What Mo Ihattaren can offer Oranje

blog Euro 2020 WC2018
by Jan

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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186 comments

  1. Nice Article Jan About ihattaren! Really so grateful that he has Chosen oranje . Whatever the reason was behind he made this Choice is not important anymore . He’s only 17 and imagine how much stronger and more experienced he will become after 3 to 5 more years ( if he keeps improving )

    Our midfield will be filled with talent ! And he can play as a right winger also .

    It’s really sad to see how PSV lost last night . I hope the young boys malen , bergwijn and ihattaren will all learn from this

    Same as for AZ. Not sure what happened with stengs and Boadu but these are the games that they will learn from ( and the sort of experienced they won’t gain from the Eredivisie)

    They will all grow from this

  2. I think somebody made a very good point as to why the KNVB and koeman rushed in to securing Ihattaren and not make the same mistake as in ziyech case. I think the point given was Ihattaren is somebody who can bring in much wanted upgrade in midfield particularly from his natural talent point of view going in future.which is quiet true. The current midfield for NT lacks that sneijder and Vaart esque. Being said this it will be very interesting to see how/if both stengs and ihattaren can fit together in the team. If you carefully study how both play,then both are very identical given they cover most of the right central mid field area cutting inside.you have to imagine stengs intruding Ihattaren space here when both will be starting together on the flank and in midfield respectively. They will repel each other like sneijder and Vaart who were in the same boat cutting in from the left and covering that left central midfield area and which was their strong hold. This was also on showcase at PSV when Van Bommel tried to start both Doan and Ihattaren together. Just didn’t work.

    Then there is Noa Lang who also looks certain to hit the hieghts but maybe be later but for sure. Speed,creativity wise he is no different to ihattaren. All in all I would say they are on a collision course which is good for NT and hopefully we wont see any more f”ck ups by coaches who ever comes in.

    Also Bobby adekanye made his starting debut for lazio which went unnoticed in the Europa. Started upfront with Correa and assisted in the only goal ,again by Correa.unfortuntely for him, immobile and Correa are simply unstoppable and undroppable at the moment and Inzaghi is continuing with his 3-5-2 formation.

    1. Very good points shared Wilson !

      I hope koeman or whoever his successor won’t repeat the same mistake again ( how they didmt make good use of Van der Vaart)

      Noa Lang.- time will tell. He first needs to get regular minutes first in Ajax and I’m
      Not sure if less than 6 months would be enough for him to get koemans attention . Perhaps World Cup would be more realistic ( if he is really that good as you have mentioned ) . Take note
      Competition is getting bigger and bigger no matter midfield or upfront .

      And it’s not easy for koeman to release strootman , berghuis , weghorst and Luuk etc

      Bobby adekanye – yes I thought I was the only one that noticed him getting the start finally

      He got an assist which is great ! Let’s hope He will get More chances

      1. I think Inzaghi should loan him out to a mid or low table team where he can get minutes for now. If they qualify for CL or once he fully grooms to serie A life, they should call him back.

    2. Don’t think Bobby Adekanye is unnoticed, a lot of people know his move to Lazio but he was not given too many chances. The true under the radar player in Serie A is Denilho Cleonise, only 17 years old and already started making minutes for Genoa and made some good impression. And nobody mentioned him.Also there is Jeremie Frimpong, who left Man City at the age of 18 this season and joined Celtic, already locked the RB position and had great performances so far. These two are truly under the radar and no one talks about them here.

  4. There is alot of dutch players in serie A but unless and until they play in the top clubs or above average clubs, don’t think they will get a call up.

    I have read about that Celtic guy as well. Van dijks name instantly pops up after being not considered to be playing in a competitive league. 2014.

    1. 17 year old getting a chance in Serie A as a foreigner, that already says a lot. Not saying he is ready for National team but definitely one to watch out for the future. Boby Adekanye has a long way to go for national team too.

        1. I think you have no clue that How much fluidity of game he brings with ajax as RB..Are you Joking???it remains to be seen how much karsdorp can make up for it..coz as of now we have only karsdorp left..Dumfries and veltman are Jokers for anysake..

