Young PSV impresses!

blog
by Jan

Not a title I have used before, for sure :-). I have used it for Ajax, for Feyenoord, probably for AZ, never for PSV.

Because they never really were young in Eindhoven and because for years they focused on players from Bulgaria, Canada, Sweden and Brazil.

I never liked PSV much, as you know. The Philips Sport Vereniging. The name says it. An outlet for a big consumer brand. Money talks in Eindhoven and so does not taking risks. Never invested properly in youth, always ready to snatch talents away from other clubs. The move from Gullit from Feyenoord to PSV in 1985 bothered me much, I remember. They won the Europa Cup 1 with players poached from Ajax. I never liked them.

They always seem to go for the obvious, risk-free coach choice and their football system was always 4-4-2.

I am biased of course. Because that same PSV also gave us Romario, Ronaldo, Luc Nilis and allowed us to enjoy Gullit, Koeman and co. a bit longer. Without PSV today, who knows where Wijnaldum, Schaars, Rekik, Bruma and Maher would be…. I should stop thinking that Wijnaldum might still have been with Feyenoord. He probably would be in Moscow or Leverkusen or Mallorca or some other place where I wouldn’t be able to see him…

So, as of today, PSV has raised its profile in my world. Because they make it possible for us all (incl Van Gaal!) to enjoy Schaars, Bruma, Rekik, Wijnaldum, Maher, Depay, Willems and co on a weekly basis.

And because they finally have the courage to not go for a coach they know and like (Hiddink, Rutten, Advocaat) but to go for a young turk who hasn’t proven himself at the highest level yet but who has the pedigree as a player, the trust of the players and the charisma amongst the people.

Phillip Cocu is from the same stock as Frank de Boer, John van de Brom and Gio van Bronckhorst. Cocu immediately went for a proper 4-3-3. And he handed the captains band to 23 year old Gio Wijnaldum. Young Jeroen Zoet seems to be the first goalie, before Tyton.

Hail Phillip Cocu.

 

cocu

And with this very young team, Cocu started the third qualifications round for the CL and they impressed mightily against Zulte Waregem: 2-0 (although 6-0 would have been a better reflection).

Cocu’s team had an average age of 21 years in this game. And 23 year old Wijnaldum is now one of the seniors. The fans were keen to see how their heroes would do without fan faves Mertens, Bommel and Strootman. Zakaria Bakkali, 17 years old, didn’t need long to establish himself in the hearts of the supporters. Within 2 minutes, the Belgium super talent hit the post. And in the first 60 minutes, his dribbles and speed appeared to much for his countrymen. In the last phase of the game, the tank was empty. Another remarkable player for PSV was 21 year old Bruma. The former Feyenoord defender showed that he brings grit and power to the team and his build up qualities shone through. Before the break, PSV had at least 5 golden opportunities, partly due to good play, partly due to Zulte’s defensive shenanigans. Wijnaldum rattled the woodwork twice.

It was Memphis Depay, that other prodigy, who broke the deadlock after an hour with a power hit from 35 yards. Sub Jurgen Locadia scored the second later in the second half.

matavz wijnal

Bruma: “This was a good night for us and for the fans. No one knew where we stood and we didn’t even know. But it’s too early to cheer. We still need to play for it. 2-0 is a tough result. We could have done better, but such is life. We need to approach the return as if it’s a 0-0 result on the board. We need to play for it.”

 

Coach Cocu had enjoyed himself: “I was impressed with certain spells but I also saw aspects we need to improve. We could and should have scored earlier I suppose, as we still have to be cautious in the return. Zulte is able to create opportunities and we can not become complacent.”

Line up PSV: Zoet; Brenet, Bruma, Rekik and Willems; Wijnaldum, Maher and Schaars; Bakkali, Matavz and Depay.

 

maher psv

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0 comments

  2. Great post Jan. it describes exactly how i always felt about PSV. I remember when PSV used to play in the CL with Koeman , and reached the quarter-final with players like Gomez , Alex , salcido , etc .. I wasn’t really happy since Afellay was the only dutch player in thier starting 11.

    Cocu is appearantly biased towards dutch players and I like that a lot as a dutch fan 🙂 . Young players love him and comsider him as an idol which is very important for him as a coach. I’m happy for him and for PSV.
    Hopefully they will be able to perform good in the next stage which will be more difficult.

    Eredivisie is going to be very intersting to watch. Ajax , PSV and Feyenoord will give each other such a hard time 😀 . Best of luck to Ajax in Eredivisie , to all dutch clubs in Europe 😉 .

  3. Can’t wait for LVG to announce the squad that will face Portugal. I think it will be announced by friday at most. Expecting some new faces in the “pre-selection”.

  5. Wanna say say something on sneijder and van der vart saga. We hav to learn from the confederation cup. Inestia (30) and Xavi (33) both play for Barcelona were outgunned by Oscar, Paulino, Luis Gustavo. They both played an average game for spain throughout and neither even scored any goals. it can be concluded that the heat and age factor was influential in the outcome of their game. If the Spain would have stared with Faberegas and Cardazola, the flow of the game would have been evenly balanced.

    Sneijder (29) and Van der vart (30) are in the same boat and if both Inestia and Xavi could do it then you are looking at the same ride for both sneijder and Van der Vart.they will not be able to do it either. Even though if they are super fit , still they will perform below their best given that (old leg get tired easily) and with the scotching sun one might wonder how long the aging legs will last.

    The next candidate who can fill their shoes is Maher , but he has to produce something extraordinary for PSV in the upcoming season and same goes for Ibi Afellay respectively.

    2. Utter nonsense.

      ‘it can be concluded’….
      No. It cannot. You have taken just one factor into consideration. Your conclusion is amateur and flawed and entirely non-sensical.
      Even worse you are comparing players of different ages, in different roles, in different situations, in different teams, against different opposition.
      It’s childish armchair analysis like this which ruins this great site.

