we removed 4 of them we played a better game vs wales..if it wasnot virjil vandijk then we would have won it by 3-1..yes i our midefiled is poor due poor slection of danny blind…mostly blind,afellay,klassen and snijder play there..so its normal that we are weak…its all due to omiting quality players…for favoirte ones…

  14. Annholt has extra pace like Roben,this will will give immesne headache to any defense,i mean we get an edge over there…With Depay this is impossible,he is struggling to out run the opponenet,his upperbody weight is high,so he get unbalanced ,and usless gym sessions has reduced his dribbling capacity…i dont know which stpudi suggested him to go to gym and build a body like Akinfewa

  15. Annholt—-luuk——Roben
    —-Wijnaldum–Bazoer—-
    ———Ake————
    Williams————-Karsdorp
    ——–Reiadwald-Bruma———
    ———-krul———————–
    ============================================
    Locadia——Dost——DonylMallen
    ——–Sneijder–Vanginkel———–
    ————-Hendrix—————–
    kongolo—Peiters–Devrij–Tete——–
    ————-vermeer——————–
    and Cillessen is the best 23 man from holland now..
    Stand bye
    Promes
    janmaat
    Reikik
    proper
    nouri
    blind

    1. @Tiju, I like the idea of adding in young talent, but playing Ake at such an important position as DM, and Van Aanholt at LW when neither plays those positions their club teams seems a stretch. (I like both players, too.) Not sure about Karsdorp. I like his energy and edge, as good as he looked at times, he also seemed prone to rash mistakes.

      In any event, I thought Blind as much as said he was going to 5-3-2. In that case, its a question of Willems or Van Aanholt or Riedewald or Blind as the left wingback. On the right its Karsdorp, Janmaat or Tete. My preference would be Tete because they need to sure up the defense.

      I’m assuming you are leaving Strootman and Vlaar out because you are not sure as to their health.

      Assuming 5-3-2, who pairs with Robben up front? On form I’d go with Promes. Cheers,

      1. @Andrew i was forced to use both annholt and Ake in that positions….Beacuse we dont have quality players overe there..Nijel is almost getting done and one diamentional…Depay will cause LVG resignation in Manu at Lw…so i had no choice..

  16. Hey pals,Tiju is a special,case that’s why I always admire his character,not in a psychotic way but more as in like a empty vessel manner and everyone knows this on this blog so really I can’t see from where you came up with glass house proverb. Well if you wanna show affection towards him, be my guest but the truth remains the same.I don’t want to waste my time digging out his delusional comments from previous blogs to
    Which he will always twist and turn when proven otherwise

    Any big club who comes scouting for young acclaimed talents will always make them nod the head and go for the money,I mean who would be stupid enough,not too. It’s becomes a gamble between money and the talent they poses which they always wanna take head on riding on their abilities. If we put ourselfs in their shoes at that time I can guarantee you the outcome would be same so it doesn’t make a difference what we think or say.

    I wonder if there is a player who turned his back on a big offer at a very young age and went on to become a great player. Need refreshing here if there is.

    1. @Wilson u r a brainless CREATure over here.everyone knows is and psychotic too,and u r very weak too.i never had to twist my words…i am very practical and my favorite players has done well for oraneg at every time…So stick with ur chelsea love,buttner,Afellay crap,vrijil etcetc…if u cannt see teh intelligence in daley blind then u r a big zero in football…go and take rest..

    2. What affection?
      I am aware of the disdain for Tiju, but I respect his opinion. Your description on him above is more fitting for yourself IMO.
      So let’s please steer away from this childish bullshit direction you are going in and talk about football.

      “Any big club who comes scouting for young acclaimed talents will always make them nod the head and go for the money,I mean who would be stupid enough,not too.”
      Just not true, Bazoer just this week.
      And I’m sure they happen all the time but are not published in the news.

      Are there any examples of both players who turned down contracts at young age and players who left for big contracts, and gone on to become world class?

      1. my disdain was due to kuyt rants.then little bit bommel and father in law..when we had RVN and Vaart we played kuyt upfront.that was still sin in my book..when started playing in RB,LB and mid under LVg i was happy about that.i mean finally coach put him where he belonged and where his stregth was suitable to help the team..