          1. Are you joking?Dest’s recent performance is mediocre at best, left on the bench for multiple games. Losing Ziyech is much more hurtful, if we would have Ziyech available now it would change everything, but if we would have Dest now, not much would be change maybe RB will have more depth.

  6. We have already so many our kids recently made break-through such as Ligt, de Jong, Kluivert, Dilrosun, Danjuma, Berwijn, Steng, Boadu, Ihhataren

    But dont forget that we still have very good reservation contingent such as Koopmeiners, Redan, Robbey, Hansen, Hoever, VandenBerg, Itmant, Schuur, ect so i am very eager to see how they footstep.

    1. Robbery requires some intelligence to suceed like Boby adekaye..
      Shuurs is going to Replace Devrij at some point..
      kluivert?????Nah
      Dilorusen is terrorising the defenses…too much like previuos brazilian players..u need more than 1 marker for him…
      i think when u play him with Depay…Depay will be free…thats goin to be outstanding for us

  8. Dest is one of our Missing puzzle and currently our most ideal player for that position .
    Given the fact
    He will keep improving

    In the future he will regret his stupid decision for choosing USA . Oranje is a dream not a Choice

    Let him go soon we will find our ideal new player
    Ki Jana hoover will
    Be playing for
    The world
    Cup

    1. Karsdorp is still technically a Roma Player and it’s only a matter of time when he will make his return to the NT.im sure if he returns to NT and has a good outings at Euros,Roma will return for him.

      Tete also will be on the move in Jan after being frozen at Lyon. If he plays from Jan to April, it should be enough for him to be in the team. Roma and Real Betis are both after him.

  10. Good draw for us for the group stage. Our group stage schedule is a little bit tricky which needs us to get in form fast. As we face Ukraine first, then Austria, lastly Playoff D winner. We might be able to rotate players in our last game but hopefully what happened in 2008 won’t happen again next year. Knock off phase is a bit tricky for us. If we are No.1 we face 3D/E/F, which could be a team from group of death F, Group D is not easy as well. The travel distance is pretty far as well with games in Bucharest and Baku.If we are No.2 we face 1A, which is the 2nd group of death with Italy in it. The travel distance would be better, as it would be London then Munich. If we got to No.3 in the group, we face 1E or 1F, so let’s not make this happen 🙂

  11. How u call it group of death??
    3 teams can go to next round.
    Also i dont like netherlands group. Because when we go to 1/8. We can face all hard teams.
    How u can like easy group?? When 3 teams can go to next round

      1. Yes but u r happy to play with portugal and france on 1/8??
        Is it means good group and good way for us?
        I prefer to playe against portugal than austria. And find squad problem in group stage.

          1. If France and Portugal topped the group, Germany would very likely be No.3 and could also qualify and we might face Germany.

      1. I think 3rd team of group f can reach the next round. Getting 4 points is not impossible and they r just 6 groups. Playing against gemany in 1/8 round would be harsh for dutch.

  12. Good outings for dutch players.

    A famous win for Bosz and bayern Leverkusan defeating Bayern Munich 2-1. Sinkgraven also made his return from injury coming of the bench.

    Van Dijk scored twice to give Liverpool 2-1 win over Brighton

    Groeneveld also played full 90 with Ake for Bournemouth but lost to Spurs. Was lively on the wing and Ake in defence as well. Spur looked unstoppable on counter though and Mourinho seems to have rejuvenated Alli.

    Willems also scored vs city.

    1. Willems is deadly dangerous player..So technical with impeccable skills on ball…We need him as LB…
      Van dijk scores better than Basdoost always and when it matters..

      1. Oh ok thank u

        So it means the four highest 3rd place……
        Hmm…. what if all are same marks …….
        Wonder which genius came up with all these changes

        So how about Romania ? 🇷🇴 What got them here around with the play offs ??

        1. Because two hosts would be grouped together. Netherland was grouped with Romania, so if Romania qualified, they automatically join our group and Playoff D winner goes to Group F. Romania would play two of their games at home.

    2. Romania has to win 2 matches to reach Euro2020 so wait …They have qualified for play off only…there are Geographical blockage to play games like Ukrane Vs Russia not possible…
      Why to worry about Romaina now..let the come first..