  6. This psv team is fun to watch, all technical and skillful players!! Defensive line, three are 1994 class, one 1991! Amazing!! They were so fun to watch today, but I don’t want to get too excited before they show us some more good games, next round in champions league will be against one of these 5 teams: real soceidad, Milan, arsenal, schalke, pacos de Ferreira(Portugal), will see how they are going to handle that round!! I love the idea that this team is really Dutch, we got excited about feyenoord last year, since they are too young and Dutch but style wise this psv is way more fun to watch!!

    1. He is just a morrocan player, they can be from France, Belgium or Holland, they still have the same technical qualities and mental defects.

      I don’t expect a lot from him.

      1. Are you suggesting that all Moroccans have mental defects?

        Laurent, you are fast becoming the new Tiju of this site. Your opinions are hopeless, truly amateur, which is fine until they become repetitive.

        Far worse, is when they become xenophobic and prejudiced.
        You can take your revolting comments and find somewhere else to post them.
        Vile fool.

        1. @Paul i know that ur mother is a whore,everyday coming in differnet name and farting here.Twat i know that you want stir up the plot u idiot…..get lost u idiot..

        2. Lol, and what if you would know that I’m myself half morroccan ?

          It’s not rare here to find morrocan people sharing my opinion, I don’t know if you follow football out of this blog but Morocco has been failing and failing again in Africa cup and WC qualifications, and when you look at players choices of clubs (Barrada who was really good at Getafe and who left for Al Jazira, Labyad who went to bench Sporting, Assaidi to bench Liverpool, Chamakh failed, El Hamdaouialso ,Aissati to Antalyaspor and so on and so on), we have right to doubt about their state of mind and their carreer choices.

          Bakkali is talented but just seems to be one of them when you look at his effectivness and choices on the field. There are plenty morroccan players with the same profile, and none of them has reached a high level in football.

          Now, let’s to talk about you. Have you ever wrote a comment on this blog with more names of footballers than members ? How you can do is reacting to posts of some cibled members to criticize and insult. Your never haved proved that you’re watching games with analysis or something.

          If you’re not happy with my posts, you can ignore them.

    1. Dutch have every chance of winning WC if they drop kuyt(not threatening),Afellay(not effective),Wesly(aged),vaart(aged),De vrij(slow),Narsingh(no cordination),Jozefoon,huntlaar,Rickywolf,and luuk dejong.
      Fit RVP,roben,nijel can bring WC with Bruma,Wijnaldum,Stroot,Vanginkel,BMI,seim dejong,lenz,janmaat etc

          2. Tiju, why are you still here, little boy?
            Why do you come to a Dutch ‘fan’site and then not behave like a fan?
            Do you realise that you ruin this place for everyone else, the real fans??

            No-one likes you.
            No-one respects you.
            No-one cares for your idiotic views.
            NO-ONE REPLIES TO YOUR MORONIC COMMENTS.

            Do you understand??
            I shall repeat: Why are you still here?

            I am asking nicely. Please, just find somewhere else to take your daily hate-filled nonsense.

          3. ‘You will become a stupid once they get humiliated in Brazil wait and see..i swear and bet about it.’

            Do you see anyone else here talking like this?
            No?
            Fuck off then. Twat.

            ‘You will become a stupid’ JAJAJAJAJAJAJA!!
            Wow. just wow.
            Is this guy for real?

  13. Thanks for the article and the highlights 🙂

    I am happy but let’s not get carried away PSV was facing Zulte-Waregem!.

    I expect a lot from this team. Wijnaldum has gotten really better!, Depay is the real deal, Maher is great, Bruma has great conditions he just needs to play every week to develop, I haven’t seen Rekik but by what I read on the blog he’s good, also if PSV has a good year maybe Schaars can get called again?, Locadia is good and will be RVP and KJH’s sub some day in the near future.

  14. Park ji sung completes his loan move…this PSV TEAM is slowly turning into a dream team! Too early to hope for chamioms league quarter finals?

    1. seeing the highlights, I assume from his back-name, he’s the one that assist Locadia’s goal. a right back, I believe. and yes, his pace and pass, particularly one that resulting the goal, was great.

      I might not share same opinion with Laurent yet though, as I haven’t watch him defending. 🙂

  17. Feyenoord is aware of interest in BMI and Janmaat from Italy. Napoli is interested in BMI and Inter and Juve are interested in Janmaat.

    The Feyenoord management already claimed they wont even pick up the phone if they want to offer 5Mio euros for Janmaat.

    Eriksen and Alderweireld said no to Russian clubs.

  18. Celtic have confirmed the signing of Ajax winger Derk Boerrigter ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League transfer deadline.
    Boerrigter, who could now feature against Elfsborg on Wednesday, has signed a four-year deal in Glasgow in what is expected to be a £3m move.
    The 26-year-old was in his second spell at Ajax having re-signed in 2011.
    He scored six goals last season and helped the club win their 32nd Eredivisie league title.
    Boerrigter has also enjoyed spells with other Dutch sides Zwolle and RKC Waalwijk.
    “He is the type of player we have been looking for for a while,” said Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who is confident of another new signing this week.
    “He is a very fast, direct, left-footed player who has goals in him with his left and right foot.
    “He is also very powerful. He has good experience and he has played at a high level for the last two or three years.”
    Celtic face Elfsborg in Glasgow in their third round qualifier on Wednesday night, but had until midnight on Tuesday to add a “wildcard” signing eligible to play in the match at Celtic Park.

  19. Norwich boss Chris Hughton has refused to rule out a move for Juventus striker Fabio Quagliarella.
    Hughton did not deny an interest in the 30-year-old, instead comparing the scenario to his pursuit of Gary Hooper, who joined from Celtic last week.
    “That is a story I have seen and heard. But it was exactly the same with our work with Gary,” he said.
    “Most were aware there was an interest. Until there was something official to say then we didn’t say it.”
    He added: “From our side we did our work in the correct way [for Hooper], which is very much behind the scenes.”
    Quagliarella, who has seven goals in 25 caps for Italy, scored 13 times in 34 games for Juventus last season.
    A former Torino forward, he has vast experience in Serie A with Sampdoria, Udinese and Napoli.
    “The fact that some players are being linked with us is in some ways a good thing, because it means we are trying to be proactive and trying to improve,” said Hughton.
    “But certainly until there’s anything to say it’s all speculation.”
    The Canaries will already have a new-look forward line next season, with the arrivals of Hooper and Ricky van Wolfswinkel, while Luciano Becchio has made only two starts since joining in January.

