Update: Oranje back in Action!!

Well, the Janssen-Dost debate is settled. By the flu!! It seems Kevin Strootman and Vince Janssen exchanged some saliva maybe?

The Spurs bench-warmer stays in Holland and Luuk de Jong is ordered to come to Sofia to be the designated pinch hitter (behind Bas Dost and Jeremain Lens, who arrived late from Suriname).

The key question now is: will Stefan de Vrij be fit enough to play?

And it doesn’t look like it. Which means, Oranje will most likely play with a debutant as center back: De Ligt or Hoedt.

De Vrij has had a big knock and an internal bleeding in his leg. Yesterday, he wasn’t able to move his feet. But, as Blind said at the presser: “These things can improve massively overnight, so we’ll see.”

More Danny Blind: “I don’t like to play with two left footed players centrally (Hoedt and Martins Indi) as the build up will be slower than when you have a left and right footer. But it is an option.”

Blind: “There’s always something. First Van Dijk and Bruma and now De Vrij. But luckily Strootman is completely recovered. It seems Janssen has it bad, a throat infection and high fever. Not good at all.”

As for Dost: “Well, it makes my job easier when players fall away, in terms of decisions, but I rather have it hard. I want to have all our positions doubled up. And Dost is a different striker than Janssen, so we’ll need to make some tactical changes.”

training bul

Gini Wijnaldum was asked about the knock on his head: “It’s all good. I can head the ball, I am painfree, no dramas. And yes, it’s a bit disappointing dealing with all the injured players but we can’t keep on moaning about it. Other players will need to step up, it’s as simple as that.”

Blind: “I do have a very good feeling about where we’re going with the squad. I’m confident, even with those injuries… It’s simple: we need to get six points in the coming two matches. We know what we need to do and I’m confident we will.”

The last training session did not give a lot away in terms of set up.

It will be a 4-3-3:

Zoet

Karsdorp – De Ligt – Martins Indi – Blind

Wijnaldum – Strootman – Sneijder

Robben – Dost – Promes

Some Bulgaria stats: Holland lost the so-called farewell match in 2012 (before that dreadful Euros) under Bert van Marwijk at home against the Bulgarians. An omen of what was to come… This actually was the first and only “farewell” match before a bit tournament that the Dutch lost. Jetro Willems made his debut in that game, at 17 years old. And now has 22 to his name and if he goes on as he does, he might well become the Dutch record international.

Humphry Mijnals made his debut against Bulgaria as well by the way and was the first “coloured” Dutch international back in the 19whatevers.

Holland played Bulgaria 10 times and only won 4 matches…

Tonight’s game is played in the Sofia Savili Levski Stadium. Oranje never won a match there. The Dutch only “didn’t win” more matches in one other venue: San Siro in Milan. We played there five times and never won.

Bulgaria is tough to beat anyway. They didn’t lose at home in 14 qualification games! The last country to win in Bulgaria were the Czechs.

Dost bul

Bulgaria’s biggest claim to fame was reaching the semi finals in the WC1994, beating Germany spectacularly in the quarter finals. Current NT coach Hubchev was in that team.

Currently, Daley Blind has as many caps for Oranje as his dad Danny. If he plays tonight, he’ll surpass him and will have 43 international games for Oranje.

Bas Dost is 2017’s top goal scorer. He has 15 already, this year, with one Lionel Messi on second spot with”only” 13 goals.

Our Dutch Lions are up for two matches in the coming week and strangely enough, the first match is the WC qualifier vs Bulgaria and three days later we have a practice friendly, versus Italy… That really confuses me? Why would you program this? Isn’t it logical to do the practice game first and then the official one? Must be me.

And we do live in confusing times… I will not go into Trump vs Hillary, Trump vs Putin, Erdogan vs Wilders, Wenger yes or no or anything like that.

We have our hands full with Dost vs Janssen and who-will-be-our-goalie…

The AD newspaper poll says 90% of the people voting, feel that Dost should start. The former Heerenveen striker can’t stop scoring in Portugal and will well be on his way to bigger things, if he keeps going like this. Janssen scores as many minutes in the first team as Dost scores goals per month.

dost oranje

But super striker (and also super sub) Pierre van Hooijdonk, who knows what it is to be in the “Bas Dost Position” remarkably say: “stick with Vincent”!