  17. there is news that donyl mallen is making headlines at Arsenal..i jsut watched some videos he looks amazing ,deadly finisher in box…i am posting video here not for donyl mallen,,,,i saw a number 11 with him that guy is freakingly talented who is he??anybody has a clue?? i mean small guyno 11 at 1.18-19

  18. Hey pals I just knew Bazoer’s name will pop up. But you can put the money on him as he prefers a move to Barcelona rather than Napoli and this is why he personally did not agree to the move. Again he is riding high on his talents and only time will tell if he really has the talent to lure Barcelona to sign him and become one of the greats.

    Well off course Messi could be one.

    Martin Odegaard Real Madrid,to look out for.

    1. Odegraard growth is stakled at madrid…..thats the penalty u need to pay for money jump…
      Wilson ur brain is so underdeveloped…
      Bazoer is staying back Ajax to dvelop himself ,then finally he feels ready he will move whether its barcalona or any club….ur stupid brain has to understand that he is staying for HIMSELF..not a money wanker…
      Another Example is Great Gini wijnaldum…He could have simply wasted his career to a forgin club…Look at him now…
      Wesly sneijder moved to Madrid at 24
      How many examples u need???????

        1. What if Barcelona decides to sign him now. Do you think he will refuse??

          As for wijnaldum he still has a long way to go. He hasn’t shown consistence at all. This is also at NT level. But for Newcastle he has been a great signing since he is their top scorer.

          1. FYI..Wijnaldum is single handedly newcastle in his shoulders…they are an average team who struggles in relegation zone…but mark my words Gini woul carry them from relegation…
            Look at Depay who left at 21 or 20…who is goin to cost Van gaal his Job…its really funny to watch Depay in Manu..with his heavy body and heavy legs he struggles to dribble and his running is funny to watch and most of the time his dribbles attmepts fails,fail to catch a good pass with lack of speed…
            Annholt and bruma almost lost their career at chelsea….now they are reving it with other clubs..
            Drenthe at Madrid….
            While class players stayed at eredivise untill they mature Van der vaart,wijnaldum,jaap stam,sneijder all left in right time..Forign clubs are gravyard for many dutch talents..
            Give me a good talent who developed at a forgin club?????

    2. You knew Bazoer’s name would come up?
      But still you said this:
      “Any big club who comes scouting for young acclaimed talents will always make them nod the head and go for the money,I mean who would be stupid enough,not too.”

      So then will you admit your statement is wrong?
      I don’t even know what you are trying to prove here anymore! Hahaha this is dumb

        1. ha ha aha aha…..FYI Bazoer turned his head to every one..he had svere issue with PSV though he rejected any move to plastic clubs liek chelsea and co…Thats why he choose Ajax…FYI…dont prove that u r king of idiots..

          1. Wilson ur little brain needs to understand that Bazoer is still in eredivise coz he started denying offer from his mothers Womb…thats the best a guy can do..he did..

          2. You know mates let’s cool it on all this ‘you’re an idiot’ stuff and other bad insults, it just takes away from the respect we deserve.
            We can be better than that..

        2. If I missed it? I only quoted your statement which did not say ‘very young, like Ake and Rekik’, so I guess you mean that you missed it?

          Anyways now I see how things are changing as we go, and still you avoid most of the questions that I ask you.
          Maybe consider what you actually mean before you submit your comments. And if it’s a mistake and wasn’t what you meant then just say sorry I actually meant this “…”.

  19. Just my 2c on leaving for big money clubs – it only works if you are already a superstar, eg Van Persie, Bergkamp, Van Nistelrooy, Snijder etc etc as you are already commanding respect before you get there, as for the Depay’s, Van Aanholt’s, Wynaldum type players they are much better going to a weaker team where they can be a dominant player eg Stoke, Newc, Swansea, Leicester. But still in a super strong league.
    At the moment I think that a smart move for any player would be going to Tottenham because they don’t have any superstars yet, Kane, Ericsson, Dembele, Lamela , Dier are all on there way to becoming great players, but they will do it as a collective as Poch has built a great chemistry in that side.
    Imagine being 21 years old and trying to dominate a training session at ManC for example, it would be very difficult and only the most exceptional of players can do,this, which isn’t many!
    I watched a game between ManU and Arsenal 06 I think, RVN V Bergkamp, what a great game, it ended 2all Sol Campbell got a straight red so,the gunners played the last 30 mins with 10 men and hung on.
    RVN scored a great goal his 37th for the season 37th!! We brag about players scoring 15 theses days.
    Anyhow that’s my rant.

