Dutch football cameo for Euro 2016

It is quite annoying to take too long to write posts. Before you know it, things change and Louis van Gaal is out. Propper is staying with his pregnant girlfriend and Steven Berghuis is in…. Read on… This is the time when Oranje fans dust off their orange gear… Wigs, hats, trumpets, jerseys, sun glasses, flags… But not this time around. Most Oranje fans are still debating whether to support Belgium, England or even forfeit the whole bloody thing and focus on Max Verstappen! With the EPL and the Eredivisie coming to an end (almost done… FA Cup Final just behind us, relegation / promotion play offs and EL play offs finishing soon, Copa del Rey in Spain (not that we have any players in that)) and of course… the Euro 2016 warm up games! Sadly, we are the sparring partner. Nothing more. Playing nations that do go. With players keen to prove something to their coaches. So it will at least be competitive. LVG out

Louis through the exit

Let’s look at the finish of the season, here and in England (and Italy and Germany, but otherwise there are not a lot of Dutch world beaters active). So Ajax lost it in the last game. No Bazoer in the starting line up. Something is up between him and Frank de Boer. The team choked, it was playing lethargic and nervous. The 1-0 seemed to calm everyone down, but when De Graafschap equalised (horrible back tracking by Ajax), the team choked. Young Czech talent Cerny did have a sensational open chance at 1-0 and if he scored that, Ajax probably would have snapped up the title. Frank de Boer had some erratic subs at 1-1 and took of top scorer Milik, resulting in El Ghazi playing striker, who made a mess of it. PSV played like we’ve seen them before. In the CL for instance, and mostly in the competition as well. Cocu said it weeks ago already: “If we win every game, we’ll get the title” and he was right. Good stuff, as PSV can now look forward to millions from the CL and maybe try sign Ziyech and Vilhena…. bosz ajax

Peter Bosz back in Holland   Things at Ajax aren’t looking great at the moment. Frank de Boer will go. Peter Bosz (ex-Feyenoord, ex-Vitesse, now at Maccabi Tel Aviv) will come in. Dennis Bergkamp will probably never leave and Hennie Spijkerman will stay on as well. Both assistant coaches clashed seriously with Orlando Trustful, the former Ajax and Feyenoord playmaker who was added to the staff by Frank de Boer. The former international worked at the KNVB for a spell and brought his modern vision of coaching to the mix. Frank de Boer adores Trustful and already said he’ll take him with him to his next adventure. This will probably ease the pressure. Ajax might miss out on millions if they don’t qualify for the CL and the team needs a shot in the arm, as Younes, El Ghazi, Van der Hoorn, Gudelj and Fisher seemed to have peaked. Youngsters like Bazoer, Tete and Riedewald will be definite future stars but the team misses leaders and creative players. Klaassen, who took the leadership role in the beginning of the season, also faded away at the end of the season. Milik might have a good Euros and Ajax might sell him with a profit, to get Huntelaar back in as the striker. willems   PSV will most likely see Narsingh leave, while Willems could be on his way out to, if PSV wants to make some money before he leaves transfer free. Marco van Ginkel’s future is still in the hands of Chelsea and apparently there is a lot of interest in Jeffrey Bruma. Feyenoord had an ok season. Great for them to win the National Cup but their Eredivisie campaign was disappointing with then dropping points in 7 games in a row. Next season, Gio and his lads will get European League group football which is excellent. With players like Kuyt, Elia, El Ahmadi, Karsdorp and Kongolo in the mix, the frame of the team is solid. Vilhena even stated that he actually might be convinced to stay. Ziyech and Vincent Janssen might be good additions for Feyenoord in order to go for the title, but does Feyenoord have the 15mio or more to spend? Probably not. I can see Ziyech play a bit longer in the Eredivisie, with PSV or Ajax, but Janssen will most likely move to the Bundesliga. FC Utrecht and AZ impressed with their run this season and good things might come in the future. Ramselaar, Letschert and Barazite caught the eye, as did AZ’s Joris van Overeem. Ron Vlaar will sign on for two more seasons with AZ and small clubs like Heracles and NEC impressed with Bel Hassani the key man for Heracles (potential target for Feyenoord) and Foor and Santos (sadly not Dutch) impressing for NEC. In England, Van Gaal missed out on CL football with Man United, which is quite a disappointment after a weird season altogether. Small time Leicester snatching the title and Spurs almost finishing second put pressure on Arsenal and City, while United and Chelsea took the brunt. Daley Blind can look back on a very decent season, while Memphis underperformed. Good news of course, is the arrival of Timothy Tofu-Mensah. He was dropped from the Oranje squad by Blind, however, due to fitness issues. memhpis tofu

