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Oranje Squad Update: Scherpen In, Verbruggen Out — No Room for Brobbey
The Dutch national team is preparing for a key phase in their World Cup qualifying campaign, and manager Ronald Koeman has made several notable changes to his squad. With injuries forcing adjustments, there’s a new face in goal—and one familiar name missing from the front line.
🧤 Scherpen Replaces Verbruggen
The biggest change comes between the posts. First-choice goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has withdrawn from the squad due to physical issues. The Brighton shot-stopper has been solid for club and country, but will now sit out the upcoming matches to recover.
Kjell Scherpen, fresh off winning the Austrian Bundesliga with Sturm Graz, has been called up as his replacement. While Scherpen has been in previous squads as backup, he has yet to make his senior debut. This might be his moment to shine, althoug the young goalie Owusu-Oduro from AZ would be a great addition as well.
Joining him in the goalkeeping group are Mark Flekken (Brentford) and Nick Olij (Sparta Rotterdam). With Verbruggen sidelined, the starting spot is now up for grabs (probably Flekken).
❌ Brobbey Omitted from Final Squad
Another headline-grabbing decision is the exclusion of Brian Brobbey. The Ajax striker has been a regular in recent squads but misses out this time around. Despite his potential and flashes of brilliance, Brobbey’s form has dipped during a difficult season at Ajax (just 4 goals in the Eredivisie 2024-2025 season).
Instead, Koeman is placing his trust in Memphis Depay, who has found his rhythm again at Corinthians(Brazil), and Wout Weghorst, returning after injury. The duo offers experience and different attacking styles, giving Koeman flexibility in the final third.
Why not calling new talents like Meerdink from AZ Alkmaar or Piroe? No idea, probably Koeman wants to garantue points in the first important matches, on the other side it would be great for these young talents to be introduced in the main team….
These early matches are crucial for building momentum in a competitive qualifying group.
🔍 Koeman’s Vision
Koeman’s latest squad reflects a clear strategy: pick players based on current form, fitness, and versatility. While Brobbey’s omission may raise eyebrows, the coach seems focused on players he believes can deliver now—not just in the future.
His decision to call up Scherpen also signals a willingness to give opportunities to in-form players, even if they lack international experience. It’s a balancing act between continuity and evolution.
🇳🇱 Eyes on Helsinki
As the Oranje gear up for their June fixtures, all attention will be on how these lineup changes play out on the pitch. Can Scherpen step up if needed? Will the new attacking options deliver the goals?
Only time will tell, but one thing is certain—Koeman isn’t afraid to make bold decisions.
💬 What do you think of Koeman’s selections? Is Brobbey’s omission fair? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Stay tuned for more Oranje updates, player profiles, and match coverage as the Netherlands pursue their World Cup dreams.
Latest Comments
Manoj is a big Messi fan,so its normal that a messi fan would be never heard of Him..Rinus Israel Was…
Wonderful article, Johan. Thank you. btw: Milambo to the EPL (Brentford).
Hi Manoj This was a very famous Dutch player in the 60/70s, maybe one of the best defenders we ever…
Nice you are posting on legends of Dutch football. More such unheard players are brought to light.
Thanks Johan, for writing this.. it is a good read. Smit was excellent all tournament; he's a little deceptive and…
Crazy that Meerdink was not even called for Young Oranje, probably punished because he was on stand-by list from Young Oranje and told that he was injured and then played a friendly game for AZ….
Strange indeed. I thought the call up for young Scherpen was odd, but maybe Bizot ( better, more experienced) is not fit or available? It probably won’t matter as Scherpen will not play a second of course and Robin Roefs will be busy with Young Oranje?
I would have expected Piroe, the golden boot winner of te Championship. I mean, that is on par with the golden boot of the Eredivisie in my book. What does he have to do to get a look in?
I was also surprised to see Ake? He hasn’t played for months. Maybe Koeman wants to keep him in the group for his leadership and to keep him involved but I would have loved to see Baas or Struijk.
Koeman doesn’t really offer much to young players coming through. Conservative, lack of ideas.
God, I hope we will get a more adventurous coach soon!!
Who would be the ideal successor to Koeman? Bosz is still committed to PSV. Ten Hag just signed for Leverkusen. Ron Jans?