    1. @Vanbanger….its all about leaving tooo early..Annholt left before 18..thats too early like Ake,Bruma etc…
      all of them were defenders or midfeilders not like forwards like RVP,RVN,Roben etc,,these players can craete and csore of there own…but defenders or midfeilders needs adaption time and their game depnd on coach and team mates arguably…
      Annholt is not a great LB,but can be great LW.
      Wijnaldum is ggreat guy with good ball skills,its not easy to grab from the foot of Gini wijnaldum,he is strong player..
      Depay was a talent who got in to rap,bodybuidling etc..Depay had everything in Manu to suceed a wonderful loyal coach of dutchLVG…huge fan support…wonderful team mates like Martial,Shniderlin,Degea etc..So how would u justify Depay situation??.IMO he choose to compete with WWE stars and bodybuilding and 8 packs..honestly he just atrocious winger of Manu now..Lindgraad and Januzaj are better than him..In NT williams and annholt are better than him..

    1. when u have speed and skills…goals are assured…

      koeman 1–0 Lvg0
      Danny blind plz
      annholt—-luuk———wijnaldum
      —–proper—-Bazoer——–
      ———-Hendrix————-
      Williams—Raidwald–Bruma—Tete
      ———–vermeer—————–

  20. I watched Stoke at Leicester.
    Afellay was again probably the most influential player in the match. Great again in CM with tidy passing, 64/69 was the most passes completed and best %. Stoke even win on possession away there but they could not create anything so lose away 2-0.. Pieters had quite a poor match, looked a little clumsy. Decent on passes but awful on crosses (1/8). And even tho he had the most tackles, he was only 5/9.
    van Ginkel was left on the bench again.. going to play a match now 🙂 will watch Southampton @ Man Utd later on

    1. its all about 3-0 sybal pals…f passes are th final thing MAnu under LVG would be champions of EPL now..we need cutting,quickbrain,mercurious passes thats what we got it from sneijder,vaart,Roben and RVP..Afellay is yet another average player..so leave him and we have to go so long…….

      1. Settle down, I did not saying he needs to be selected. Wait until March and we’ll see what kind of shape suits us best.
        Besides, if it’s all about the result then you must leave van Aanholt out because Sunderland is going to get relegated! Haha I don’t like that idea either at this moment

        But not every convo is about who should play for the Dutch NT.
        I will continue to be glad to see any Dutchmen playing well regardless of what you think of them or not. The more options of players who run into good form the better!
        Don’t worry I am not delusional 🙂

        1. That is a great point, Sybe; just because player doesn’t excel at the national team doesn’t mean they “crap” players. To even be considered for the NT means they are playing at a pretty high level, and there is no need to diminish them simply because they are not taking a step that very few players do.

          I also am in agreement on Affellay. Lets see how he looks when the selection has to be made. Why write him off—if his play is worthy of NT team selection, he should play. There was a time when he was one of the brightest young talents in the Netherlands, and he was a very effective CM type for PSV. Perhaps not lately, but in the past he has had some strong games for the NT. And even now, despite all the calls for MVG I see on this board, the reality is that Affellay has made a spot for himself in the Stoke City lineup and MVG is on the bench. (No one would be happier than me if MVG ended up with a terrific career, but at some point he has to show it on the field.)

          1. Yes I agree completely I was thinking today how strange to see Afellay taking that position and owning it right now, exactly the position and sit of player I was hoping van Ginkel would be becoming.

          2. @Andrew and Sybal….i appreciate ur still openness to consider Afellay in NT…i would also say that Afellay is playing better than Depay,better contributor to team(ATM)…
            Afellay has played quite lots of matches for NT…more than 50 matches,what did he bring when the team him at most???He was escaping under the shadows of fab 4+kuyt+nijel etc…
            “””There was a time when he was one of the brightest young talents in the Netherlands”””””””
            with out this brigttest talent dutch won U21–2007…Bakal who was industrious and had eye for team mates..who won the tournament for us..Afetr some times u will say Depay was liked to CR7…its all media craetion and some blind bullshit comment from some coaches…u need to forget that..
            Right now Annholt plays better than Both Afellay and Depay and Locadia at LW…thats what i know as i watch games continously..

          3. @Tiju, Couple of things.