Memphis and Timothy Fosu Mensah  

Man U did win the FA Cup after many years. A good performance by Man United.  Winning the FA Cup didn’t keep Louis in his job though. Missing the CL qualifications and the disgruntled fans made the board decide to release Van Gaal, with Mourinho coming in. Van Gaal is now holidaying in Portugal but has already said he won’t go for the KNVB job. The Technical director job is too boring for him. He doesn’t want to coach a club per se, but might. But taking a national team to the World Cup, that is definitely on his radar… Two notable Red Devil legends opposed. Ryan Giggs doesn’t see it in The Annoying One and will most likely turn his back on the club. Louis wanted Giggs to take over and I think Ryan one day will. Eric Cantona also doesn’t believe in Mourinho: “I think Mourinho is an excellent coach, but not for Man United. His playing philosophy is even worse than Van Gaal’s. The big mistake of Man United is that they didn’t go for Pep Guardiola. The football son of Cruyff, who is the architect of Modern Football. And now, Pep is going to manage the rivals. Bad situation. Maybe Man United should sign me to take Guardiola on!” koeman

Other notable EPL Dutchies, are Pat van Aanholt who was impressive all season, while Leroy Fer seems to have found his way out of the quagmire. Steven Berghuis had to be happy with a role in Watford 2 but whenever the winger did play for Watford he had something to offer. Nathan Ake developed into a solid EPL player, while some Dutch Toons were highlights in Newcastle’s season, despite their relegation. 11 goals for Wijnaldum, a good run for Anita but a disappointing one for Siem de Jong, while Janmaat missed the games in the business end of the season due to a groin injury. I can imagine these players might wanna stay in Newcastle should Benitez decide to take on the project long term. Jeremain Lens had a couple of highlights this campaign, but was overall disappointing for Sunderland. The Southampton contingent did very well, as did the whole club. Koeman is a sought after coach and Virgil van Dijk made it into the European Team of the Year! Clasie struggled with injuries and is again not with Oranje as a result. But when he played, he did his job thoroughly. Stekelenburg took over from the injured Forster and held himself well. hunter ier   Huntelaar had a hot-cold spell at Schalke and will most likely leave. The Augsburg lads also did a decent job and in Turkey, it was pleasing to note that Robin van Persie is playing close to his usual level, scoring, moving well and enjoying his game. Both Sneijder and Van Persie play the Turkish Cup Final this weekend and as a result, among other reasons, are not with Oranje. Then some more on Oranje. Danny Blind was the guest of Kees Jansma in De Tafel van Kees (Kees’ table). On Oranje’s disastrous campaign “It is devastating not to be there. But we need to move on. Look forward. We can work towards a new team that will get us to the World Cup. In 2014, people thought we were weak and shouldn’t go, but we went and finished 3rd. We finished 2nd in 2010 and had a disastrous Euros in 2012. This is not uncommon for a small football nation. Too many things went wrong in this campaign, but we also have some bad luck. Players like Robben, Vlaar and Strootman are key players for us and we lose quality when those kind of players are not there.” nistel dick   On Blind’s decision to add Dick Advocaat to the Technical Staff: “Ruud van Nistelrooy wants to work regularly with players on the training ground. Where he’s at in his coaching career, that makes sense. Usually the KNVB opts for young up coming coaches to assist the head coach, but as I am myself not overly experienced, I actually wanted to go for a man who has seen it all before. Dick has been at 5 major tournaments and has done so much as club coach as well. Funny, now I am team manager with two former team managers as my assistants. That is pretty unique, I believe.” Whether the KNVB pushed an experienced coach onto him: “No, it was my decision. Bert van Oostveen (KNVB general manager) even had to get used to the idea. I met Dick weeks ago by chance in Manchester and we had a chat and I left with a good feeling about him. There was a click. I gave it some thought and we talked some more. He wouldn’t want the final responsibility anymore but he is a football animal and he wants to work with talent and players still. I think with his passion and focus he can surely add something to the fold. I don’t think ego clashes will be an issue. If I had any ego in this, I wouldn’t have made this decision, would I? And Dick is all about the game, he is like he always was.” blind ier   On the decision to not select Sneijder, Huntelaar and Van Persie? “Both Wes and Robin play the cup final this weekend. I think it’s not that handy to get them to come in for friendlies after that. And to be honest, I know what both players can bring. I am keen to see some others perform on those spots now. Sneijder wasn’t fit in the last weeks, but Robin played very well in the last months and I won’t look at age or anything like that. Whether you’re 35 years old or 18 years old, when you’re