Bizot did very good, also in the Champions League, more experienced but Flekken will be starter.
Piroe not even called for Young Oranje, correct?
Aké normaly is a starter, much more experienced for now than Hato.
Bosz has a contract for 1 more year at PSV, but PSV is eager to extend with him. Ron Jans lacks experience with big competitions/players… Not sure if that is a good fit, training Utrecht is one, NT is another ballgame. Lets wait Koemans performance, the games against Spain give hope, and there is still 1 year before the world cup.
GK: It will probably be Flekken starting in Helsinki. He had a pretty good year in the EPL.
Other issues/questions:
LB: Looks like Ake or Van de Ven. LB is neither’s best or natural position. Sorry that Maatsen is not called up; he’s more dangerous down the left.
RB: I’m assuming that Frimpong is the RW so it is either Geertruida or Dumfries. There is no reason that Dumfries can’t play with Frimpong. he just has to play a more traditional RB role, rather than being positioned way up the field.
MF: Does he play with Simons or Kluivert as a 10? The team was more dynamic with Kluivert and Frimpong in the lineup than we’ve seen for a long time.
MF: If it is a true Kluivert or Simons at 10, it is Reijnders, Grav. and De Jong for two spots, so it really comes down to Grav. v. Reijnders.
@ Jan,
Thanks for the update. One of your title says “Koeman’s vision” Koeman has no vision. 90% of this squad has been around for the past 3 years. Have you noticed that all the coaches around the world are giving chances to the youngsters? Look at Lamine Yamal. Do you think if he was Dutch, Koeman would have gave him a chance? What more can you experience with Menphis Depay? What more can he brings?
Also, can you please comment on this one.
I feet as if De Jong after all these years in Barcelona has not improve one bit. Now the whole world is talking about Pedri. I have watched De Jong in the champions league. He never took over the game. He never exploded. He continued to do the very basic. If feel like if Barcelona ever found a slightly better player, they would put him on the bench. It is the same thing for the national team. He was a total disaster at the last world cup. He has not improved. He last best game was several years ago at the one of the nation league game I believes was against either France or Germany I don’t remember. Remember, he is now aging. If it isn’t now, when?
Piroe atleast shud have been called to replace Brobbey. I mean you still wanna depend on Depay who has a spare tyre. He will bang goals fun and koeman will justify his selection but come time when it is needed the most. You know what the outcome will. Weghorst to salvage him with sneaky goals. Either way nothing much to say.
The big discussion in the Dutch media is not Piroe but Meerdink not being there…. I think Steyn should have been there as well, as these 2 are very promissing for the furture…..
“Uninspiring” is my immediate thought regarding the team selection. Against Malta particularly Koeman has the opportunity to blood new young players. Even if they only step onto the pitch for 20 minutes as a substitute, it is valuable.
Why do we need so many defenders to play Finland and Malta?! There is a clear opportunity to drop a defender or two and have 1 or 2 extra untested attacking prospects on the bench.
Koeman has bemoaned his lack of striker options. To be honest, I don’t see what he is doing about it. All he knows is to play Depay or Weghorst.
He has two clear options in front of him which I see little evidence of him trying:
1) Giving young alternatives a go, especially those outside the ‘big clubs’ Ajax, PSV, Premier League, La Liga etc.
2) See if outside of club football within the national team setup that he can stimulate some kind of form, confidence in front of goal and partnership between the attack players orientated around Brobbey or Zirkzee, (or someone else other than Depay or Weghosrt). All I ever see is said players being introduced for a game here or there but never given any real sustained time to get used to playing up front in the Oranje jersey.
This would mean throwing the form book out of the window. However sometimes giving genuine (I highlight this term) opportunities can generate a hunger and confidence. This would also require a vision, a long-term plan, perseverance and man management skills from the coach, which I fear Koeman does not possesses.
It makes me sad when I watch other nations and clubs give opportunities to fresh and attaining success with this approach, hungry young players and The Netherlands team coach still blindly selecting from the same circle of players.
I have seen Greece give a 17-year-old Karetsas who plays for Genk nine matches. He was excellent, scoring a superb goal against Scotland a few months ago. I see none of this type of vision from the Dutch setup.