Pierre: “You pick a certain style of playing and for this you need certain players. Janssen is different to Dost, and if using Dost means you have to change the whole tactical plan, I’d say: don’t do it. Use Dost for additional power coming off the bench.”

Van Hooijdonk had to endure Kluivert and Van Nistelrooy in pole position. Easier to swallow for sure. “Yes, the difference between them and me was different to the Dost-Janssen situation, I can see that. But Blind sees Dost in training, he follows him in Lisbon… And Dost failed against Luxembourg. That will count too. If he would have left a smashing impression, it would be different now.”

It does seem like Blind is on the same page as the former Feyenoord man. The mantra is: let Janssen do it in Oranje, until he fails in Oranje. As long as he doesn’t, leave him be.

janssen oranje bul

Blind: “I am sorry but I don’t take the public’s opinion into account. If I would do that, because I can limit the criticism on myself, I wouldn’t be worth this job. I would have to be polling and checking twitter trends daily to make a line up. That is not going to work, of course. And as for the striker, I have made up my mind. I don’t see it as a hard decision to make, it is what I call a luxury decision.”

Blind also has hard data to use for fitness purposes. “I can easily see if a player is mentally and physically fit. We measure this and we have data from the clubs. And Janssen is top fit. He trains daily and hasn’t had major injuries, so that is not a drama. He lacks match rhythm, that is all. But we all know that Janssen and Wijnaldum probably have the most demanding physical programs of all Oranje players. They’re top fit!”

Van Hooijdonk: “The key thing is, will all this have an effect on Janssen’s style of playing. If he plays, I’ll watch his behaviour closely. If he gets through for instance, and has a chance but Karsdorp is totally free before goal, what will Janssen do? He’ll need to pass it to Karsdorp, but sometimes strikers under pressure will go for their personal glory. No matter how big the desire for some success, he’ll need to think of the team.”

oranje training

Matthijs De Ligt on the left

By the way, Dost will only join Oranje today, as he was at the funeral of his grandfather this week. Same as Jeremain Lens who is in Suriname as his dad actually passed away. He will join Oranje Thursday as well.

Today, Stefan de Vrij and Gini Wijnaldum left the practice early with some issues. De Vrij with a sore ankle, and Wijnaldum got a boot against his head. Robben trained in full despite some smaller issues. Kevin Strootman spent his days in bed with the flu.

Danny Blind: “Everyone is fit, it seems, at least for the game starts. The usual little knocks and things. De Vrij’s knee is dry, as the medical staff calls it. He’ll play and I have options next to him of course. Martins Indi is doing well at Stoke, Hoedt plays next to him at Lazio, Viergever can play in that role, Daley as well. And Promes can play on the wing, on the #10 but also as striker. He plays at a very high level and luckily Memphis is playing really well as well. We’ve got choices again.”

Blind won’t say much about the goalie choice. “We have good goalies and I’ve made up my mind, but you’ll need to wait for that one.”

de vrij terug

Stefan de Vrij is back!

Martins Indi left the Oranje squad after his red card vs Iceland. Is the relationship Blind – Martins Indi repaired? Blind: “Well it was never broken. We have discussed this immediately after Iceland. And when he returned to Oranje we have had a good conversation as well. He’s playing now, he’s got rhythm, he’s making the move from Porto to Stoke. All good. And it’s good to have choices. We’re missing Van Aanholt, Van Dijk, Bruma, Kongolo… But we don’t have to panic as we have options.”

Blind is mostly impressed with Wijnaldum’s development. “Gini is becoming a very important player for Oranje and I don’t want to mis-use him like I had to do vs Belgium, when he played right wing back almost. I need to use him like Liverpool does, in that key role in midfield. He’s been excellent.”