good enough, you’re old enough… Huntelaar, similar story. We know what Klaas Jan can do. This time, I won’t use him but want to see the younger lads play. So I rather have him take a nice break and prepare for next season. In September we play a serious qualification match, so I might well need him then.” van_persie_mi_sneijder_miHN   On Ziyech and the role Blind and the KNVB played in that… “Why do we have to talk about that yet again?? This is now 10 months old. I won’t go into it. He was selected for Oranje. Due to an injury he never made his debut. We didn’t select him for the next game coz he played central striker for Twente, and we had Luuk and Klaas Jan and Dost for that role. I told him this. The next thing I know, he decides to play for Morocco. That is his decision. If he wanted to play for Oranje, he could have made contact and ask us about our plans with him. I would have gladly told him. But he made his decision. After playing for Young Oranje and after accepting our first invitation.” On Strootman: “He is a key player for us. I have been in touch with him a lot in the last months. Whenever he feels it’s good to come back, he’s welcome. I have also spoken to the club. As long as we stick to his program for his recovery, he can come and join us and make minutes. I am very keen to bring him in again.” stroot   On the Eredivisie level vs Championship in England: “The Championship is a serious competition. Probably on par with Eredivisie. Different in tactics and physical impact but none the less a serious league and we do follow the players at that level as well. Kieftenbelt (Birmingham), Chery (QPR), Ola John (Reading)… we follow them all and for some players, a stint at that level could be really good. Some EPL clubs rather sign players with Championship experience over Eredivisie experience.” It does seem Strootman can look forward to a starting position in Oranje against Ireland. Memphis, Janssen and Promes play upfront, Wijnaldum and Bazoer alongside Stroot and Willems, Blind, Bruma and Veltman in defense with Cillesen on goal. Most likely. Just to remind you: Ireland is on 27 May, Poland 1 June and Austria on 4th of June. Klaas Jan Huntelaar said in an interview recently that he asked Blind not to be called up. “I will never give up on Oranje. I am not bigger than the national team and if they need me, I’ll come. But it felt like the best thing for now. The young lads can have a go. And asked Blind for some time off and some time to think about my future. But playing for Oranje is always a big honour for me so I hope to be part of the future, still.” berhguis   Steven Berghuis back in a New York minute Steven Berghuis only played 222 minutes for Watford this season, but while on holidays in Manhattan he got the call from team manager Hans Jorritsma. “I never counted on anything anymore. I mean, this season was a disappointment and I thought I was off the radar. Holiday is nice, but playing for Oranje is super. I caught the first plane back and love to be part of it. It’s great to be with the group and to be able to show the coach I’m still here.” Blind called Berghuis after Locadia had to retract injured. “Steven hasn’t played a lot but we followed him and he two impressive turns as a sub. He is fast, has vision and he is a threat. With the fact we are not equiped with many wingers, I’d love to see him up close and personal for a spell.” The little general, Dick Advocaat. Got his nickname as assistant of the General Michels. And now, the experienced former team manager is back in that spot. Assisting Blind… He was not as present for Oranje at practice as he was at Feyenoord. But he will still be the same. “It’s new for me, now. I have to observe a bit and take it all in. But I am always going to be me. And Danny is cool with me expressing me. I think it will be a good trio, Marco, Danny and me… I look forward to helping Oranje going to the World Cup, but after that, I will call it quits.”

118 comments

  1. When I opened this page and saw Jan’s post, I thought perhaps TIJU1234 had already commented several times to this post. You, guys, can not believe how I was surprised to see that I was actually the FIRST one 🙂

    Very nice post, Jan, as usually. I wish Vincent stays in AZ for another season, but one thing is what I wish and another thing is business. I read that Arsenal has a concrete interest in Vincent. I personally do not see why he needs to move to any Eredivisie club such as Ajax, PSV and especially Feyenoord as all the above-mentioned clubs play the same opponents in the Netherlands…Plus, AZ play in Europe next year…

    Anyway, hope Oranje will show good football in coming three friendlies.

    1. Haha too true for Tiju
      Last Jan’s last post, Tiju (just before he called me a hypocrite even though I have defended him and his right to his own (ridiculous) opinion!) told me to mark his words, so I did a quick count and in the 30 days before that he had made about 130 comments and 80 of them were about how much he hates Memphis. That’s 4.3 comments per day, and 2.6 of those about Memphis. Haha
      He can go right ahead but it is hard to ignore all the time with such quantity!