  20. Standard Liege have signed Wigan defender Ronnie Stam, 29, and goalkeeper Yohann Thuram-Ulien, 24, from Belgian side Troyes.
    Full story: Le Soir (French) (external)

  21. I still believe PSV has to correct two things :
    -The midfield
    -Finding a good striker

    In defense, they got Arias, Brenet, Manolev, Bruma, Rekik, Marcelo, Jorgensen, Willems, Hendrix. That’s enough to build a good line.

    The midfield yesterday was bad for me, Schaars played very well (as often) but wasn’t helped defensivly, he isn’t a DM, he needs to be assisted. And putting Maher and Wijnaldum was bad, Maher was quite discrete in that position, Wijnaldum had goal chances but no influence on the game, as always when he plays in that position. Even if Bakkali was the most active player, they should try to put Wijnaldum again on the right wing as long as Narsingh is injured. Or in the left one cause Depay seems to be really irregular.

    Matavz showed again how an average striker he is, Locadia seems to have a great finish, but is too slow.

    So yeah, for me they should add one midfielder and one striker.

  23. Thanks Jan!!!

    Didn’t see the game but from all reports and things I’ve read on here I’m really happy to here of PSV (even though im an Ajax man) and the way they are approaching this season with Cocu in charge, who looks to be keen on playing a mainly dutch side.

  24. Van Gaal’s preliminary selection for the Portugal friendly:

    keepers:

    * Jasper Cillissen (Ajax)
    * Kenneth Vermeer (Ajax)
    * Michel Vorm (Swansea City).

    Defense:

    * Daley Blind (Ajax)
    * Daryl Janmaat (Feyenoord)
    * Bruno Martins Indi (Feyenoord)
    * Joris Mathijsen (Feyenoord)
    * Stefan de Vrij (Feyenoord)
    * Ricardo van Rhijn (Ajax)
    * Paul Verhaegh (FC Augsburg)
    * Ron Vlaar (Aston Villa).

    Midfield:

    * Jordy Clasie (Feyenoord)
    * Marco van Ginkel (Chelsea)
    * Jonathan de Guzman (Swansea City)
    * Siem de Jong (Ajax)
    * Adam Maher (PSV)
    * Kevin Strootman (AS Roma)
    * Tonny Vilhena (Feyenoord)
    * Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburger SV).

    Attack:

    * Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Schalke 04)
    * Dirk Kuijt (Fenerbahçe)
    * Jeremain Lens (Dinamo Kiev)
    * Robin van Persie (Manchester United)
    * Arjen Robben (Bayern München)
    * Ruben Schaken (Feyenoord)
    * Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City).

    NO Wesley Sneijder and a new name in Verhaegh.

    Cheers

    1. after watching a video about Verhaegh, I guess Van Rhijn is on the brink of losing his spot.

      I’ve posted it below. if anyone wants to watch it.

      is Kuyt playing good in Fenerbache? didn’t follow him, so can anybody please tell me?

      and why Mathijsen is still there? I was hoping for Viergever to be called up LOL. 🙂

    1. > Wiki translated:

      /Verhaegh went through the entire youth of PSV, but was found not good enough for the first team. Went in a loan deal to AGOVV, but after a year he left for FC Den Bosch. Here he gained his first experience in the Eredivisie, however the club relegated after the end of the competition. Therefore Verhaegh played the following season in the Eerste Divisie. Here he excelled in such a way that when Vitesse came looking for their loaned player to Den Bosch (Jaap Davids), they decided to buy Verheagh as a replacement for Stijn Vreven.

      On January 23, 2006 Verhaegh signed a contract until mid-2010 with Vitesse. In his first game he was to blame for point loss as a result of unfortunate backpasses, but he soon became one of the better Vitesse players in the 2005-2006 season, partly because of his dedication. In the summer of 2006 Verhaegh is part of the Dutch U21 selection that won the youth European Championships in Portugal. On July 21, 2008 Verhaegh signed a new contract with Vitesse that might him a Vitesse player until mid-2011. Shortly before that extension he was appointed as the new captain of Vitesse.

      In May 2010 Verhaegh signed with FC Augsburg. He was the third player in a week that the German club picked up from the Eredivisie, after Gibril Sankoh and Marcel de Jong. Meanwhile, he extended his expiring contract at FC Augsburg until 2013.

      On July 31, 2013 he was taken by coach Louis van Gaal at the pre-selection of the Dutch team for the friendly against Portugal on August 14, 2013./

      > Paul Verhaegh is now also captain of Augsburg and he is 29 years and 10 months old (10927 days old). He plays primarily right back. As van Rhijn and Janmaat are options on the right, this could as well be a “signal” from Louis. That having said, van Rhijn has not played optimal for Ajax in recent time.

        1. To be honest he was off my radar, though I bumped into him when I was surfing on Transfermarkt some time ago. I remember myself wondering about him, but did not follow up with looking at his gameplay at Augsburg.

          I’m not sure what to make of it. Van der Hoorn was also in the preliminary squad and he was pretty bad for us in the U21. That having said, this guy is experienced and a captain of a Bundesliga team. I rather invest time and energy in elite talents, but apart from van Rhijn and Janmaat we don’t have that much on the right side. So, yeah, I would like to see what this guy has to offer us. However I remain realistic in what he could bring even in the best situation. That means a moderate contribution should already be defined as success IMO.

          Cheers

  26. * Joris Mathijsen (Feyenoord)???
    * Paul Verhaegh (FC Augsburg)??????
    * Dirk Kuijt (Fenerbahçe)???
    * Ruben Schaken (Feyenoord)?
    * Ricky van Wolfswinkel (Norwich City).?

  28. Maybe Van Gaal wants to test his RB options against Ronaldo?

    I’m glad LvG dropped Sneijder and I hope this is a wake up call for him.

    I also would like to Ricky finally featuring in a game for Oranje.