    1. Noa lang and stengs are deadly effective players,they are like knife…
      koeman will have headache if things going like this..
      Jetro is knocking on the Door…
      Hope karsdopr come back
      i hope koeman turns to 343
      –Dilorusen———-Stengs——-
      ———–Depay—————–
      Williams–Frenkie–Gini—Promes
      —-Ake—–Virgil–Deligt———
      ———-Cillssen———
      i mean putting all top guns to play to change 433 to 343 …

        1. he has been making appearance of the bench and featured again of the bench vs dortmund.has quieten down tbh. im not sure if its due to consistent injuries.

        2. Yes for U21 and other club games..He is hard to handle,He fu@#ks everyone with skills and speed…it will help Depay a lot…as Depay will be less marked…As when u have Depy,Male/Stengs and Dilorusen whom the opponent will mark…They will have to stay back and defend them all time…thats an advantage..

          2. you look at how kluivert is climbing up the ladder at Roma. now he a regular starter compared to before when he was often a sub. he also has been scoring as well. this is what Dilrosun needs to do to knock on koemens door. I wont be surprised if Kluivert gets call up based on his recent form.

      2. Jetro says he is not sure if Koeman is watching him

        But he says he really still dreams of coming back to Oranje

        Only stupid Arses like Dest would let this opportunity go …

  16. AZ won Venlo 1:0. Very difficult game and we missed Fred Midtso. AZ was not creative and lacked speed. Clasie played 90 min as a central defender and Koopmeiners in his regular position of a controlling midfielder. Claise did very good job. Teun was fantastic as usually. Venlo players had difficulties to go through him. The impression was that Teun is three times bigger than anybody else. Myron Boadu had very poor game and was replaced by Ferdy Druijf who did not produce much either. Calvin was energetic, looked fresher after a difficult game with Partisan. Bizot made several super impressive saves. Overall, AZ had a mediocre game but good result. In two weeks we play Ajax, in order to hope for a good result, we need to improve.

  18. What’s going on with this whole PSV

    If they still play shit like this , malen , bergwijn , including Dumfries yea they all are gonna lose their Oranje spot soon . Including ihattaren also …..

    They all seems playing like a downgraded level compared back to two two months ago ????

    1. Van Bommel honestly needs to be sacked, or at least get someone to help him, he lost the team. The defense is so shaky, the players now lack confidence, they are not performing right. PSV’s recent form is like a team in Eredivisie fighting the relegation battle. If this continues, they probably won’t even be top 3 this season.

    2. Malen is top notch…Cannot say that about Berjwin ..Dumfries is just dumfries..Agree Berjwin is likekuyt with better skills..
      Malen is mercuriuos than Boadu..
      Depay,Malen,Stengs,Promes,Babel,Dilorusen,Danjuma,Noalang..We have choice other than Berjwin

        1. kuyt played as right winger,Berjwin play as right winger…So both are at same spot for NT..Berjwin can take on players and give a pass,kuyt cannot dribble school kid and he gives back pass..Both work rate are awesome..We need compare based on which spot they play..Berjwin=kuyt+Dribbling skills at Right wing/Left wing..

  19. Messi is a great player don’t get me wrong but these awards are becoming ridiculous.
    What more can a defender do to win these awards….!?
    I know how the voting works but
    Like the NBA they should call it The Most Valuable Player, therefore avoiding the impression that the actual or so called superstars would almost likely win it.
    Goat status-ing messi doesn’t mean you have to give someone six awards. Feel bad for our captain

  23. Anyways we are playing Spain 🇪🇸 end of March

    And there will be another friendly few days before that

    But ……. only two friendly’s before our euro tournament starts. ?? Is that really it and enough ??!!

  25. @ Jan

    Agree that Lang is more quicker than sneijder but there is no way sneijder was tad slow. he also had quick feet. Lang is not an out and out winger. In Jong Ajax he was has rotated at both midfield and on the flanks.

    if im not wrong than when Hunterlaar replaced promes, Lang moved to the left and also if you look at his goals he was more inside box.his stronghold is in that left wing/midfield area, where he likes to cut in and curl around into the top corner

  26. must say Andre Villa Boss has done a good job at Marseille. they have climbed 2 on table and im very interested to see how strootman has become a regular in starting 11. is this the sign he has fully recovered. if he has to make a comeback given there is still 5 or so months left, it could really saw up the midfield.