      Anyway I agree on Janssen completely, a little too early to go even to Arsenal who treats young players well. Wenger would probably try to turn him into a winger or something haha
      And further would love for AZ to add a few good players, while keeping him!

      1. Sybe..what u said is true…i want dutch to qualify for WC2018..I dont see with Memphis we would make it.anyways am refraining from Memphis bash and i am tired of that.Anyways LVg sacked Memphis played a keyrole in it.Dutch will watch EC2016 from TV…that Memphis played a keyrole in it…
        So lets wait and see…

    1. My feeling is Tiju doesn’t like some players who not originally come from Netherlands’s land & some players that he think not playing smart on the fields & not good attitude just focus on other stuffs outside football. 🙂

      If you let me say i will tell you kind of player like de Jong, Narsigh, Dost, Locadia are not my favorite not because i hate them just because IMO they cannot improve more and their highest level are just mediocre but i am still appreciated some players that i think they are showing good potential such as Depay, Willem, Ake, TFM, van Dijk, El Ghazi, Kishna. 🙂

      1. “””My feeling is Tiju doesn’t like some players who not originally come from Netherlands’s land & some players that he think not playing smart on the fields & not good attitude just focus on other stuffs outside football. :)””””
        Yes Ruud i like Davids,kluivert,Raijkard,Gullit,Nijel and even hakim zych and Adam maher..Basically i hate players with bad attitude and not so smart on feild…

    2. little mistake,obsession is there but not with Memphis its with dutch football and i want them to see crown a Ec and WC in my life time…

  2. irrespective how people comment on van Dijk, i really appreciate this guy, this is just his first season at Southamton but he’s showed his adaptability very good, and he’s one of best CB in PM i think. He can score, defend, speculate, teamwork, able to give a long & accurate pass to teammate front of him. Fighting & Confidence are also his good point.He’s acting leader role on the field for Southamton, surely he will very soon become a official captain as everyone in team respect & listen to him.

  3. Thanks for the post Jan I’m hoping we can go Win,Win,Win and then relax watching the Euro’s!
    In fact it will be strange watching the games without that knot in the stomach feeling, I’ve decided to barrack for England this time around, I know , England! But they have 5 Spurs in the team so I must be loyal to those lads who gave me a great season this year.
    Who does everyone think will win and why? ( I don’t think England will win).
    My pick is Germany, simply because I think they have the best team in the tournament , strong, smart, fit and experience to get the job done.

    1. Love your positivity even tho you’re a Spurs fan 😉

      I am having a hard time getting behind any other euro team – just hoping for some nice entertaining football and try not to get to bummed at no Oranje…

  4. From what I see Dicks Appointment is another bold sucking move from KNVB.Hello???this is not eredivisie where he has had a sucessful impact working behind the curtains.after watching him throw the towel at Sunderland and Big Sam turning it around for the black cats,I jus don’t know how come the KNVB appointed him and for what.and also is Marco van Basten still there or has he left?.or did I miss something.

    Don’t think neither,Blind nor Advocaat will be able to salavage anything.

    I jus hope Strootman takes it easy and doesnt get rushed in too quickly given the promixty of the three games.dont like the idea of Blind taking the risk with him especially when he has jus made a comeback from injury . Hopefully Blind will not take the risk this time as he did with De Vrij and will give him breaks during the course of this three friendly. He needs to be there in the qualifiers and another setback could be disastrous yet again.

    1. Jurgen Klopp is the type of coach is what NT needs right now especially with the talents available. Looking at what’s happening now I doubt they will go for a foreigner so you can’t expect much.The KNVB will continue to sharpen the knife unless somebody from within is ready to use it. Perhaps when Koeman puts his hands up.till then????

  5. Annholt—–Janssen—–Berghuis
    ——Wijnaldum—Bazoer——-
    ———–Strootman———–
    Williems—————-Tete
    ———Veltman–Bruma——–
    ————Zoet———————-
    would be a hard 11…

  6. Sounds like Strootman will be captain v Ireland, since the usual third choice Blind is probably out with a calf problem that he has been playing with for MU.

    Probable lineup:
    Cillessen
    Veltman – Bruma – van Dijk – Willems
    Strootman – Bazoer – Wijnaldum
    Memphis – Janssen – Promes

  7. Van Basten is still at Oranje. He might have tossed the towel as head coach but he has amazing vision and is good with strikers.

    Ruud van Nistelrooy left for PSV and Advocaat is a good addition. Grit, streetsmarts, mentality, I think Blind can use that.