  29. Interesting choices….

    Wes is on fire for Gala now but I am guessing LVG wants to let him build his position in the Gala squad. LVG is smart enough to motivate Sneijder like this.

    Mathijsen I can imagine. You need some seniority in the mix. Mathijsen can be of importance in the dressing room.

    Verhaegh I have NO clue :-).

    Kuyt is a bit of a question mark for me.

  30. Marwijk is using this match to expose some players n permanently put them outta the equation in a way that they r encouraged to publicly announce their retirement…no other reason for such a weird selection

  31. Thanks DRB300 for the selection. Only Maher from PSV. PSV young players need to prove first before LVG calls them. If Feyenoord and PSV can keep these young Dutch players together for another 2-3 years, these 2 clubs will be the backbone for Dutch NT.
    @Bitterballen: IMO Netherlands is one of 6 teams who has the best chance to win (Spain, Germany, Brazil, Argentine, Italy, NT at #6). From watching Uruguay at Confed cup I think Cavani can carry Uruguay but they are like Portugal or England who may slip and fail to qualify.
    From the selected squad for Portugal (which I feel 60% will make it to Brazil) I am a bit disappointed that no new CB is tested. It is the position that I am most nervous about for this team. What I like most about this team is that most are young, fit, energetic, strong drive to win (as most of them have not won anything), perhaps easy for LVG to “mold” them. What I do not like is the lack of experiences (of most, only 6 from WC2010) and the intangibles (clinical finish to put team away, ability to come back from behind, hostile crowds, how to play against the other top 5 teams in the world, team that tries to get under your skin (see Netherlands-Portugal match in 2006))…
    I hope that from now till the WC LVG and his coaching squad will find out the strategy to win the WC. The friendly schedule looks good as we can play quality team.
    Last, perhaps Sneijder needs to be dropped from NT (like Robben to the bench at Bayern CL) as he needs to find the motivation and fitness to win again.

  32. ————Vorm—————–
    Janmaat—–Vlaar—-Joris—-Blind
    ————Deguzman————-
    —–Vaart————–Stroot—–
    kuyt————————-Roben
    ———Persie—————–
    I want to see this line up against portugal.let us see how good they are…..

  33. Why is everyone complaining about lack of experience. There are six players from WC2010 – That is pretty damn good.

    Everyone was crying out for LvG to experiment – when he does, now everyone is complaining about him not giving people with “experience” a chance.

    LvG has been experimenting and in all honesty, I don’t experimenting anymore or any less is beneficial. He needs his key players to play enough games together before the WC. The back four is a KEY component. Even if we don’t have the best back four in the world, a good understanding between them and teamwork can do miracles.

    @Jan – Sneijder scored two dazzlers for Gala, that doesn’t mean he is playing well or is on fire. It just means he can hit long range shots with accuracy. That fact no one denies, it’s his work rate, passing, speed and stamina – they all suck.

    Only thing I am not sure about is Goal Keepers, neither one of the three is world class. I can understand LvG not calling Stekelenberg because he just moved to Fulham, but isn’t Krul back from injury?

    1. agreed about Sneijder, I think that his major highlight was only those 2 long-ranged strike. apart from that, I couldn’t find video/highlight about his overall gameplay. so I may assume that he’s still way behind the other AMF. only assumption.

      still too early for Krul, I believe. it’s a dislocated shoulder, right? I think he still hasn’t got adequate match fitness with Newcastle (again, I don’t follow Newcastle’s games, so…).

      again, you may disagree with me, that’s just my opinion. 🙂

      1. Mode Paul/dalaw etc. on

        Keep this for yourself.
        You just take one element without considering the scientifical background of the analysis.
        Even worse, you neglect the relativization aspect of the fact.
        Your opinions are amateur craps, that’s what it is.

        Mode Paul/dalaw etc. off

  34. I am actually hoping to see Karim Rekik, Nathan Ake, Alex Buttner.
    Ruben Schaken seems to have a place in LVG heart..but i rem him not impressing in the friendly against Germany. Failed to trouble Lahm in that game.
    Kuyt also seems to be always favoured..possibly for his workrate and attitude.
    Ron Vlaar isn’t the ball playing defender I prefer, he is also kinda slow and will be owned by speedy player like Ronaldo.

    I really want Wesley in the team to WC. I believed he will go eventually. 🙂

    1. @YC: Wanting him to go – I think we all want to see Sneijder captaining the team in the WC. Unfortunately, if he can’t bring his 2010 form back, he shouldn’t deserve a spot on the 2014 roster.

      I think Maher was great when he played behind RvP, that was the best I’ve seen CAM and CF play together in an Oranje outfit since Bergkamp and Kluivert.

    1. That’s actually some pretty good stuff. I love it that LVG will bring a guy into the mix. Agree with the comment above re experimentation- van Marwijk didn’t do nearly enough, so I’m glad to see it now, no doubt. If you look at some of the guys from past teams (as in Jan’s recent posts), you can see how the best method is to meld the perfect team, not just out together a roster of the most accomplished or most well known player for each spot on the pitch. We may need a few farmers, mailmen, or 15th place right backs to find the right blend (or at least motivate the other players vying for positions).

    3. Nice clip, he plays with his head up and can give short and long passes, he also likes to get forward which is great for total football!
      Lets hope he gets a go.

  36. Krul is dropped due to fitness. Give him some times.
    @SamNY: I like LVG’s decision to bring more young players and experiment when he first takes the coaching job. Look at the team, our experienced players is heavily front loaded at forwards (RVP, Robben, Hunter, Kuyt), a bit thin in midfield (if you count VDV or Sneijder or Strootman) and the back (if you count Vlaar and Mathijsen). Look at the past, NT did well (semi final, final, win) in a tournament when they have more mature players (88, 92, 2000, 2010). With a younger squad, we showed a flash (06, 08) but cannot keep up the consistent performance or improve it as progressing. The only positive I have is that LVG has won CL with the relative young Ajax squad and I hope he can bring this magic. I am not complaining that we should bring more experienced players. I am happy with the direction the team is. It is just my expectation that I would like to see this team win the WC in 2014, not semi-final or quarter-final and crashed out and saying that we are planning for 2016 Euro or 2018 WC. There are not many team is capable to win the WC before (Brazil, Argentine, Germany, Italy are pretty much favourites every four years), only Spain and France are managed to break this dominance 2 out of the last 4 and I do not see other countries can besides the 6 teams I mentioned above (Brazil, Argentine, Spain, Germany, Italy and Netherlands). Netherlands is certainly capable and I do not buy into other dark horses like Columbia, Portugal or Belgium. I am hoping that these players have a very good season coming up, healthy and peak their perfomance in Brazil.