    2. Ahhhh so glad to see these comments

      I have been watching his every single game and no doubt yesterday was his best game so far

      Danjuma keeps improving every single game .ifs a matter of time he will start scoring

      He needs to score goals and more than just a few .

      It’s not easy for koeman to take out Luuk , weghorst and berghuis any of them . Danjuma needs really to show a lot more !

        1. I think it is fair to say that he got something special

          Something which kluivert , bergwijn , or Even malen hasn’t

          But Danjuma is not back to his best level I think .i think he was faster and more “lethal “ before his injury ?

          1. well said. thats whats koeman should be looking at. who brings what to the team . as for his form. this was just his third game and its still 5-6 months to go. im sure he must be cautious as well not to agravate his injury.

          2. Danjuma needs time..who can forget his game vs Belgium…Only Malen and stengs played equal to that from new players..
            Danjuma needs little time to get back normal..

  30. A little off topic, but jut saw Vincent Janssen play for Monterrey in the first leg of the semi-finals of the Mexican Apertura. He was dangerous all night; probably the player of the match, scored the winning goal. He is not in the NT picture, but it is nice to see his career take a good turn.

    2. he did scored hattrick in the cup match, didn’t he? if he really start banging goals with high goal-to-game ratio, then he totally deserves to be tested in next frendlies

    3. Great to see Vincent Jannsen back Alive . Tottenham spurs almost destroyed his career .

      Although he won’t be back for oranje anymore , it’s nice to see him getting back his football life 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

      1. BTW: Donny van de Beek has turned down a move to Tottenham after indicating that he prefers to join Real Madrid.

        The Spanish giants are willing to pay the asking price of €55 million for the midfielder. (De Telegraaf)

    4. Andrew, thank you for such a great news. I have been and will be a big fan of Vincent and I am convinced that boy will find his way back to the top.

    1. Yes, he played with great spirit last night. Its a hard league and he was in the middle of alot physical play, both giving and receiving. But he had a great attitude toward both his own team and the opposing players. Great attitude and approach. Wish nothing but the best for him.

    1. I for sure have to intervene here. It’s an analytical point of view which the narrator is using as a basis, but what he doesn’t realise or havent quoted is its the overall team thats driving the team and not just Blind. again you have to ask this question, is Ajax vulnerable withou Blind. Not from any angle, whether he plays left Back,CB,MD or no.the current status of the Ajax team is such that they have players who can stand in for him. Vs Lille was good example and vs chelsea will be next.

      1. The Problem with MANU is that they had only one good coach after SAF..thats LVG..They fireed him and got clowns…
        Manchester suffer from Coach than loss of Blind..Yes with Blind they would ahve been better i am sure…with or without Blind there would be no trophy gureenteed for them..
        Blind is good is world champion?CL champion??No ….Blind is good squad mmber with versatality…He can be good gradient..i agree that..

        1. Once Koeman leaves we could end up like Manu…So Good coach is key…What a wonderful team belgium had under stupid wilmots…Other coach would have won WC/EC with such squad…
          For me Coach is No1 always..

  33. Oh bad news is ajax lose in eredivise before valencia game. Promes injured in last game. Anyone know if he fit for valencia game?? Really bad to play without neres and promes. Ajax really need them for thursday. Any news about promes injured??

  34. That’s what I said I the beginning

    Where is noa Lang? I think we can have our minds be Back to normal

    No he is not the new robben or Van persie. He is just good footballer who for a bit lucky last week
    .

  35. I will be very disappointed if Danjuma is overlooked just because he plays for mid table team. Even though Liverpool beat them 3-0 but he always looks to be their dangerous man when on attack. He is more effective on the left though when compared to on the right. Van dijk had a good check on him when ever they came face to face.

    Ake was also having a good game until his injury and was subbed. Might be out for a while now.