    Blind has discussed the Strootman situation with AS Roma and promised to stick to Roma’s recovery program for him. I don’t think he’ll take any risks. Why would he? We have nothing to prove now.

    We’re sparring partners and it’s more about bonding than winning. Winning is important in September. Hopefully with a good Sneijder and Van Persie in the team.

    If these two and Robben and Strootman are fit, I think we don’t need to worry.

    I personally rate Berghuis and Propper too and I hope Willems will be back at his usual level.

      1. Berghuis yes Propper no. Propper is another Klaassen for me. Club level exceptional, NT level?.Berghuis was always a consistent performer at AZ but he never got the chance but hopefully he will sieze this opportunity and prove his selection. Expecting to see him in the later stages of the game.

        1. Agree that Klaassen has not been impressive in Oranje, but in his defense he was played out of position.. besides that friendly v Spain over a year ago when he was AM and scored.

          Pröpper has only ever played 33 mins for the NT, I don’t see a point in writing him off.

          Berghuis may be able to add something, we’ll see if he gets his first ever minutes playing with Oranje.

          1. Berghius and Propper never got a chance in NT to prove themsleves…So we cannt write of both…i have a gut feeling both has got brain and elegance..would be great for NT.

    1. @Jan, Re: Sneijder. What do you think is the best set up/formation in the NT to make maximum use of his talents. And who would be the best fits to play with with him in the mf?

  8. @Jan: “Van Basten is still at Oranje. He might have tossed the towel as head coach but he has amazing vision and is good with strikers”

    I personally don’t trust Van Basten anymore since he left Van Nistelrooy on the bench in WC 2006. He also didn’t call Huntelaar for that tournament who had had an amazing season with Ajax.

    I really still don’t forgive him for those stupid decisions. Obviously I love him as player but as coach he is not good but that’s just my opinion.

  9. No CL football for Wesley Sneijder,well if he doesn’t move as UFEA has handed a two year ban to Galatasary for breaching Fair Financial play.

    1. His team finished 6th anyways regardless haha

      Did you watch the Galatasaray Fenerbahce match today? both RvP and Sneijder were subbed off at half.. hopefully not more injuries!

  10. I don’t think RVP should be selected unless he proves him self at CL or EL level and the same goes for Huntelaar. In Hunterlaar case it is different to RVP’s as Bundasliga is far more competitive than Turkish league hence if Huntelaar is consistent he should be called up.As for RVP even if he is consistent in Turkish league ,I don’t think he will on the same par as others in tougher leagues.

  11. Expected Netherlands line-up with Republic of Ireland:

    Cillesse, Veltman, Willems, Bruma, Van Dijk, Bazoer, Strootman, Wijnaldum, Promes, Memphis, Janssen

    – Strootman will be captain in this match, Strootman deserve this 🙂

    1. i did see that i remember those games too,Mitjland,club brugge and other low teams….except goal vs PSV..Messi has skills too,but he schools top defenders and then gets the result…Memphis cannt do that…if you cannt do that you have to compensate it like kuyt did..i mean put immense workrate and be nuisense for opponent..Goals will follow MEmphis….HE IS NOT DOING IT.

      1. He is no Kuyt. You can’t say “Kuyt, play like Messi” and you can’t say “Memphis, play like Kuyt”…

        Memphis has been developed in a country where he could play like this in every game and in any situation.

        now, in the EPL, in this Man U, he couldn’t. He needs to learn to make better decisions and the team needs to learn to play with him and use him properly.

        Maher does it. But Maher does it maybe 3 times in a game and not even every game.

        Memphis still believes he needs to do something special EVERY time he gets the ball. It’s his will to win, his will to dazzle and the pressure of the transfer sum. He needs a good coach to help him. Louis had other issues at some point. Bigger issues.

  12. That’s why player’s side such as Rooney, Sneijder, Robben
    and Coach’s side LVG, Danny Blind, Koeman , all of them appreciate his talent and still waiting one day he can get back his class to become one of the best player in the world.

    1. Virgil Van Dijk is a nonagile defender…he will always be weak in that point..its just bad or fate..when ever he was at NT we have conceded tons of goals..

  13. Quincy Promes is still playing with good form at Russia, He’s second item on the table of top scorer & be one in team of season.