    1. We also had very mature players in 2012 – look where that got us. I can’t remember a tournament where Holland didn’t make it out of the group stage at least.

      I think what LvG is doing is the right thing. Players that consistently play with their teams, get a chance to play with Oranje.

      Yes we are more experienced upfront but I think that’s natural. Point to me 5 players better than RvP & Hunter at CF position in the world. Also point to me anyone in Holland that is a super talent as CF that LvG didn’t give him a chance. Same thing for Robben goes.

      I think Nigel De Jong can still add value and honestly, I don’t mind seeing him in defence next to BMI.

      Here’s how I see the defence

      ——— Krul ———
      Janmaat – NDJ – BMI – Blind

  37. @van Fadly: thanks for the video.

    A right back as captain? that says something about him. I liked his style in the video and he seems like the player LVG likes in his system. Hard pressure and good when attacking.

  38. To those who are not familiar with Verhaegh. He was the key for Augsburg staying in Bundesliga for the last two years. Last year he suffered from a long term injury but when he came back he was the key and gave out two assists. A true leader in a weak Bundesliga team. He had been invited to the Netherland B squad before. He also can play LB, so he might be the sub for Blind since except for Indi there is no pure LB in the squad.

  41. For defense I will start these 4: Janmaat de Vrij BMI Blind. They need to be tested with better quality team like Portugal than those in qualifications. I do not see any reason to start Mathijsen or Vlaar. LVG seems to be set with de Vrij, BMI, Mathijsen and Vlaar for CB for now. Any other CB needs to shine when the new season begins in order for LVG to call up (Bruma, Douglas although long shot…). I also would start Maher over VDV, hopefully giving him more confidence and a chance to shine.

  42. This is a team that leaks goal from u21 + janmaat and de guzman and more experience forwards, against portugal we expect goals at two ends, in particular if midfield are strootman and maher instead of vaart.

  44. you guys give LVG way too much credit. the guys SUCKS. here is why:

    1) Schaken/Verhaegh/Mathijsen/Kuyt in a FRIENDLY against portugal. seriously?? this is the perfect chance to test newer more energetic players and mix them with refined veterans.

    2) Dropping Sneijder when he is on a tear

    3) Saying we have NO CHANCE to win the WC

    4) Choosing Cillessen over Zoet

    The guy sucks

    2. Ans-
      1-he should play with all veterens against portugal and showthem are they really worth the spot.he should have selected wesly and De jong too.
      2-Wesly got lucky to get dropped or else he would have been gone under further criticism.
      3-We have no chance of winning-thats so true when we have kuyt,schaken,joris,Vlaar,Johny,Wesly,?Vaart?.Persie as striker and blind as slow left back.
      4-No comment over cillessen let us see.
      The guy sucks–Ans not yet sucked but will suck if he stick on some tested failures..

    3. I wholeheartedly agree…van Gaal will be our undoing. He wants to show the world that he is the brains, he is the one that wins games. His unorthodox style only shows what an attention seeker he is.
      He is no master trainer….he lives on the memory of 90s Ajax but that was a golden generation of players – not some superstar trainer….

      To allow van Persie to become Oranje captain when he (van Gaal) should show confidence in Oranjes leader (Wes) is awful leadership by the trainer. Sneijder is the best player Holland has produced in a decade. He rarely cracks under pressure and singlehandedly won a CL and almost won us a WK.

      How easy you all forget he was joint leading scorer in WK2010 and our best player in the ill-fated Euros last year….

  45. First there is now a second paul. I am now Paul usa…I am not aggressive etc. I am the original paul.

    Second. Strootman had a goal and assist tonight against MLS allstars. Looked good.

    1. I’m sorry your username has been hijacked. With the latest van Gaal selection you might also be interested in starting to add Verhaegh to it: Paul Verhaegh 🙂

  46. unpopular decisions by LVG, but its not the first time, stars being left by coach if they are not fit or try hard enough. The same patern here if players fail to secure regular spot with respective clubs eventhough its a top club in top league:
    emanuelson, anita, elia, buttner, van der wiel, affelay.

    Do young think the spot that LVG working on now is RB/LB, because he has actively tried out nelom, tiendalli, pieters and now verhaegh?

      1. Don’t get me wrong, I rate his skill quite high but not his game, I dont see LVG call him if he cannot raise his perfomance to the peak. Based on his 2.5 seasons in Italy/ England, he played around 60 games scored 6, as attacking mid/wing he needs to play over 30 games/ season and score at least 10 per seasons to be recognised by LVG. One thing I noted, he sometime play RW with Milan, but LVG rates domestic schacken higher than him.

        1. @Jake Urby is pretty good when it comes to team play and championship,very good hardworker like kuyt and he has won U21 and he was in the tournament team.he plays for milan and he was not bad whenver he played same was his case with fulham.he is not bad or worse than many slected players of dutch NT.Schaken is a player with golden attitude with some speed and skill,But is mediocre at his best.You schken is playing for feynoord and Urby is playing for Milan,that says a lot….cheers..

  47. I really wish Vaart,persie,Roben,Vlaar,Joris,kuyt plays together as starters and the fans will realise th truth about them,orange will be slow,will not be creating much chances and will be conceding some goals.
    @LVG plz play them all and show that they cant bring WC.if u play them with kids they wont exposed much.
    @kuyt will u plase learne from Jaap stam or even Overmars or bergkamp????U r a greedy player.u wont win anything and u wont allow others to win anything.