One of the reasons why I fell in love with Dutch football in the early 90s was because I could sense something different. A vision, and idea, a swagger with a blend of youth. Watching Ajax win the Champions League with a youthful team sealed the deal for my love for Dutch football. Watching many consecutive Dutch National teams come so close to success with an abundance of talent, creativity and style only added to the drama.
With Koeman at the helm, I see no vision. Which is sad, because I see that with the current team, there is talent and there is opportunity, and outside the team there are a lot of decent prospects, but there is the wrong captain steering the ship.
*Btw, I am not bashing Weghorst (he has a role in the team for sure), or Depay (he has clear limitations and we need something fresh and more long-term upfront if we want to take the next step).
koeman has Vision??…koeman and vision are on opposite spectrum…
Why Ake??..He was injured for long time,he needs time..We would have been perfect with Hato and Maatsen..As a makeshift left back we could use Van de ven and Geetruida..So why Ake..its time for Botman to get introduced to team if he wanted another LCB..Ake plays 3 men back system with a wing back and he plays LCB.Koeman needs expereience Vs MAlta????..what a clown he is..
the liverpool winner trio are enjoying and relaxed and partying. I mean Gakpo,Gravenberch and virgil..i would be surprised if they play lackluster game in coming days..
it was pefect time to give chance to piroe and meerdink for Malen and Depay..thats the kind of shift we need,At least a test chance..this kind of cowardice will never make you champion..
our only hope is Wim jonk and his training methods,he has improved our team..
i am Pi@##sed off by koeman selection to see Depay and Malen in team…
Also that AZ keeper Oduro is much better than kyle sherppen..
As usual PSG and its young players A2@S whooped old legged intermilan..Dumfries looked like clueless..
Owusu-Oduro of AZ Alkmaar has a potential to develop into a solid goalkeeper. However, at this point of time, he is not ready for Oranje. This year he was playing most of the games for AZ, and several times he made very bad mistakes. One of his weak spots is long range shots. He always misjudges them. I personally felt so confident Zoet was playing between the bars than Owusu-Oduro. I agree that Bizot was supposed to be called for Oranje.
In order to get rid of Memphis, he should be officially banned from playing in Oranje. Otherwise, Koeman will use him until Memphis retires. Both Memphis and Weghorst should retire from Oranje.
I think that Weghorst is a perfect guy for the last 15 minutes if you need to force something, so I would stay with him, but he is not a starter. I can imagine that Memphis will return to PSV so he can qualify for WC2026, on the other hand maybe he will leave for Saudi Arabia to fill his pockets and then he will disappear as Koeman is not a big fan of that competition.
@ Emmanual
The blog is quiet because people are fed up with R Koeman and Dutch Football Federation. There is not excitement. Holland is the only big football nation that hasn’t lift the WC and we are not even trying. The last and only time the Dutch won something was in 1988. The past 6 years we have been recycling a bunch of coaches with no new ideas. The past 3 years, our starting 11 has not changed one bit. SAME OLD PLAYERS! Look at France, Germany and Spain(Barcelona). All of these coaches are bringing new and younger players like Yamine Yamal, Pedri, Leao for Portugal, many youngsters from Germany except R Koeman. Totally insane! Why did the Dutch Federation went for Koeman again, I don’t know. From a fan perspective, I am fed up. I think we have enough players available to build a very strong team that could have be ready for the next year WC but Koeman does not want to look forward. He kept on bringing the same old players all the time. The only reason I think we are going to the WC is because we are in the easiest group. Even in such a group, he still not bringing any new players. Let me tell you what is going to happen at the WC. We are going to go out just like Italy in 2010 and I hope this time the Dutch Federation doesn’t go for Van Gaal again. HAHAHAHAHA.
@Jean ..you are pretty much right, we understand what will be the out come with Koeman.Has he beaten a top team ??No..will he beat a Top team?? most likely no..Does he tactically good or astute to lead the team ? No..
i would blame Nijel De jong and knvb as well,they play crucial role in this sturpidity to stay with koeman..
i understand we are going thorugh a painful time with a dumb coach and no excitement thats why blog is vacant..
Hi guys, sorry I wasn’t able to post earlier. Got this rotten flu ruining my life at the moment :-). Jean asked me about my blog post and comments on Koeman’s vision. Jean, I didn’t write the blog. Johan did. Maybe he wants to comment.