    @P/S i saw some articles on internet now his value become very high 40-50 mils, rarely see this cost from Dutch player. 🙂

  14. we have two talent that were compared to CR7 hopefully one near day can see both of them in form and play for Orange Memphis + EL GHAZI 🙂

  15. Top-15-best-young-dutch-football-talents-2016

    15: Justin Bijlow 00:14
    14: Ricardo Kishna 01:05
    13: Jari Schuurman 01:56
    12: Jerry St. Juste 02:55
    11: Tonny Vilhena ( AC Milan target ) 4:03
    10: Donyell Malen 05:22
    09: Anwar El Ghazi 06:40
    08: Jairo Riedewald 08:58
    07: Timothy Fosu-mensah 10:17
    06: Donny van de Beek 11:54
    05: Jorrit Hendrix 13:31
    04: Kenny Tete 15:51
    03: Steven Bergwijn 17:30
    02: Abdelhak Nouri 19:55
    01: Riechedly Bazoer 22:56

    This is true list some of them have reached senior national team, but i think we can complement to the list with some more names such as bellow:

    – Justin Kluivert(Y Ajax)
    – Mink Peeters (Y Real Marid)
    – Tahith Chong (Feyenoord)
    – Javairô Dilrosun, Rodney Kongolo (Y City)

    1. Yes, @Jan

      But we are not unfortunate, he has made final decision to represent Morocco not Orange :), he has played some matchs for Morocco from 2015

  16. – 2015-16-talent-radar-young-player-rankings: we have some names Kevin Diks, Ake, Hoedt, Janssen noone playing at middle field,it’s quite accurate & reflect reality that this year we are lacking of young talent for this position, another name is Tannane but he has chosen Morocco for his future.:)

    P/S don’t know why Bazoer not in the list

    1. it was oshea who made Virgil like a school boy…as virgil conceded corner,then he failed to oshaea…Cannt trust this guy at back..
      pathetic upfront wijnaldum,promes are really poor..Janssen needs brilliant players arround him which is not there with wijnaldum,promes and Depay…

    1. It seems to me Dutch do not demonstrate any sharpness….With respect to VvD, I do not follow him at EPL, but I saw him playing last friendly games and he was very disappointing…Just my personal observation.

    1. Well obviously it will take him some time to get back to his level best but again as I said early his inclusion jus looks good on the paper.

  17. Blind can not inspire the team. I do not think quality of Dutch players is inferior to Irish, it is just there is no clear leadership in the team….If this does not change, Dutch will continue playing such a dull game…

  18. See this is what I was saying. Look at the midfield. Wijnaldum,Van Ginkel,Bazoer.all are pretty much attack oriented. No natural DM.if it was some other team this game would have been decided by now.

  19. Its the midfield to be honest. I have always being sentimental about this. Breaks downs, possessions, set plays.not chasing ghosts. You need players who can do this.

  20. Based on the patterns of the last three friendlies, Dutch show very boring game and lose in the course of the game, but at the end they manage either to get equalizer or winner…

  21. Not a huge Blind fan. I think he makes some questionable decisions, but this is truly an abysmal group of players. The only player who looked up for it was Strootman. Please stay healthy!

  22. Blind,”The potential with Memphis remains, but he currently lacks confidence and rhythm. For that reason, he has to play a lot simpler.”

  23. For next game I’d like:

    ——————Cillessen——————-

    ——Bruma—-Vlaar—-Dijk—–Willems——

    —–V.Ginkel—–Strootman—-Bazoer———

    ——Berghuis—–Janssen——Aanholt——-

    I know Van Aanholt isn’t a real winger but he has enough speed and it’s a friendly why not try something different?.

    1. Miguel are u serious.you sound like Tiju.agree he has speed but once his momentum stops he is easily disposed. He cannot operate from congested areas.he needs space plus speed that’s when he is very dangerous when going forward. He will jus do descent job on the wings only when he finds space.jus like everyone knows Depay always cuts inside, van Annholt also is predictable going outside as he has weaker right foot The best he will become is become is like kolorov.

      You look at him at Sunderland and El Khazri. Both are at different level when it comes to being a winger and LB and that’s where they have been instrumental for Sunderland’s survival this season.

    2. Miguel…why you want to put Bruma as RB..Vletman is bad???Veltman is a RCB not RB is makeshift RB who does well defensivly well…if you ask me weakness in yesterday game was on left side…mainly Virgil van dijk and Jetro…We all know that Jetro is a torpido who likes to attack..So we will have trouble..
      While Virgil case is permanent and we and he himslef cannt help it.God has made him like that…So its just a futile expectation to do him better than now.