  52. @LVG play the odler boys alone.and expose their weakness.
    dont play any single hardworking,brllliant,skilled youngser with them.if u do that the seniors will escape.
    We want to see the proficaincy of kuyt as striker.Joris and Vlaar as CBs,Vaart Wesly in midfeild,Huntlaar and scahekn also should be given chance to prove.
    ———Huntlaar————–
    Kuyt—————–schaken—-
    ——Vaart—-Wesly———–
    Blind—————–Vergheh
    ——-Joris–Vlaar———-
    ——–Vermeer———–

  53. AT PRESENT
    Reikik seems better than Joris
    Bruma seems better than Vlaar
    wijnaldum seems better than kuyt,schaken etc
    Seim dong seems better than hunter and Ricky wolf.
    Maher seems better than wesly and vaart( mean moreuseful for team balance).
    where is leory fer????

  54. http://youtu.be/ngQtwknohJg

    Strootman was MOTM in this game according to what i read ” i didn’t watch the game ” , but I read the comments in a AS Roma fans forum and they all hail praise on him. Strootman scored the first goal , assisted the third and was involved alsi in the second. I hope he keeps this form with Roma snd Oranje 🙂 .

  55. what will be the strogest and effcetive 11 as of now.
    ————-Persie——————–
    Roben———————-Wijnaldum—
    —–Strootman——-Vanginkel———
    —————De guzman—————-
    Peiters————————-Janmaat-
    ———–BMI—-Bruma—————–
    ————-Vermeer———————
    ============================================onbench
    —————Siem Dejong—————–
    Ola john/Urby————————Jermain lenz
    ———-Leoryfer/Clasie—-Maher/Clasie——-
    —————-Clasie/Nijel—————-
    Blind——————————Van rhijn
    ————Reikik—Devrij——————
    —————Steke/vorm———————

  59. I saw Strootman – he showed his true color. He was a man on a mission. Frankly I was more impressed by him in the attacking half than in the defending one though.

    Playing alongside Totti will be good for him.

  60. I’ve come to the conclusion that we will never agree with what our coach is doing lol 😛

    Overall LVG is doing a fine job. He is taking some pressure away from Sneijder letting him focus on getting back to top form and then he’ll call him back.

    Also he’s calling a new RB who seems like the real deal!!! the little I watched him on that video really impressed me!.

    Some of you have always criticized Kuyt so much but he has done much more for the NT than Vaart who has only scored one goal in a game where we lost against Portugal. I agree, Kuyt is not the same as a few years back but he still has that fighting spirit which is contagious 😉

    Now the punching bag is Strootman he seems to have lost all sympathy but he is great!!!. He will be the leader during the WC and Roma is building a great team actually.

    2. Do you want to sacrifice Wijnaldhino or seim dejong or Maher for him for just fighting spirit>>>??thats purly sin brother.i can take kuyt over ELia kind of players.but considering WIjnalum,Seim and Maher they are awesome team players with enough productivity.
      Common bro liverpool doesnt win anything and fenerbache is schooled by young PSV..kuyt,vaart,wesly,Roben,persie all got 4 major tournaments undertheir belt.if they coundnt do it in their prime how are they goin to win this time together???,NO chance at all so according to current form take RVP and Roben and mis them with experienced younger ones.SO then at least u have a chance to fight.other wise no hope..

      1. Tiju, please stop this constant sneijder bashing. it’s really boring and unaccaptable. he’s an all time oranje hero. you did the same with kuyt,you do it now with wesley. yes,he had two bad seasons,but he has the dna of the dutch national team,he’s a natural born oranje player,a real strategist. i’m sure for the world cup he’ll be back to his best level. but even at 60-70 percent he performs better and is more useful than all these 20-21 year old kids. a world cup is not a u21 or u23 tournament.
        one more thing:no one commits here any sin with proposals and opinions.
        btw,please tell me about rvp’s best world cup and ec moments? i like the guy ,he’s a fantastic player,but in the national team he’s far less effective than in his clubs. is it sneijder’s mistake? not at all. oranje need both of them.
        you’re talking about experienced youngsters… how many cl etc. games have these experienced youngsters played so far?
        real footbal is something different and more than youtube clips

        1. Buddy i didnt bash wesly.i am worried about the heat in brazil and its going to be hard for all senior players.ATM only Roben and RVP are fit enought to play in that condition to some extend even they will have trouble.Personally i like vaart than wesly.Fit wesly and vaart should be picked against the these youngsters but that seems like a gamble now ,coz of their physical conditon.Hasnt u seen th thrashing of barca?hasnt u seen thrashing of Spain.??i think barca and spain got affected by age factor.thats th reason not the lack of class.buddy orange will be humiliated against big contender teams in brazil.As a fan i do doubt RVP in a knock out match.i dont want RVP as striker in any of the knock out match.We have 2 effective secret strikers that are Lenz and Seim,they should be used in those krunch matches and RVP can play a wesly role in 2014.i knew the thrashing coming in EUro12.i dont want a repetition in brazil.
          i can assure u a 3-0/1 and ugly football against any top teams if we play thing s wont be differnt when u have subs like Elia,Afellay on bench
          —————RVP————-
          Roben———-Wesly——-kuyt
          ——-Vaart—-Nijel———-
          Blind——————-Weil
          ——joris—Johny————
          ———–Stekelenburg———

        2. how many games pele played in 1958?
          how many CL’s played by Grosso in 2006?
          howmnay cl’s played by matarazi in 2006?
          Hoamny cl’s played by Jesusnavas in 2010?
          Howmany cl’s won by players of greece team 2004?.
          its all selecting right players and using right tactics at right time.LVG is a better tactian than me.am sure he is very wrong at some slections i mean.he always select 2/3 wrong guys in every selection.

  62. Agree with the others. Strootman was very good last night; he was everywhere, strong, energetic, offensive-minded. It was a friendly of course…but still.

  63. I saw 3 games yesterday, the audi cup ac milan vs manchester city 5-3 game with nigel de jong, the audi cup bayern vs sao paolo, and mls all stars vs as roma.