Matthijs de Ligt will make his debut in the Oranje squad. A lot of people criticised Blind for that selection. “I know him, I have spoken with him. I’ve spoken with Peter Bosz and Marc Overmars. He’s very mature and learns really fast. I think he will be a full fledged Oranje player and probably a top class defender. But he won’t start. He needs to listen, learn and digest. People felt I should have gone with Van der Heijden (Feyenoord) but I have enough lefties in defense, I really need a right footed player behind De Vrij and that is De Ligt.”

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Wesley Hoedt battling with Janssen

It would make sense for Wesley Hoedt to get his debut in Oranje. He plays next to De Vrij at Lazio and faces top teams and strikers every week. “I think I earned my spot in Oranje, based on the 52 matches I played in the Serie A. I have definitely become a better defender compared to my time in the Eredivisie. And here with Oranje, I feel good too, even though it’s my first time. But I do know some of the lads of course, so that helps.”

Next week, Oranje faces Italy, with a number of players Hoedt faces weekly. “Yes, I played against Belotti last week. I think people in Holland look down on the level in Serie A, but the teams in the top half are really good. And Juventus is a class apart even. The way they are organised. A player like Chiellini for instance. I’m sure he would never make it through the Academy at Ajax or Feyenoord. They’d send him away. But in Italy, they see defending as a pure quality. I like that.”

The friendly vs Italy is 5 days before the Classic, which will most likely decide the title. Blind: “I have not made any agreements with the clubs about the players and how I use them in the Italy game, no. They still have 5 days to recuperate. This is professional football.”

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Debutant Wesley Hoedt

About the strikers: “I have three good options. Lens can play centrally as well. Dost is hot which is great. I think we have a luxury issue, which is nice for me. A couple of good strikers, I can’t complain about that!”

Arjen Robben came later to the Oranje camp with a swollen foot. “I thought OH FUCK there we go again, in bed after the Gladbach match. But it all came down nicely and I have no problem. Saturday, I’ll be 100%. I want to show everyone I’m still here but I won’t do anything silly or over the top to prove myself. But I feel shit that I have to cancel many matches due to injuries. Last time vs Luxembourg I was back and again had to leave the pitch injured. I am so done with that! I really want to play every second for Oranje but I’m 33 years old. I do have to monitor my fitness but as long as it feels like I can, I will….”

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Yesterday, Oranje had a so-called open training day at Quick Boys in Noordwijk, but a closed off training session in De Arena today. On Friday, they fly to Sofia with a practice session and press conference in the late afternoon.

On Saturday, the match. Sunday, flight back with late practice at Ajax’ youth centre (closed off again) and on Monday a partly open session in the AZ Stadium in Alkmaar, with another presser. Tuesday evening we take on the Italians in a friendly, in the Amsterdam Arena.

vilhena memphis

Memphis is happy again

141 comments

  1. so, based on what he said, Blind probably will start with these:

    Zoet/Cillessen
    Karsdorp – De Vrij/De Ligt/Veltman – Hoedt/BMI – Blind
    Strootman – Wijnaldum/Klaassen
    Sneijder
    Robben/Promes – Janssen – Promes/Depay

    GK, he didn’t give any clue. but IMO, both Zoet and Cillessen have been good whenever they played in respective clubs.

    De Ligt will probably start if De Vrij is deemed not fit enough… or not. he also said that De Ligt won’t start. maybe Veltman?

    LCB, though BMI has more minutes w/Stoke, pairing DeVrij-Hoedt will be more beneficial.

    Gini, if not fit, will most probably be replaced by Klaassen (let’s face the fact, no matter if we dislike him for whatever reason, he’ll get the nod if there’s a spot)

    unfit Robben may be replaced by Promes (or maybe Lens), leaving the left wing open for Depay to play.
    but if Robben gets fit in time, Promes will move to the right.

    Janssen will probably start, because he’s more well suited w/ the strategy.

    can’t wait!