      Dutch NT is clueless upfront when we play Narsingh,promes,Depay…Depay tries too much dribbles from his own and his final productivity is zero…he is a sqaure in circles…when u have Depay,promes,wijnaldum in staring 11 you dont have vision in final third.thats guarenteed..though i do like Wijnaldum for his workrate…
      there is serious degrade quality in comapared to RVP-Vaar-Roben–Sneijder…
      But this can be solved to some extend if we play players like Ramsselaar,Propper,Blind,Berghius,Noauri,janssen and luuk upfront…
      Rest i think has a serious lack of footballing brain..

  24. As I suspected vs England was fluke and after this game Janssen will go no where but remain in eredivisie.it ain’t gonna get any easier after this for him. There was alot of hype after that england game and as usually there was alot of people who jumped to the guns and started making a whole lot of noise.well yes he did showcase his abilities in taking PK but that decision could have gone either way foul or Slip.( stones).

    I have been stressing this from before eredivisie is getting out dated and again there is no future for young talents coming up.they will always fall short in their upcoming when compared to players in tougher leagues. you can debate on this as much as you can but it ain’t gonna change. Klaassen,Bazoer,Memphis,E Ghazi and there were so many who were dubbed as next big thing but havnt lived up to expectation.this was also said by many on this very forum but to no avail.

    It time to look outside of eredivisie simply as that. Again you can debate as much as you want but the fact won’t change.

    Its good that the senior players are either injured or are deemed not fit for selection but again they should learn from these games where they need to change their approach.

    Patrick Van Annholt should have started this game.Willem’s is fucking useless I jus don’t why they are keeping up him.

    Again there is a lot of percetion,I think about PSV reaching the QF in CL and that it was the team effort. You take Guardado out of there, PSV will crumble down like house of cards.maybe this is 1 reason why Willem’s keeps getting the nod.

    I see it this way.they want to built the team on the foundation of seniors players just like vs Ireland.Strootman comes in,gets the arm band,gets the start when clearly he should have come of the bench given those who were fitter than him and were on the bench.it jus don’t gonna work simply as that.that is what has been happeing,as soon as they get injured they crumble.

    I can go on and on but I will stop here but this will continue if changes is not brought about.

  25. Wooo 2 games now without a defeat, first time for Blind as manager so I guess we are turning a corner ? o_O

    But no clean sheets yet, even with 5 at the back or defensive 433.. maybe should consider working out those set pieces, and esp against sides who are known for focusing on set pieces? Really dont want to see anymore clips of training in portugal with juggling tennis ball drills until all of these basics are dealt with!

    At the least it was nice to see Strootman back and looking bossy, as a captain should, although ultimately unable to inspire. In his 70 mins made more passes than any other player all game from either team and with 88% completed. I failed to notice who he gave the arm band to, can someone remember?
    Too bad he was with Wijnaldum and Bazoer going forward, with neither making much effort to create space, make any penetrating runs, or get the ball to their striker. Defensively his positioning is really good and opposing mids avoid him, did well to prevent any real attacks against us, with Ireland only really dangerous on set pieces from really awful clearances or dumb fouls in our own half.
    But I hope we see Strootman with van Ginkel and Vilhena next match.

    Maybe 442 suits this group of players better..
    Would like to try a back 4 of :
    Tete-Veltman-van Dijk-van Aanholt
    or sort of 4132 with:
    Strootman
    Promes-v Ginkel-Vilhena
    L de Jong-Janssen

    1. One of the probelm is Vrigil van dijk,the non agile ,ball watchinng LCB..Oshea was schooling him easily…what he was doing against him wit 1.90 height and strong body..Virgil is very poor at defending set peices as it was evedient from his all games…
      willems—Annholt would be a nice totalfootballing couple if the play LB and LW..Both can interchange at any time,both can defend,Willems cross is excellent…
      Wijnaldum can be on wings as we have better quality players on mdifeild liek Vanginkel,propper,Ramseelarr and Sneijder if fit..While on wings we are pathetic..
      For me
      ————–Zoet—————-
      Tete——Veltman—Bruma——Annholt
      ————Strootman—————
      —–Bazoer———–Vanginkel——
      Beghuis——Luuk——-Willeims….

      1. You are wrong on van Dijk IMO, he is a rock defensively at his club and especially at set pieces where he also scores.
        It’s a set up problem for set pieces, a coaching issue.

        1. u mean dual with Oshea ???too a coaching issue???his positioning sense is poor…he watches the ball to much…1.90 m doesnt assure u a header specialist..
          Example Tim kahil specilaist in header with 5.9 inch height.
          Whenever Vrijil is there our defense is mockery….that everyone would say…

          1. Hey loose head so what are you saying.be precise. Are you saying that any other dutch defender would have done better than him or are are saying nobody can jump higher than van Dijk but O Shea did. Nobody is perfect dick head.name me one defender who hasn’t been beaten in the air. Well for you sake let’s assume its was his mistake but what about the rebound was that his mistake too.