    Nigel de jong played slow and tired looking, although when on the wings one on one with someone they didn’t get past him. Bad game

    (I’m watching emanuelson now audi cup)

    I saw robben, he was wasteful but balling, he truly if it wasn’t for injuries, be as big if not bigger than ronaldo and messi.

    Strootman sucked!!!! As roma and ac milan play annoyingly narrow. Let me explain, strootman did score a goal on a deep run exposing a high line, he then stole the ball, passed it down the line who had blonde as roma guy cross to guy who hit a goal, then the 3rd goal, he made a run passed the ball back to roma for a goal. His runs into the box were dangerous always. But as a defender and passer he was garbage. He even got dribbled past. Although later he handled landon donovan and made him go to the other side. It was bad, he would get the ball and get it stolen from him. I don’t know if it was because he knew his team for less than a week or the fact that they are narrow and have no outlet for him.

    If any of you watch the italian league or italian teams you know the prevalence of the 4-3-1-2 or 4-4-2 diamond formation.I hate the formation because its narrow, relies solely on the left and right backs to provide width, sometimes the trequarista totti would go wide and it would then be off balanced.
    ——FW——FW———
    ———-10————-
    —-BM—-DLPM—-BM—–
    LB—–CB—–CB——-RB

    In this scenario strootman was the BM=box to box midfielder, and the middle guy is DLPM (deep lying playmaker) its too narrow and unbalanced, I was hoping when he went to roma they would play 4-3-3 with wingers because as roma last year claimed to want to be the barcelona of italy. So I was ok with strootmans move, now I’m worried, its too narrow, the good is that strootman will have to learn to dribble his way out, but any hopes of him speeding up his passing is gone.

    1. @Laurent, I disagree. Players play a different formation, style, or setup from their national teams. Just because Strootman is playing 4-3-1-2 or whatever formation the coach favors, doesn’t mean his development is automatically stunted in the areas you mentioned. It all depends on a player’s ability and desire to improve the weak parts of his game.

    1. Tiju just one thing I don’t get. Why you seem to like Maher so much but not Afellay. Afellay is currently better than Maher on almost everything.

      Maher is very young and can develop himself but currently I don’t consider him as a real material, even if his game against Italy was good.

      1. @laurent…When i see Maher and Afellay..Maher’s finalpass or passes are better for team play.i do like th speed and skills of Afellay.he is pretty poor in final product though maher doesnt score he create some supe rchances for team and scores at times(that Ibi also does).i know that both are mentally weak since Vaart and wesly cannt play 60 minute like a tiger,i dont see Afellay as efficient replacement.Also he dribble and dribbles and finally wasting time and not giving timly passess.IBI kills many movements by his little brain,Maher seems better in that though he is 19.But some what maher corporates with team well.i thinka Maher is the best option we have got now IMO.

          1. Age is matters for some players.unfortunatly it is taking a tall on Welsy and Vaart,Johnny,joris etc.may be nijel also will get that syndrome.they are became static,this will affect the flow of th game would be creating less chances.so would be inviting defeat against a strong team.but that is not the case against weakteams like china,hungary etc.

          2. That’s what we call a joke, Tiju. You’ve posted some version of ‘Wesly/Vaart unfit/old/slow’ no less than a thousand times, so I’m pretty clear how you feel about them.

            What’s your opinion on Kuyt? Afellay?

        2. Afellay didn’t get chances enough as OM or CM with NT. Under Van Marwijk he was always used as LW, had some really good games and some less good. What disturbs me a bit for him as a winger is his cross quality. Globally average. Especially his crosses “on the ground” which almost never are dangerous. It’s like he uses speed in 1vs1, keeping looking at the ball, and crosses without even looking where the ball is going…

          But as CM or OM he can be interesting, he is the only one dutch player who can play bring percussion with the ball on the midfield. He is definitly better than Maher about running with the ball.

  67. I was watching Vitesse today against Petrolul, the romanians were honestly better. Vitesse was happy to score thanks to a very generous penalty.

    Vitesse should win home, but I don’t rate them too high if their team stays like that, they need to bring two “real” replacing players for Van Ginkel and Bony.

  68. Verheagh is a good player. I have watched him for yrs in the BUndesliga. I am very surprised that so many of you guys do not remember him from VItesse or when he was heavily linked wih PSV few seasons ago prior to Manolev’s joining.

      1. Yes he was VItesse’ captain and good one too.

        On a different note, why is J CIllesen still being selected ahead of other guys that are starting for their clubs and doing a decent job? Zoet, Mulder, Velthuzien etc.

        Also, what does V GaL has against P Van Aanholt?

  69. I agree that Van Gaal has gone with the players who have been consistently playing for their clubs. I think it will take more playing time for Bruma, Rekik to get a shot at the NT,well the good news that they will definetly do that at PSV in the upcoming season and also if they qualify for CL. For me, if you look at Rekik , he was loaned out to Portsmouth (8 appearences) , Blackburn( 5 appearences) and and played few games for Man City (3 appearences) and as for Bruma he was loaned out to Leicester City (11 appearances ),Hamburger SV (40 apperances) and Chelesa (4 appearences). I mean this guys are not virgins , EPL is arguable one of the best and the toughest leagues , I don’t think experience and consistence is a issue here. To be Honest Vlaar and Joris, thats ridiculous man.
    De Brij and BMI , that’s fine with me , they need exposure to high intensity games especially with lethal strikers. Kuyt, I don’t know, he is hardworking but he just the kills the flow of the game , instead of going in front, he starts to go back. (jus watch the WC 2010 and see how the flow of the game changes when he is subbed with Elia). With due respect I think its time for him to go. I jus don’t know what Van Gaal is holding him on or it is jus his stubbornness . Wijnaldum is a far more better option than him in every aspect.
    I think Van Gaal should start working with a set of players, but I think he will keep his door open late till around when the 2013 – 2014 season is about to end.
    I think the next Friendly is with France on Feb 5th 2014, and by then there will more players for van gaal to consider based on their performances.
    Against Portgual I think Van Gaal will start with this formation
    Vorm /Kenneth Vermeer

    Verhaegh -De Vrij -BMI – Blind

    Van Ginkle – Van der Vart – De jong

    Lens – RVP -Robben
    Sub:
    Verhaegh – Jammant
    Van der Vart – Maher
    De jong -Strootman
    Van Ginkle –Calssie
    RVP –Huntelaar

    3. I hope this will be our line up in Brazil ,

      Krul

      Janmaat ___ De vrij ___ BMI ____ Willems

      ______Van ginkel ____Strootman ______
      _____________ Sneijder _____________

      Robben_______ persie ________ Depay

      Well , it all depends on how all these players will perform this season 🙂 , but this line-up looks pretty balanced to me.