    1. i think Dost vs Janssen conversation itself is joke…the reasons are
      Janssen is way too better footballer than Dost..
      Janssen integrates with team really well.hence we will see lots of nice movement in opponent box.
      With Janssen team will have more fluid game.
      Dost is all about crosses and headers..but that might end up in goals at times..But for F@##$UCK sake Dost wont click with Depay and Roben and with sneijder we will have less energetic 11 in the feild..we will have a terrible game..
      If De vrij is injured i think Blind shoudl go for gamble with De ligt.
      Jermain lenz is in terrific form and HE MUST START.he has speed and HE DOESNT CHOKE VS GOOD TEAMS LIKE depay.
      the team should be
      ————Zoet————–
      Karsdorp—Deligt–Hoedt—Blind(weaklink)
      ——–Strootman—Toonstra———-
      Roben——-Wijnaldum——-Promes
      ————Janssen——————
      this is the line up i wish from blinds current selection..but you know who all will play?
      ————–Gk————-
      karsdorp—Veltman–Veirgiver–Blind
      ——-Strootman—-Wijnaldum——-
      ————-Sneijder————-
      Roben———Janssen—–Depay—–
      Both Sneijder and Roben wont be fit enough to play 90 minutes.if fit with in 35 minutes both will come back to bench with injury..With Depay and 2 old guys we will have a pathetic workrate..that will take out life of the match..i hope only one of Roben/Sniedjer plays and other 2 sits in bench.

      1. Robbens work rate is better than ever. Sneijder is fine. Both can play 90 mins. I do prefer Janssen, that’s the only thing you have right. Everything else is complete rubbish

      2. Fully agree on the Janssen comments! Finally, welcome Tiju to the club of people with a football brain.

        But… Lens should play but then you don’t put him in your line up?

        I hope you will never get the NT manager’s job :-)…

        1. it was Promes against Lenz for me ….Promes puts hell lot of work on feild..that will give us balance..i just thought of it.
          Lenz context is related to Depay…by saying that i was telling Lenz should get the nod over Depay..i know there is high chance Depay starts over Lenz..

      3. janssen way too better than Dost ? Emmanuel you haven’t got a clue what u are talking about

        Ask any spurs fans and see how they rate Janssen – one is the worst striker they have ever singed.

        As much as I have put hope on Janssen , so far 7 months have gone and he has been utterly rubbish so far . Scored 4 goals with 3 of them are penalties taken . One goal out of open play which was against. Division 3 club . Up until now still zero goals from open play in the premier league

        I know what you may say, which is Janssen plays better when he is wearing the orange shirt . Yes indeed . But shit is shit and based on club level Dost is way better than Janssen

        1. Janssen is better footballer..that goes with out doubt..i dont take spurs fans comment as they want their team to win and they want Janssen to score with in 10 minutes even when he gets as sub..i cannt help it…
          Lets see what Dost brings in today..

    2. I think you’ve hit the nail right on the head.

      Can’t wait either, except during the match I will be sitting on a ferry… I will have to watch it later on ????

  2. ———————Zoet——————

    —Karsdorp—-DeVrij—-Hoedt—-Blind—

    —-Sneijder—-Strootman—–Wijnaldum—

    ——-Robben—–Janssen—–Promes——

    1. @Miguel, yep. Other than G, which he seems to be keeping under wraps, that looks to me like the lineup that Blind will put out, assuming he is satisfied with Sneijder’s fitness level, and Robben and DeVrij are healthy.

      I suppose, he could also be playing cagey with his remarks about the strikers. But we’ll see. Can’t wait. (Although, like Sybe, I’ll be out during the day, and won’t have a chance to see it until later. Thank goodness for DVR’s.)

    2. I think this is a great lineup, Miguel. Other than getting Virgil back, when he’s healthy, I think this is a good lineup going forward as well.

      I definitely think Janssen better fits the style that we should be playing, so I’m hoping he stays up top and continues to play well in Oranje.

  3. I completly agree that Janssen is the better footballer and he makes our game more fluid. But for a striker form and rythm are important, cause in the end its about scoring goals. I believe right now Dost is better! Anyway soory to bring bad news but Janssen wont start because he is sick so chances are very high that he wont play!