            And another thing did van Dijk play in the euro qualification.

  26. @Dick head wilson…..
    With virgil we are consistantly having set peiceces issues…its not new thing….even shorter Blind would have done better than him….we are having chaos at defense when virgil is arrond…As defense is collective effort when u have nonagile player it affects entire defense..Virgil played ECQ matches we lost all of them…
    Both veltman and Reikik are better than him..kongolo too..

  27. Tiju – yes that duel with O’Shea happens because of poor defensive setup. I did not even say VvD was a specialist. If you think I’m going to bother to explain basic starting position ideas for cornerkicks to you after the disrespect you show me, and when I try to discuss with you ignoring when I make points that you have no argument against, then you, sir, are out of your mind.
    Don’t comment on my comments anymore, don’t tell me your opinion unless I ask.

    Wilson, Tiju’s aussie twin – yes van Dijk did play the last 2 qualifiers, since then only 2 times he played 45 minutes in friendlies before this Ireland match, and that’s all he has ever played in Oranje.
    Also, I really don’t appreciate your recent return to your childish insulting ways. Reading your comments, I don’t know how you have the nerve to tell anyone to be precise with their words.

    Both Wilson and Tiju – realize you are the same and show eachother some respect.
    Otherwise go away and start your own blog somewhere that you can insult eachother like toddlers, make up stories about players, put words in each other’s mouths, and spout your fantasy video game world nonsense there.
    Please leave the rest of us here to keep on discussing Oranje with eachother in a respectful way, unless you think you can join us like this.
    I will now be ignoring both of your comments and will encourage others to do the same, and now you will know why.
    Don’t bother responding.

    To Jan and everyone else, sorry to put you through this kind of non-Oranje garbage. Also, I look forward to hearing your football comments and don’t be discouraged with the language of these guys’ responses to you!

    1. Really pals.naaaaaa cant believe
      You are being agitated by the dick head who even doesnt know what he is writing.

      Well I don’t blame him.we are all different so you can expect contradicting ideas.Again that jus reflects our individual image. I have already said this before he is just a empty vessel making noise so its best you hear from this end and take it from the other.

      Well I don’t know I long you have been on this blog or reading this blog but it has been more critical and uglier than this in past then present. I know my limits but then again his comments are such that he consistently needs to reminded what crap he always writes. Even Jan has mentioned this in the last blog.

      And what the hack is the apology for. You think people will sympathyize with you and Tiju.this is funny dude jus funny.

      As for Van Dijk. I jus hope he doesn’t play vs Austria and Poland then I want too see what Tijus comment is. As usually he will starting farting with some of his ever changing stories.

      1. Have been following Jan’s blog since ’08 and Tiju has mostly been the same.
        Curious, you say you know your limit yet still have to call him a dickhead?
        I have no problem with different opinions, I never have – but I do have a problem with meaningless disrespect.

  28. Funny that only PSV has been the only team who has been able to keep a clean sheet v Atletico in the CL, and they did it over 2 legs!
    Not that they’d have been able to beat both Barca and Bayern to get a Real Madrid final haha

    1. PSV is a defensivly well organized team..with good quality forwards they can beat any one…Brenet-Arias-Bruma-Moreno are right mix….they simply eat the opponet with help of hendrix and Guadrado….i am sure it can be done with NT too.
      ———————Zoet—————–
      Tete—–Bruma—-Reikik/Veltman——Mensah
      ———-Strootman——–Bazoer————-
      ===================================================
      But we will be ruined
      Weil——Bruma——Vandijk/BMI——Willems
      ————-Clasie—-Afellay/Blind————-
      basically second one was the line up we used in ECQ and we got punished…

  29. Watched the Ireland game. Honestly I feel Depay performance was bad. His play and movement were too predictable. Didn’t add much to the team. Also feel Wijnaldum was really bad too…totally went missing and didn’t create anything as a nr.10.

  30. Not much in the game, really. Ireland scored on a set piece which the Netherlands didn’t play very well. Dutch tie it with a nice pass from Willems and a good finish by De Jong. Rest of the game not much happened.

    Must say though, it was nice to see Strootman back. He gave the team some presence and shape. Van Ginkel pushed them forward after he came on. Willems had some nice crosses. Thought Veltman played a good game. Everyone else kind of anonymous. Hoping van Ginkel starts next game and Vilenha, too, just to see what he can do.

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