      Subs.

      Stek , vermeer , vorm , zoet “the best 2 of them”

      Verhaege ? Weil ? Rijn ? ” one of them”

      Bruma , rekik ” both of them ”

      Blind or pieters

      In midfeild we really have plenty of options , n de jong , s de jong , maher , de guzman, clasie , de vilhena , schaars , Wijnaldum , van der vaart , Afellay … etc

      Upfront , Huntelaar is a must in the squad for me , even if not a starter.

      On the wings we also have many options ; Lens , Narsingh , Boetius ,
      Elia , John , Wijnaldum and Afellay can also be wingers , Schaken , etc ..

      Most of them are in bad form tbh ..

  70. I jus wanna say another thing on videos which is posted on blog especially the tributes, its always better to analyze the overall game rather than seeing the cut and past videos of classically moments. its like watching the (trailer) of a movie.

    1. Clasie is probably the smartest dutch player in this gen. He is one of the few dutch players I think who are capable of playing for Bracelona as starters in the next few years ” better than bosquets ” .
      Great build up quality , great pass accuracy and great ability to make clean tackles .
      Strootman is a better leader in the midfield , better lungs and better physically.
      I think Oranje is blessed with them both in the squad.

    2. Van Ginkel and Strootman are the ideal son in laws. Clasie, Vilhena and Maher are the passers on their respective position. Van Gaal is a build up junkie and wants that to be in order. Look at his face talking about Clasie after the Italy game. His words: “Clasie played almost the perfect game”. Well in that game Clasie had 0 ball loss. A 100% passing completion rate. That is what van Gaal loves. On top of that, Clasie brings creativity. In van Gaals opinion you need at least 4 creative players in your team. If that already starts with a DM, then that is a big plus.

      However in van Gaal’s system (from what I understand from it), Clasie and Strootman do not compete really. We Saw Stroot for 40 minutes in DM against Turkey, but he fulfills the runner/connecter role. It’s really van Ginkel vs Stroot vs Fer vs Afellay for that role, and then Nigel vs de Guzman vs Clasie for the more holding role I think. It’s not set in stone, but more or less these are the competing couples. For the passer role it’s Sneijder vs Vaart vs Maher.

      The problem with van Gaal is that he radiates an aura that makes you think he is very principal and strict to his own words, but he is not really that. I am pretty sure I have seen a quote him saying Kuyt is not a winger, while I think he already has played some minutes in Orange on the wing.

      On s side not, I am amazed how people are bashing van Gaal for calling up Paul. Van Gaal’s team is the best in European qualification. Was I the only one worrying about making qualification for the WC after that Euro in the first place? I thought Turkey would give us a run for our money. It’s all going very well. Hell, I even enjoyed the football against Italy.

  72. I don’t understand why Twente doesn’t bring Joshua John back. He was on loan this year with Nordsjaelland and was one of the best dutch player in CL, playing always good against Chelsea, Juventus and Shakhtar.

    In 1vs1 situation he is one of the best dutch winger, he really gave hard times to Srna, Ivanovic…

    Apparently he would move to Copenhaguen, he would get a new chance to show himself in champions league.

    1. Me too, especially in the second half before being substituted. controlled the midfield quite well, had a few terrific first touch passes under extreme pressure and broke a few dangerous counter-attacks. And has a great work ethic.

  74. I am a bit excited about Rekik. Just can’t wait for the next PSV game. If he could develop into a complete defender (eating attackers for breakfast and taking care of build up), I would be over the moon.

  77. saw some responses about Kuyt. honestly I think he is one of those subs that wouldn’t make it to the pitch on a competitive game. He brings the never die attitude to the dressing room and the work-out-hard, never-say-die to training sessions. You need that when you bring newer, younger talent.

    I don’t think he will make it to Brazil, but during this transition period, you need a player like that. The only way I see him making it to brazil is when the likes of Sneijder & Van Der Vaart who are natural leaders with good technical skills continue to underperform/be injured.

    1. Agree.

      van Gaal also jumped to Kuyt’s defense when journalists questioned his place in the selection. Where van Marwijk’s theme for his reign was “acceptance” and “reaching your personal level in each game”, van Gaal’s central theme is “being fit”. Kuyt is all about being fit, working hard, leaving everything on the pitch. Now wonder he keeps him close.

  78. @DRB, I saw the Chelsea match. Van Ginkel was very good. Played a little further back than with Vitesse. Covered well and ran for the 70 or so minutes he played, made good choices with and without the ball, made some excellent short quick passes in his own end when under pressure releasing others up field, and the few times he came forward, he did so with ideas. He looked like he absolutely belonged.

  79. I haven’t seen Van Ginkel play yet but what I’m hearing is music to my ears – my concern with ALL dutch players that play in England is the same. The league is too long. There is no winter break. And players get tackled pretty hard.

    No wonder the English NT doesn’t make it anywhere in any major league.

  82. Great to read about Van Ginkel!.

    Van Ginkel and Strootman will grow so much this year. I’d love to see them playing alongside Sneijder.

    1. I haven’t watched Boilsen till now actually Jeff , but anyway I agree. Blind has to improve himself a lot this season or he will lose his place even in Oranje squad. I trust his qualities but he has to work on them.

  87. this made the front of soccernet!!! wanted to share with all my buddies here…

    http://espnfc.com/?cc=5901

    Dueling Dutchmen
    The Eredivisie has an air of excitement with new PSV boss Phillip Cocu aiming to topple old friend Frank de Boer’s Ajax

    ALSO, what is the FANTASY LEAGUE CODE????

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