        1. Bazoer started playing and he is doing well,kongolo is the best LB we have..back line line of
          karsdorp—Devrij—Virgil—Kongolo
          is steal…
          on bench
          ——–Bruma—Blind—-Mensah——-
          Janmaat/kevindiks———Annholt/Williams

  4. Our U21s beat Finland U21s today 2-0 in a friendly..
    St Juste and van Amersfoort had the goals

    Here was the starting team:
    Drommel
    Ter Avest
    St. Juste
    Van Bruggen
    Verdonk
    F. de Jong
    Ramselaar
    Van Amersfoort
    Helmer
    Lammers
    Bergwijn

    I did not get to watch, but if anyone did I would love to hear about it!

    1. I suppose that means these ones started on the bench:
      Goalkeeper: van Osch
      Defenders: Diks, Fosu-Mensah, Riedewald
      Midfielders: Bazoer, van de Beek, Nouri, Ouwejan, Rosario
      Attackers: Idriss, Zivkovic

      Seems like some big players there!

      Not totally sure if that is true, I had a hard time finding info on the match, hence no idea about subs or assists either — plus, I also saw a clip on twitter of Bazoer scoring from outside the box yesterday in a Wolfsburg friendly:
      https://mobile.twitter.com/vfl_wolfsburg/status/844610539653414923

      1. I reckon Pelle van Amersfoort is also a talented player and the one to look for future. He has been starter for Heerenveen for quiet some time after on loan last season.

        Also think Nouri development will stall if he doesn’t start playing for Ajax soon.

  5. de Vrij was still sore and did not train with the team today, Blind says maybe he will be ok for tomorrow.

    According to AD, based on the last training exercises the starting lineup in Bulgaria looks like so:
    Zoet
    Karsdorp – de Ligt – Martins Indi – Blind
    Wijnaldum – Strootman
    Robben – Klaassen – Promes
    Dost

    Although, Sneijder played in the same role as Klaassen, and Blind said in an interview that he may use 2 left footed CBs, so Hoedt instead of de Ligt, even though for the speed of buildup purposes he prefers a right and a left footed CB combo, so we’ll just have to wait and see..

    1. Netherlands line-up (training)
      ————–Zoet————————-
      -Karsdorp — Martins Indi— Hoedt— Blind- ——-Strootman —–Wijnaldum——
      ————– Klaassen ——————–
      ——Robben —- Dost —- Promes
      Found a different one…

  6. Jan any comments on st Juste. I remember you sayin somethings about him earlier. looks like now with new coach and opportunity, he will get the chance to prove himself,which he couldnt do under Grim and others. well looks like the heereveen boys were on target for the jongs and again I think St juste should be NT.

    I think this guy, Art Langeleer is coach and looking at his starting selection for the U21s,with big names on the bench, he means business and its not about where you play but how you play.

    1. Yes St Juste. Very talented. But not ready for the big game yet. I don’t watch the U21 or U19 games as it’s tough to get that in Australia.

      But St Juste at top level (in Holland!!!) is still vulnerable. Good on the ball, he has guts and confidence, but defensively too soft and aerially weak.

      We need to develop defenders. Not football players who we position in defence. Think Stam, Vlaar, De Ligt, van Dijk… beasts.

      Fosu Mensah, probably.

      St Juste needs to prove this still and the NT is not the platform for that.

      1. if there are some youngsters ready for orange..then it is
        St juste
        Kongolo
        Ake
        karsdorp
        and Mensah….
        St juste is a perfect as DM..
        After Nijel we have Ake Vs St Juste..Both are excellent choice we have…

  7. if Janssen is injured we have lenz..
    ————-Zoet—————
    karsdorp–De ligt—Hoedt—-Blind
    ——-Strootman–Toonstra——-
    Roben——-Wijnaldum——Promes
    ————Lenz——————
    I am sure we will win the if this is the line up..i am convinced…..
    i am afraid of Dost,BMI and klassen presence that would affcet the whole balance of the team…

  8. What if Blind decides to go 4-4-2.Talk about explosive up front.

    Promes- Lens

    Depay- Wijnaldum- Strootman- Robben

    Blind- Hoedt-De Vrij- Karsdorp

    Zoet.

  9. Good line up…BMI has made some mistakes but he played during the WC and he was really good. He has balls and we need that type of players with a strong personality.