    1. It’s really hard to say

      Danjuma almost scored a goal unfortunately it was an offside

      I’m not sure if koeman was watching the game but apparently he is improving game after game

      You can see his disappointment
      After the final whistle. Hopefully he will score a goal or a few because that is the least he must do to Convince koeman .

      Bear in mind kluivert dilrosun malen Berwijn Babel etc they are all fighting for this position

  36. Steng 4 goals in eredivise
    Kluivert 3 goal in sere A.
    Steng play four game more than kluivert.
    Dilrosun score 3 goals in bundesliga.dilrosun miss his position in starting 11.
    And here r people who say kluivert score less and steng deserve more.
    Yes man u r right but u dont know anything about football.

    1. Steng scores and make lethal passes which create a chance,He has very good number of assist..He is unslefish…When you play 4 unselfish forwards with skills and vision THATS deadly Combo..Stengs has passing accuracy,
      Calcin scored 8 goals if u take Europa league as well..from 21 games…8/21 with 10 assisists not a small thing..
      Noa lang scored 3 in one game will u consider??
      kluivert is scoring after 1.5 years..
      We have
      Babel,Promes,Depay,Stengs,Danjuma,MalenDilorusen,Boadu are ahead of him at least..
      May b He could compete with Berjwin,Berghius thats the best we have now..

    2. Hmm… you’re a bit everywhere my friend , relax

      Yep Stengs ( with a S) would be on my number one list. As well as dilrosun and Danjuma

      Kluivert not for Euros sorry

  37. Dilrosun has really quiten down in bundasliga after his return from injury plus he has big competition on his hands in the form of Dido Lukebakio who has become the man in form for Hertha Berlin. I cant see him making the cut unless he pulls off something extraordinary in the coming months.

    Going back to what I said earlier it should come down to who brings what to the table at the end of the day.Promes was flop in la liga and now is piling up goals in eredivisie. Berghuis is in the same boat.does this mean everybody should start returning to eredivisie? I dont think so consideration should be given as to which players have the cutting edge to create something out of nothing.

      1. I want to be with u but stengs and dajnuma is not in top form. Stengs really didnt do big thing. Danjuma is good i really like him. But for now he is not near top players.
        They r good for wc2022. But for 2020? I think we go nowhere with this kids

        1. Players that representing the country did not come by pure luck, didn’t do big thing or is not near to top players.
          There must be reasons for the coach to select them.
          Examples, the coach needs them to fit in the formations and tactics.
          And the talented young footballers must have the opportunity to to perform along with the seniors. This way they can gained more experience, confident and illuminated.
          In Euro 2020, i bet on those gawkers will be surprised and feel qualms…..

          1. Mind you, if you have forgotten ,Depay injury and the game vs NI opened all gates loss and what you are talking about,tactics and who fits where simply bit the dust. Going back, the expression on his face said it all. I will try to look for the video.

            Being said this koeman should take a team that will will move on to become contenders in 2020.

          2. Yes, i agreed with you.
            The thing is that there is none that reached the world class level of Depay.
            And that is why we need to search for good players on replacement when needed.
            Give the young talented players or new selected players time to perform. Unless there are better solutions.

            Being a Oranje fan, we definitely want to be the top best and win trophies.

  38. Selection of quality players is VERY BASIC..if you dont do basics u will fail…no matter what..
    We cannot qualify with Dost,klassen,strootman etc..list goes on THATS PROVEN by miles..
    We cannot win any trophy WHEN U HAVE NONDRIBBLER STRIKER/FORWARD UP FRONT (Eg kuyt since 2005 to 2014 even when u have Roben on ur team..
    these are just basics,
    tactics and everything build on basics..
    i really wished harry kane played Vs Ajax at final then Spurs would have S@#ked at big time…Bias and wrong experience will never take u anywhere..

  41. This is not the Ajax team we used to see

    They had name an hour to score a goal to get a draw but they have blown it away themselves

    Ziyech again showed why he cannot he a great footballer

    They missed how to play with a cool head , and again those south Europe countries fooled us again

    Maybe it’s not a bad thing to rest our Dutch players so they will have enough energy for the euros

    Also ….. Siem de Jong ??!! What the … is Ajax really not having anyone better ????!!!!