As for your comments on Frenkie de Jong, you are still quite unique in your views on football. You must be the only living human being thinking that Frenkie is not developing. Even Inzaghi after the Inter – Barca CL semi finals said that “people talk about Yamine Lamal and with good reason, but I saw another player who played the perfect game and should be named more. 100% pass accuracy, and always finding the right solution”. he was talking about Frenkie.
Flick told Barca: extend his deal, he is super important for us.
I don’t think you understand football as well as you think. Frenkie has been instrumental for Barca and hardly ever disappoints in Oranje.
I do agree with the criticism on Koeman. He’s old school. A Dinosaur.
Having said that: the really bright new lads for Oranje ( Xavi, Frimpong, Van der Ven) are part of the squad. I get that people are excited about Meerdink and Stein but I too think it’s too early. Meerdink will get there, but I think Reiziger is dealing with him so Koeman wouldn’t touch him. For Stein this is too early. He plays at Twente now where he is the key man in the team. I still need to see him succeed at Feyenoord, where he is expected work his arse off and play football. His contributions without the ball at Twente are poor. He scores easily but his overall play is not that great. Not as good as Reijnders or Simons and maybe physically also not there. Don’t forget Klaassen, Van de Beek and Vincent Janssen in bigger competitions.
Agreed with Jan, Meerdink and Steyn are to young and yes Frenkie is Top Player, unique at Dutch team, only a good Schouten get close to his skills. Schouten was injurid for most of the time last season, so poor performance but also an amazing player (like Frenkie).
Guys, lets keep the blog alive please, thats what this place makes so unique….
If you guys want to contribute please let me know…
I think we’ll see some changes tomorrow. I hope a 3 man at the back system when we’re in possession: Geertruida instead of Dumfries (who needs to travel to the World Cup for clubs).
I hope he’ll play Olij, to give him his debut.
Then:
Geertruida – Van Dijk – Van der Ven
Wiefer – Frenkie – Xavi Simons – Taylor
Malen – Weghorst – Lang
With Memphis coming in after 60 minutes to score two goals.
We’ll win this 6-0 I think, with Taylor, Weghorst, Lang, Malen, Xavi and Memphis on the score sheet.
@ Jan,
You are a Dutch bias, I get it! I am too sometimes but if Inzaghi had to pick between De Jong and Pedri, I guarantee you he would not pick De Jong. If you can please tell me a game this season or even last year where De Jong had exploded? A game where De Jong was the deciding factor? The only game I can think of was right when I got back from injury the (Real vs Barca) game. I’m reading several soccer magazines, no one is talking about De Jong but everyone is talking about Pedri. You talk about 100% pass accuracy but off course, if I’m constantly passing the ball to the guy right next to me or kicking it to the guy behind me, I’m going to get 100% accuracy. That’s what he does most of the time. When De Jong left Ajax, the expectation was for him be like Luca Modric or Tony Kross. So far he has not met that expectation. When De Jong is not on the field for Barca, you don’t feel it. As far as the national team, he has very little impact. De Jong was completely absent at the WC, injured at the Euros and no impact in the Nations league. Now De Jong is about 28 years old. My point is people had higher expectations when it comes to De Jong and so far he has not met those expectations.
Why am I even replying to you. If you do your homework you’d know Frenkie usually passes vertically forward. I’m starting to get that feeling with you that I had for years and prompted me to abandon all this. I’ll stop responding to you. You’re a troll and have not much warmth for the Oranje, so cu later.
Re: the Finland match. Not much to say. It came at the end of a long season for most these guys. Two early goals. Finland was not going to trouble them too much with De Jong and Gravenberch sitting in front of the defense. The intensity dropped and they saw the game out. Nothing exciting except the win to start the qualifying—sometimes boring is fine, think of previous qualifying campaigns when they got an unexpected result early, and had to chase it.
Some thoughts:
—I know Dumfries scored, and he has shown he can do so, but I’d still rather have Frimpong wide and one-on-one against a defender, opening space and forcing another defender to come over and help out leaving more room in the middle. With Dumfries up there it causes a little too much of a crowd, and Frimpong isn’t used to his best advantage. Judging by what the players said afterwards though, they are aware of it, so maybe they’ll figure it out, with Dumfries playing more like a traditional rfb and choosing his runs more, rather than just starting so far up the field.