  10. Waiting for the official lineups.. and I saw this from @optaJohan on twitter

    3 – Most chances created so far for the Netherlands these World Cup qualifiers:
    11 – Quincy Promes
    9 – Daley Blind
    6 – Davy Klaassen

    surprised me

  11. Official

    De Ligt is the youngest player to play for the Netherlands since 1931.

    Netherlands XI
    Zoet, Karsdorp, De Ligt, Martins Indi, Blind, Wijnaldum, Strootman, Klaassen, Robben, Dost, Promes

    1. I knew that was gonna happen when I saw De Ligt as a starter!! He has made numerous mistakes for Ajax and that idiot that calls himself a coach gives him a spot in the starting 11.

  12. What is Blind doing? Seriously? We are playing a World Cup qualifier and we’ve got BMI and a 17-year-old at centerback? Where are our players!? The 17-year-old has already botched a play and The Netherlands are a goal down–5 minutes into the match. Moments before, BMI–who’s always been terrible, IMO-was caught flat-footed and almost gave Bulgaria a great chance. Two terrible choices. I’ve never seen a national team that has more players injured all the time. Terrible choices by Blind at centerback.

      1. Yep, he gave the striker too much room after he’d collected the ball. I can’t believe the selections and this team. The team is never healthy and is always playing different people–no cohesion. The centerbacks are a joke.

  13. This is way too hard to watch. Blind definitely needs to be canned. Terrible to put a 17 year old in. We can’t even get any offense going as well. When I heard both out cbs I knew this will be bad. It’s so embarrassing. I know the lack of options in that spot. But this formation is a problem for the team too.

    1. Why lack of options? Ok De Vrij and Van Dijk aren’t available but why didn’t he use Hoedt or Viergever? I find the whole thing to not play two cb’s that use the same foot stupid!

  14. You know guys, everything what is happening is for the good of Dutch football. If this embarrassing loss is going to be a cause of Blind’s departure, then let it be…

  15. I am raging right now, i cant believe what i am seeing! I am so angry that Blind would ruin such a prospect player like De Ligt by putting him on so much pressure… and then he does 2 mistakes that lead to goals he is gonna have a hard time forgetting these crucial mistakes!

    Blind out! Even Tiju can only do better then this utter fool of coach!

    I have rarely seen such a weak play from the netherlands in my 32 years of beeing their fan.

  16. I think it is safe to say that we’re out of the WC. Even if by some miracle we come back and win this game (surely impossible) we can’t make it out of the group with this atrocious player quality. Back into hibernation of the 80s.

  17. we cant afford to lose an other tournament. we should change the team attitude , some players are not in national level… we need huge changes … starting from coaches to forwards…

    1. We don’t have players. Almost all of them are mediocre european quality at best. This becomes even more serious when considering their mental fragility and lack of passion. This is the sad truth. Of course coaches that followed LVG departure were terrible choices too.

  18. Blind had to be sacked in september 2015 after losses against Iceland and Turkey! It was already obvious that he was completely inappropriate. But here (and in Holland) there are people who believe in fairy tales.

    1. Yeah any Person and Coach with the least bit of honor and integrety would have left the job after missing a major tournament … not blind that *** had to cost us 2 major tournaments!

    2. I agree. He should have been sacked and replaced then. Our first problem is that we’ve had two bad choices for coaches, who make bad selections. The national team is a mess. The good players we do have are always injured. When is the last time De Vrij played–the last WC?

  19. The truth is that this is more or less Orange real level now. Even those players who are playing in bigger leagues rarely stand out in their respective teams/competitions (with the exception of Robben).
    Eredivisie just isn’t demanding enough compared to today’s top international football. That’s I think is the main reason we have lost edge over teams like Bulgaria, Sweden etc.

    1. Bullshit soory, our player material is still way above average and should be able to beat most of the football nations exept maybe the big ones! Its more about our lack of winning mentality and a coach that has no clue in tactics and worse has no charisma to inspire our team!!!