  43. Painful to watch Ajax get eliminated against a team that we are superior to. Promes and Neres injuries proved costly that is why we could not see anything going well forward. The one player who frustrated me the most though is Veltman! The guy is a mistake waiting to happen and once again he delivered. He was caught in no man’s land and kept Rodrigo onside for the Valencia goal. How many times have we seen this clown screw up! Twice against Valencia in the first game Rodrigo left him on the dust but failed to score while against Chelsea he got himself sent off and yet Ten Hag kept starting him and never gave Alvarez a chance next to Blind.

  44. Ajax seems to have a very thin squad. Bench is not anything exciting. Once injuries hit there is very little room for mistakes. I have never seen Ajax throw bad so many times in a game in my recent memory. Still , how do you go from scoring 4 away at Chelsea and not able to score one single goal against Willem and Valencia. This campaign started so promising and ended up in misery. Management screwed up after deLigt and deJong sales.

  45. I dont mean to make this more worse but valencia also had a fair share of causalities Goncalo Guedes,Cheryshev,Ruben Sobrino, Garay, Cillessen ,Kondogbia, Maxi Gomez hence I dont think injuries should be looked as means of excuses. Ajax also had a fair number of chances but couldn’t find the target especially ziyech who looked wasteful.also felt the players looked sluggish especially in the midfield which lacked cutting edge big time especially with valencia playing 4-4-2.

    The one thing I didn’t understand was why ziyech was intruding Lang’s flank.

    1. Wilson because of the many injuries Valencia had in last nights game was the reason why they won. A lot of the players they started don’t have the same quality as the players you mentioned which is why Celades decided to take a more defensive approach and it played off. Unfortunately Ajax plays only one way and missing Promes, Neres and Labyad was huge. Do not forget that all Valencia players played the first game and Ajax destroyed them.

    2. Valencia was good team,they deserved to go ahead of Chelski..Ajax were Robbed agaiisnt Chelski to 1-0 loss..Plastic money club doesnt deserve to be there..if are Robbed u cannot play next round..Valencia deserved victory and they should go through..Not chelsea…Chelsea were inferior to Ajax and valencia ,they should not have gone…
      yes agree Veltman is liability no doubt…

  46. Oh well

    Ajax still can play Europa league
    So will join az Alkmaar

    And if there is a miracle Feyenoord might join also , means we will have 3 Dutch clubs continue in Europe

  47. Anybody watched Lyon and Leipzig. It was a world cup final like atmosphere. Tete had another good game with Depay scoring the crucial equalizer to secure the last 16 spot for Lyon.

  49. Yes, tough to see Ajax go out like that; credit to Valencia, they played a nervy game like that with, well, nerve and toughness.

    What gave me pause from the start was the decision to play Alvarez and Martinez as a tandem in the mf. The offense flowed much better after the first Chelsea match when Van De Beek dropped back a line. There is a tradeoff, of course, the defense becomes a is a little more open when VDB plays in that role. Needing only a draw, Ten Haag chose the more conservative approach, and that was a game more to Valencia’s benefit, I think. Ajax is Ajax; I think I would have preferred to see them go down guns blazing (starting KJH, with VDB in the deeper role)—But, I suppose, if they had played that way and lost, I would have wondered why they had to play so open…;)

    On to the Europa League. As bad as I feel, if they make a run to the finals, I’m sure I’ll be very excited.

  50. The answer is neres and promes. After chelsea 1st game when ajax failed to score a goal i said where is neres. Hey man we really need him. U guys remember a second game against tottenham last year?? Ajax miss neres and again they cannot attack like before. Again we miss promes. Promes score in all ajax games. He is 2 class above vand de beek and maybe 4 class above noa lang. Noa lang score 3 goal in easiest way. And people here talk he is better than every one. So what hapoened??

  51. The good news is no team from portugal belgium ukraine and russia reach champion leage next round. So ajax and alkmar r too important for us in europe league

    1. Depay goal was so and so important goal. Not just for lyon and his future but also it means zent is now out of europe. The best russia team cannot reach europe league. Tnx depay

  53. If we r lucky. All russian teams will be out from europe league and champion legue till tomorrow.
    Getafe game is too important. Also arsenal game is too inportant for us. Cheers for getafe and arsenal tomorrow.
    And we are lucky also just 1 belgium team will remain in europe and all other will be out. Clube bruge is only their team.
    Most importnat game for us is feyenoord against porto. Portugal has 5 alive team. Too hard for feyenoord but they can eliminate 1 poetugal team for NT.