—Gravenberch and De Jong, with Reijnders at the 10, is a stronger defensive lineup, but they don’t get the same penetration as with Kluivert at the 10, and Reijnders coming forward from a deeper position. So which do you pick?
Re Malta: Hopefully, Koeman will give lots of players an opportunities. No reason not to, and every reason to, play Kluivert, Simons, Van De Ven, Lang, Geertruida lots of minutes. Van Hecke should start to get the bad taste of the last match out his mouth.
Watching the first half of Ned-Mal. Gakpo looks very tired and needs to be replaced. Malta defends resolutely and NED sometimes lacks creativity to break that defense. In general, after the sparking first 15 min, it was a quite boring game. If I was Koeman, I would make all five changes after the second half to give opportunity other players.
You will not have creativity as long you play Van de ven and Dumfries as your full back..they basically cannot do it..Do you guys remmber Hartmaan gaol vs France with Berjwin combination??if you want that you need real ball players..Van de ven is class Center back,so Doea Ake…yes since they are so talented they can even play Goal keepr role ..thats not their strength..
if we want to play silky flow foot ball on left…you better move Gakpo to middle or bench him..Put simons on left winger spot or even Noah lang on left winger spot..same time put Maatsen,hato,hartmann,i prefer Hato though…there you see creativity and patterns..
On right side put frimpong as right winger,then use Geetruida or Timber as RB..both are press resistant players who doesnt back pass or ball looser like dumfries..dumfries can easily be marked,beacause he cannot keep ball on his feet..he is waste in matches where it really counts..if want to see creatvity thats how idiot koeman should work..
Game vs spain was not a fluke..it was a statement that we are better,much much better with out dumfries,we are stunning with hato at left back..the first leg we were impeccable…Thanks to hato(though he made 2 mistakes,he could not get way like huijsen did for spain with biased refree)..we owe that game to hato,geetruida,frimpong,kluivert ,Reinders and frenkie..
Finally we understand whats our double pivot…our choice no 1 should be Reinders-Frenkie combo with koopemeiners-gravenberch on bench..
Simons——–Gakpo———–Frimpong
——————-kluivert————————–
—Reinders————–Frenkie————-
Hato–Virgil——De ligt———Timber
——————Verbruggen—————————–
on bench
——-Depay————Meerdink————
————–koopmeiners——————
——-Gravenberch—-Weiffer————-
Maatsen–Van de ven–De vrij–Geetruida
———————-Flekken——————————–
Additional 4 players
23-Nick olij
24-Nathan Ake
25-Jayden Addai
26-Milambo
i understand koeman will go for Malen over meerdink with weghorst as hitter.
Today u21 is facing portugal..it requires a miracle to beat Portugal team..i have not seen portugal u21..but our boys of u21,are least talented and pathetic,there is no one stands out except Jorrel hato..i am not writing off poku,and ryan flemingo they do give us little hope..
Am going to watch the match in 1 hour time..Michael Reiziger is a pathetic coach ,he has no plan B.his selections of players are average ,his coach method is below average.He should not be anywhere near U21.
We are doomed with koeman and Reiziger Good luck..
Yes, looking forward to the match. They are playing shorthanded—no Taylor, rensch or Van Bommel—but the team was tight defensively against Portugal, and can win this one.
And…U19’s semi-final Netherlands 3-1 Romania. Over the tournament, Land, Smitt, Read and Oufkir have stood out. Will play Spain in the Final onThursday.
Overall Young Oranje did ok against England U21, but England has some premium players like Elliot and Hutchinson. Its a shame that Meerdink didn´t go, but for Reiziger this tournament was more important then the big picture (WC2026).. I liked Valente, good energy, Poku tried and our goalkeeper was really strong, some very good saves.
Agree; they didn’t have a talent like Eliot. Maybe an equivalent would have been Simons or Emegha. Hoping for a better result tonight in the U19 final.
Crazy that Meerdink was not even called for Young Oranje, probably punished because he was on stand-by list from Young Oranje and told that he was injured and then played a friendly game for AZ….