            Affellay is not playing lw right now. He is playing in a more central mf role; the same role he primarily played at PSV when they won multiple championships. Maybe it was some “blind media BS”, but if so why did Barcelona come after him. Surely, they don’t decide to acquire players based on media reports and the odd coach’s comment. Was the move to Barca bad for his career? It sure looks that way. But perhaps he is now in a place where he can rekindle it. Time will tell.

            With regard to your comment that Van Aanholt plays better than Affellay at left wing now, I can only say that he is not playing lw at Stoke right now, and Sybe and I were commenting on his form in his current position at Stoke. With regard to Van Aanholt, he isn’t playing lw either. So there isn’t much point to arguing over which player is presently playing better at lw. Cheers,

  21. Manu was so boring under LVG,they lack quality players upfront..Martial alone cannt do that…Depay was not even on bench..Januzaj was..i think LVG wont finish this term…fans hav turned back on LVG now

  22. Jordy Clasie very good today, I was beginning to think he could not become our NT metronome/sitting CDM (which we need so desperately) since he’s used so sparingly and doesn’t seem to hold good fitness.
    But he was very good again today against another top side coming off a big win and hopefully is beginning to gain some confidence back. He’s young yet, and if he plays with the tenacity/grit that he shows at times, it makes up for his lack of size – especially in a modern football environment.
    van Dijk was ok, not tons to do win Wanyama and Clasie performing like that in the sort of 343 set up again.
    Blind looked pretty plain.. Memphis not used. Agree with Tiju they look boring and totally missing creativity.

    Some other news, goal and assist for van der Wiel. Ake won the battle v Janmaat and Wijnaldum.

    Also I see (did not watch) good game for Bazoer to scoring with a nice shot and creating 2 chances under the big spotlight match after his week in the headlines, although Ajax underwhelming again in a 1-0 win over Vitesse

  23. Saw a couple cool things on Twitter:

    @optajohan
    79% – Arjen Robben has a higher win percentage than any other player in Bundesliga history (min. 75 games). Return.

    5 – No defender has been involved in more Premier League goals this season than Patrick van Aanholt (5 – 3 goals, 2 assists). Flying.

    @iammoallim
    Sunday marks fifth anniversary of FdB’s appointment. Inaugural XI (all have since left for a combined €90.6M). #tbt
    Stekelenburg
    van der Wiel
    Alderwereld
    Vertonghen
    Emanuelson
    Enoh
    de Zeeuw
    Sulejmani
    Eriksen
    S de Jong
    Suarez

    Also Tiju, I finally figured out all the matches of Hiddink v van Gaal:
    98 GHs Madrid 2 v 2 LvGs Barca
    99 LvGs Barca 3 v 0 GHs Madrid
    00 GHs Betis 2 v 1 LvGs Barca
    05 GHs PSV 3 v 0 LvGs AZ
    06 LvGs AZ 1 v 2 GHs PSV
    15 LvGs Man Utd 0 v 0 GHs Chelsea
    🙂

  24. @Andrew…all i meant was contribution to team,i mean with cruical assits,creative pass,threat,and finally goals…Annholt stands head and shoulder above Afellay in that Department now,though Afellay plays in a better team with better team mates he cant produce like annholt its an undeniable fact…
    In NT we dont want both as midfeilders or defenders,as we have plenty of options over there.We want a fast creative left winger..as i know both plays in different positions at their club but i want anholt to see in LW.also i know Afellay can play over there too with lesser cretivity.i mean vacant post in NT now…i hope this clears it all..

    1. I think your point has been clear, but it is just not the point that was being discussed – we were not talking about the best LW options for the NT.. that is why I feel it is useless to discuss.
      An actual’undeniable fact’ is that neither Afellay and Aanholt are playing LW now! 😉

  25. Oh geez, watching Fenerbahce for a few minutes..
    Robin van Persie just attempted a right footed volley from a nice cross (like he did so many times at Arsenal) and he totally missed the ball. Hahaha Embarrassing.
    Should never have left Arsenal in the peak of his career, it would have kept him at that level for a while longer. To me, that move was him trading football love for money love and now look at him just 4 years later.. slowly ruined in Manchester then a sub in Turkey.