      1. I can agree that with different approach better results could be achieved (van Gaal WC 2014). But without vastly superior players we are not going to beat the “dutch way” anybody solid.
        It’s a bit like Arsenal trying to emulate Barcelona without the required personel.:)

    2. You couldn’t be more wrong just check what a transformation the team made when Advocat came in. You saw a team that was playing according to plan and not what you see now where every player looks lost. Do not forget that with players from Eredivisie we went undefeated in Brazil! Blind Out!!!

  20. De ligt should have never started he is only 17 years old with only a few games under his belt with Ajax.

    He should have started with Hoedt Who has done well in Italy.

    Also is Strootman playing? I see a lack of coaching here. These players do well in Liverpool, Roma, Bayern but with Oranje they suck at the moment.

    1. Strootman has not impressed me at all in the last couple of NT games I’ve seen. Is he still the same player he was before knee injuries sidelined him for nearly two years? I doubt it.

      I have never liked BMI. I don’t know how he plays for his clubs but he’s always made mistakes for the NT.

  21. Some players are not the kind of players in National level in my opinion. the National player should be strong motivated and willing to give %100, fighter and sacrificial , unfortunately we do not have super quality players right know in many positions.

    Indi , Daley Blind , promes , dost , Klaasen …even Bruma or Van djik made lot of mistake in games… these are the some players that should not be in starting 11 at all or not even in National Team!! ! because they DO NOT HAVE enough quality and fighting spirit for Dutch National Team . why Daley Blind should be in lineup… why not Erik Pieters or Patrick Van Anholt.. why Leroy Fer is always out … please look at the Indi is an other good example for No Brain er. DANNY BLIND SHOULD GO . I do not have a chance to watch the today’s Game against Bulgaria I know it is 2-0 till now , without watching the game these are my thoughts excluding Bulgaria’s Game , those players could be today’s they could be superstars you never now..!!

  22. Frank De Boer is the new coach of the Netherlands!! You heard it here first….!! Don’t like him as much but he’ll be an improvement from this idiot that we have now.

  23. The diffrence between the display of Hoedt compared to De Ligt in the first half says it all…. thnx blind ! I would have played Viergeven Veltman as CB …

  24. Oddly enough with de Vrij and van Dijk the dutch defense could be very strong in the coming years. Though for years I haven’t anybody (not counting Robben) who could consistently beat his marker and create numerical advantage. Without such players there won’t be contending for WC or EC title anytime soon.
    Is there a hot prospect now who could fill that role in the next few years?

  25. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!BLIND OUT BLIND OUT BLIND OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

      1. That is for sure: too many incompetent people there. I am pretty sure, they will not fire Blind, if he does not resign. That was very embarrasing performance.

  26. Fuck Blind I respect you a lot as a player but you have nothing to do as a coach of this national team.

    Really, it’s time for you to go home.

    This Dutch team needs only one coach and that is Koeman. He is the one who can change things aroud. Frank de Boer is too young…we don’t need experiments. Koeman has been successful as a coach, he is disciplined and will make our defense much better.

    You don’t need to be a coach to know that a 17 year old baby can’t play his first match with so much pressure.

    Hoedt was much better.

    Blind out on Wednesday.

  27. Bas Dost is really bad. He is simply a bad player. I mean he should never be called again I rather play with Cillessen as a center forward than him. But I guess it’s not only him or his fault it’s simply that the team seems scared, they don’t believe in themselves and they don’t play as a team. Unlike LVG’s team that played as a unit this team is really fucked.

    It’s THE WORST DUTCH TEAM I HAVE EVER WATCHED AND IT IS A SHAME.

    We do have good players but we lack a good coach.

  28. That was terrible to watch. Poor player selection and definitely no fighting spirit. There are games like this too often in the past few years where it just seems that the game never actually starts for the Dutch– they’re just content to knock the ball around.

    To put in a big man (then a second) and just lob balls into the box is not Dutch voetbal and it’s extremely annoying to watch. We still have players who can create in tight spaces, which is what we needed more of with a team who beat us to virtually every 50-50 ball. I would have kept Gini on, as he’s more creative than Strootman, but tried to push him further forward. Also, bring on Lens or Memphis, not de Jong– de Jong is just a slightly less effective version of Dost. And BMI- never had been of the level for the national team in my opinion.