  57. OK All Russian Club were eliminated from Europe.

    6- Portugal with 4 teams
    7- Russia With 0 Teams
    8- Belgium with 2 teams
    9- Netherlands with 2 teams
    10- Ukraine With 1 team.

          1. Ok my friend. There r 32 teams in europe league. And i just said about 5 countries which r in contest with NT. I hope ajax do their best in europe. And az pkayers improve in it.

  59. What can I say ?

    PSV – really disappointed . They can’t Even beat this bottom team from ???

    I’m starting to doubt if ihattaren malen and bergwijn are all overrated ! I was really expecting them to beat Rosenborgand get some points for the coefficient

    Feyenoord – nothing I can say . I can’t blame them and Advocaat has done everything he could already .give them another year or two …

    AZ Alkmaar – we were missing boadu and I must say I’m satisfied with stengs performance

    I’m sure this match has made bom learnt a lot and he will improve from this .

    Let’s hope they can go as far as possible in the knockout stages

  60. Oranje has Confirmed that we will be playing USA before facing Spain in the March friedly’s

    This is wonderful I’m. It sure how many of you are delighted with this

    Dest make sure you are fit to join and so koeman will
    Have a chance to snow you the true Oranje Power

    Even it’s a friendly I hope we will win them. By many goals .

  63. AZ-Ajax 1:0!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    AZ won very difficult game and Myron scored before missing three chances. I am very happy that we did not concede any goals again. It was quite hard mentally for AZ after 4:0 defeat but they dealt with that well. Very happy with the result, not much with the game.

      1. this is good news because if blind can slot at LB while playing at CB, I dont see any reason why clasie can not start in Midfield along side frenkie while playing out of CB

  66. Horrible news:
    Memphis could miss euro because of injure. ACL injury. Too bad. Really i dont know what would happen. I dont see malen in good shape and now we r in really bad position

    2. Also malen injured tonight. Nothing is good about psv. Rally they r in their worst form week in week and nothing change.
      Ajax really need winter break also psv need it. Psv need add manything to their team

      1. It depends on severity of ACL, Marco van Basten also had ACL before Euro 1988 and his participation was also questionable. But he made it and you know what happened then

        1. this is how I see it . one mans loss is another mans gain. boadu could become a front runner but then he also is injury prone. lammers also if he can make a good comeback.

  67. It is what it is
    We will need a miracle for depay to be back for the euros and even he can make it, it would be almost impossible for
    Him to be back to his best level .

    Let’s wait and see and leave him for
    The World Cup 2022

    No question he is irreplaceable, but on the other hand it would
    He a good opportunity for us to give the other potential a chance to prove themselves

    Also a chance to “push “ koeman for finding another lethal striker. Who knows it could be Boadu.

    Lastly , depay is mentally a very strong person . Keep optimistic and hoping for a miracle anything can happen 🙂

    1. I certainly remember talking about this hour and how crucial it becomes now for koeman to test other players in 1 or 2 friendlys.

      On a brighter side tete has become a regular starter at Lyon and should get the nod from koeman. Dumfries performance has taken a nose dive. Hopeless performance vs feyenoord.

    1. Even with him there wasnt much chance either. The team was good with him but still the team needs improvement in few departments to really become contenders. I hope more young guys get the nod which will lay a good platform for 2022.

      Boadu
      Lammers
      Groeneveld
      Malen
      Stengs
      Ake
      Frenkie
      De Ligt

    2. At least 6* months.
      But NT first game is in june and we have less than 6 months.
      So eliminate depay from now and find new way to score.
      It looks really hard for us.
      Boadu need four 100% chance to score 1.and surely we have scoring problem.
      Buadu malen stengs bergwijn cannot score agaijst ukruje or bigger country

    3. Ajax crashing out of the CL and now Memphis is out of the Euros! Bad week indeed.

      Koeman will have to find a replacement soon. That’s the bad thing about relying too much on one player. When things go bad, you have to scramble. I hope he can use the two friendlies announced to try and plug in the huge void. Some of these young players need to step up and seize their opportunity.