    1. RVP was a class player…he was bored by arsenal failure in bigmatches and failure to win an EPL…so he moved to Manu…now he is past his prime and so slow..has to rely on offsides…its over for him…

  26. Good banter lads, PVA great goal again I’m happy for that, it was very similar to the one he scored against Spurs, the angle of the shot in particular, however he was terrible in defense on a couple of occasions, poor reading of the game IMO.
    On Affellay – he is now playing a new role as Andrew and Pals have said, and it looks like it suits him.
    @tiju – my take on Memphis is that he is playing in a poor team with an average mid field and a very poor defense, except weekly MOM De Gea!
    He was not ready for the speed of the EPL and pressure to perform has got to him, now he is coming off the bench and has done some good things but it’s a team game only a moron would expect that a 21yr old kid from PSV is going to carry a heavy weight team like ManU. In defense of ManU, they have a horrible injury record at the moment which brings the overall standard of the players down to a mid table team. But let’s be positive about Memphis, at 21 nothing is over for a long time yet and he will become a better player if he wants to, only if he wants to. I won’t write him off until he is 24 and unchanged as a player.
    Good to hear Clasie had a strong game, I’ve been critical of him and I hope I’m wrong.
    @Andrew – interesting point about MVG, I think he needs to get to another team because he won’t force Affellay out of position at Stoke when he is playing so well, back to Chelsea maybe.

    1. @Van banger…No one here talks about annholt defensive abilty..evry one same boat.so it goes with out saying…
      @Afellay I really dont care about Afellay new role,as we have plethora of talents in NT in that role with better lungs..
      @Depay…Only morons will think that Depay will be CR7 at the age of 24/25….This guy lost his speed,for me which is very important for a player..he did nt had the natural legs of Roberto carlos or Zeadorf..he went to gym and shaped his legs and body …So he lost balance,i have heard that he has used every instrument in Manu Gym…
      and Excuse me what kind of defensive support wijnaldum got to score those many gaols and assists in PL???
      FYI Depay doesnt support their defense ,his work rate is low,he even assisted for a gaol to his won post..
      Martial,mata,hererra,lingraad,blind,luukshaw are quality players…not forgetting carrick,shinderlin and bastein….all these players are of better quality than depay…
      FYI manu had the tightest defense in PL till december….if u want to support depay support him but do nt give these kind of irrelavant excuses..

    2. @Van Banger. Agree with you; way too early to write Depay off. He had an excellent season in the Eredivisie last year (and the year before), but not ready to immediately carry the load for Man. U. in the EPL. Lets see how he handles adversity—does he dig in and learn and work to get better? What is his actual ceiling? We’ll see over the next few years.

      1. I think that could be possibility but definitely he needs to play and play as much games as possible and sitting on the bench won’t get him nowhere.
        Januzaj is back and Rooney is on a resurgence meaning it could get more worse for him given Martial’s form either as a striker/winger.I can’t see Depay making a better impact than Januzaj if introduced in later stages of game and should LVG address this problem by investing in another winger it’s light out for him.

        Another option would be to loan him out to Bundasliga or Serie A where he can get more game time.

  27. Everton is also closing in on Van Rhijn which I think will be a good move for him given his situation at Ajax which has stalled with Tete jumping ahead of him.

    It has also been reported if John stones departs Everton,the most likely replacement for him could be Jeffery Bruma.

  28. Both Van Annholt and Van Dijik made it into PL team of the week.

    For Van Dijk as I suspected he is more better positioned on the right than at LCB. Only time will tell how good he becomes under Koeman.

    Van Annholt I think the best he will turn out into is Kolorov type of player . Defensively right now I don’t think he is kind of defender that NT needs now. Even if you are playing with him you need versatile midfielders and CBS who can bail him out when caught out in front. This is very evident in City’s game when Kolorov ventures forward.

    This is also why Van Der Weil sucks in NT but at PSG does exceptionally well.

    1. Agree on van Dijk, Koeman using 3 CBs also gives him more cover to hide is lack of speed and allows him to push into the midfield as well whenever there is a few open yards in front of him.. a clean sheet at old trafford is great for any D, regardless on how poor Man Utd is going forward right now.

  29. Looks like Buttners agent is looking for a paycheck, telling rumors about German club interested in him. That would be great for him though.

    He’s almost 27, can he still show some potential or has he pissed his career away trading Man United for Russia?

    He got 1 goal (a beauty in the Europa league actually) in 31 matches last seasons, but has played only 9 minutes this season although his club is having some big problems hence leaving out foreign players.
    Going back and looking at all of Man Utds injury problems over these last 2 LvG seasons, Buttner would surely have gotten more minutes has he stayed there. But that’s easy to say in hindsight…’what if’s’ are not very interesting…

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