    1. when he put in Sneijder, I thought that he won’t go 4-4-2. but then De Jong entered… I was like, what the hell… why don’t you put in Lens/Depay instead of Sneijder if in the end you’ll play 4-4-2??? look how Sneijder got hard time shielding and chasing ball.

      and anybody watching Klaassen? don’t tell me you didn’t see how many times he misplaced an easy short pass. look at how many times he messed up his first touch. if our NT wants to play classic Dutch football, Klaassen should stay on the bench.

  29. At least Wijnaldum was trying, Strootman was a ghost.

    Blind plays De Ligt then plays De Jong. I rather call back Van Basten with one leg than De Jong.

  30. If Blind is sacked, who is available to coach Oranje? Let’s start with Dutch coaches: F. De Boer, B. Van Marwijk, L. Van Gaal. Who else? Fred Rutten is free too but I do not think he is Oranje material.

  31. I do not know Dutch and could not understand what Oranje fans were singing in Sofia: “Danny, bedankt” Apparently, it is “Danny, Thank you”. Poor people spent money to travel to Eastern Europe to watch nothing….

      1. oh god Wilson are you trolling me because we lost? do you still wrongly think I am a Blind supporter?

        will watch the match shortly even though it will be painful

          1. Not sure what you mean, I mostly ignore your rants. What kind of childish bullshit is this?

            You won’t answer if I ask you simple questions and you insult me and others – please stop this game of trying to call me out as if I have anything to do with this awful result.

            Are we not both disappointed??

  32. Hugely disappointed. Danny Blind has certainly made massive mistakes here. He “destroyed” De Ligt by throwing him into deep end. De Ligt is a good player but surely too soon to play in such important game..there are options, Hoedt and Ake who is overlooked.

    Luuk De Jong for Promes?!? I didn’t watch the game but certainly this is a confirmed downgrade substitution.

    The NT has very good players I feel, this is proven in the performance of the players at their club. The current state of performance of the NT is down to poor coaching. We can surely turn it around with a good coach. I wish for Ronald Koeman. Maybe he can take on dual role. Still better than Danny Blind.

  33. I believe, this was one of the worst games of Oranje, i have ever seen. I did not drink alcohole but i feel drunk…..Such a drastic demise of Dutch football at all levels, starting from clubs and ending with Oranje after 2014 WC….or may be it started earlier when we embarrased ourselves at Euro 2012 and only LvG iron fist postponed this free fall…. I think Danny Blind is just a symptom of the disease that entire Dutch football has been experiencing. I do not know what the cause is though: KNVB? Weak league with terrible referees? Obsolete system? Old way of thinking and playing football? unwillingness to admit that something radically must change? What exactly?…. I am very puzzled, but i truly believe that something must change and it is not just to sack Blind and bring another coach…something bigger….but what ?…

  34. Even though this generation might not be ready to compete at the highest level I do believe the one to blame here is Danny Blind because under LVG players like Depay, Wijnaldum, Fer, Veltman, Cillessen, De Vrij, Blind performed like experienced players but with him they seem scared, they lack confidence, they don’t know what they should do.

    It’s obvious this team is not as good as previous generation but we have amazing talents. If used well they can give any team a hard time.

    We need a coack who can squeeze the best out of our players. Also a coach who makes the right decisions.

    I remember Advocaat playing Sneijder against Scotland for the 2004 play-off. It’s not the same to make a gamble with a creative player than with a central defender who is only 17 years old and has played only a few games of professional football.

    I watched Hoedt only on youtube and it’s obvious he is ready, he plays week in week out and the experienced he has should count for something.

    Blind has had bad luck with so many injuries but his decisions have been very poor so he must leave.

    Now it’s time for Koeman or LVG although I doubt LVG will take over.

  35. ——————–Zoet—————

    —Karsdorp—v.Dijk–DeVrij–Aanholt–

    ———-Fer—Strootman—-Clasie—-

    ——————Wijnaldum————

    ————–Robben—Janssen———

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