  71. Alkmar will play LASK (who beat psv with 4 goals)
    Ajax will play getafe.
    I dont think ajax eager to go to next round. They want eredivise.
    We have to wait to see.

  73. LASK is very physical team but AZ should not be afraid of this team. LASK beat PSV when the latter were out of form, otherwise they would have never succeeded against the club from Eindhoven. One thing I am afraid of is injury.

  74. If there was a player we couldn’t do without it was Depay. And just like that he won’t be able to play. First, I wish him the best for 100% recovery. These things happen but he seemed so tough and well built that I never thought he could ever get injured. Very sad for him.
    As per NT I think we should adjust our expectations and hope to see a few good games. Only a miracle can take us to the top but no other player can fill Depay’s void. I hope Koeman doesn’t see Luuk deJong as his solution.

    1. luuk /Dost/kuyt we had enough with those types,though luuk s my favorite among 3…
      We had Depay,Babel,Berwjwin and complete 11 vs Portugal at Nations league final WHAT HAPPEND THEN??????
      Does Germany had Roben at 2014??italy had 2006???Greec had 2004???did CR7 played in final 2016????????
      DEPAY IS VERY GOOD NOW agreed…WE MUST TAKE OUR HEAD OUT OF DEPAY THING..
      Can we do that??????
      Stupids cannot do that i know….Winners can do that i know..if we don that we the winners…

  75. There is one player who can exactly deliver waht Depay did….HIS name is adam Maher..He is accurate,he is so good at small spaces,he can dribble,he can assist.He has vision..BRING HIM BACK KOEMAN…
    wE HAVE 3 PLAYERS WHO CAN DO better than Depay those are stengs,Maher and propper
    ========================================
    —-Babel————-Malen——
    ———–Stengs————-
    ===============================
    Malen————–Stengs
    ——-Maher——————-
    ===========================
    Malen———–stengs
    ——–Propper—————
    ====================================
    Propper,Maher or stengs would do it mark my words…Give them channce…….

    1. Hahahaha, Maher is a fine player. But he is no replacement for Memphis!!! How can you come up with this Emamanual?

      Come on!! Like Bizot is the best replacement for Malen?

      1. i guessed u wont get it…Maher has the talent to cover it up i meant…all he needs to be properly coached .coach has big say in development of any player..what Depay can do with feet Maher can do…ist only work rate and rythem…which he will get game after game..

  76. The biggest game maher played last year was against ajax. He get 5 from 10. Was one of the worst player on the pitch. And change after 65 mins.
    U want stengs to play against france and score?? What he do in 180 mins against Man Utd?? 1 shot on target?? No one is near depay. Not even near depay. Stengs r good but cannot change a game. Just promes and wijnaldum can score and other r good maybe for 2022.

  77. Depay, malen, wijnaldum, promes are injured.
    Depay is like robben. He can change things.
    Now i like promes as stricker. He can shot and score goal. Ajax depend on him and cannot score in 3 games in row without him.

  78. Our starting 11 for group stage:
    Babel promes bergwijn
    Wijmaldum
    Frenkie de roon
    Blind van dijk de ligt tete
    Cilessen

    Malen / stengs/ / buadu / dajunama / propper / ihatteren if he back on his best form can be our attack option on bench.

    I predict we go to 1/8 and eliminte by france or germany.

  79. Throughout the year , I remember we had several discussions about this before

    “Our mistake “ is that we have been putting all our eggs in one basket . We had been “joking “ about this before , what will happen if depay gets injured ?

    Now , koeman will have 6 months to think about it .

    For me , no expectations for the euros will be better . Let’s give the youngsters as much experience possible and let them go as far as they. Can go

    Let’s pray that depay can get a 100% full recovery and World Cup 2022 and Euros 2024 is where eyes should be placed on now

    I hope koeman won’t change his plan B to Luuk , werghorst Babel etc , and Instead give as much changes possible to boadu , ihattaren, stengs etc

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