Strange indeed. I thought the call up for young Scherpen was odd, but maybe Bizot ( better, more experienced) is not fit or available? It probably won’t matter as Scherpen will not play a second of course and Robin Roefs will be busy with Young Oranje?
I would have expected Piroe, the golden boot winner of te Championship. I mean, that is on par with the golden boot of the Eredivisie in my book. What does he have to do to get a look in?
I was also surprised to see Ake? He hasn’t played for months. Maybe Koeman wants to keep him in the group for his leadership and to keep him involved but I would have loved to see Baas or Struijk.
Koeman doesn’t really offer much to young players coming through. Conservative, lack of ideas.
God, I hope we will get a more adventurous coach soon!!
Who would be the ideal successor to Koeman? Bosz is still committed to PSV. Ten Hag just signed for Leverkusen. Ron Jans?
Bizot did very good, also in the Champions League, more experienced but Flekken will be starter.
Piroe not even called for Young Oranje, correct?
Aké normaly is a starter, much more experienced for now than Hato.
Bosz has a contract for 1 more year at PSV, but PSV is eager to extend with him. Ron Jans lacks experience with big competitions/players… Not sure if that is a good fit, training Utrecht is one, NT is another ballgame. Lets wait Koemans performance, the games against Spain give hope, and there is still 1 year before the world cup.
What about Sem Steijn ! as an attacking midfielder he scored 24 goals in Eredivisie !
I think he has a few very good lads in front of him, he needs some more experience (internationaly)
GK: It will probably be Flekken starting in Helsinki. He had a pretty good year in the EPL.
Other issues/questions:
LB: Looks like Ake or Van de Ven. LB is neither’s best or natural position. Sorry that Maatsen is not called up; he’s more dangerous down the left.
RB: I’m assuming that Frimpong is the RW so it is either Geertruida or Dumfries. There is no reason that Dumfries can’t play with Frimpong. he just has to play a more traditional RB role, rather than being positioned way up the field.
MF: Does he play with Simons or Kluivert as a 10? The team was more dynamic with Kluivert and Frimpong in the lineup than we’ve seen for a long time.
MF: If it is a true Kluivert or Simons at 10, it is Reijnders, Grav. and De Jong for two spots, so it really comes down to Grav. v. Reijnders.
@ Jan,
Thanks for the update. One of your title says “Koeman’s vision” Koeman has no vision. 90% of this squad has been around for the past 3 years. Have you noticed that all the coaches around the world are giving chances to the youngsters? Look at Lamine Yamal. Do you think if he was Dutch, Koeman would have gave him a chance? What more can you experience with Menphis Depay? What more can he brings?
Also, can you please comment on this one.
I feet as if De Jong after all these years in Barcelona has not improve one bit. Now the whole world is talking about Pedri. I have watched De Jong in the champions league. He never took over the game. He never exploded. He continued to do the very basic. If feel like if Barcelona ever found a slightly better player, they would put him on the bench. It is the same thing for the national team. He was a total disaster at the last world cup. He has not improved. He last best game was several years ago at the one of the nation league game I believes was against either France or Germany I don’t remember. Remember, he is now aging. If it isn’t now, when?
It is what it is. You just have to except the faith of Dutch football. It ain’t gonna change.
I don’t agree though it an important fixture. This games shud be used to try new things out and combos and players . I mean Finland??? Really.
Piroe atleast shud have been called to replace Brobbey. I mean you still wanna depend on Depay who has a spare tyre. He will bang goals fun and koeman will justify his selection but come time when it is needed the most. You know what the outcome will. Weghorst to salvage him with sneaky goals. Either way nothing much to say.
The big discussion in the Dutch media is not Piroe but Meerdink not being there…. I think Steyn should have been there as well, as these 2 are very promissing for the furture…..
The way meerdink gets his goals gives you hope and wibe for a decent striker to carry us furthur..So does Piroe..
“Uninspiring” is my immediate thought regarding the team selection. Against Malta particularly Koeman has the opportunity to blood new young players. Even if they only step onto the pitch for 20 minutes as a substitute, it is valuable.
Why do we need so many defenders to play Finland and Malta?! There is a clear opportunity to drop a defender or two and have 1 or 2 extra untested attacking prospects on the bench.
Koeman has bemoaned his lack of striker options. To be honest, I don’t see what he is doing about it. All he knows is to play Depay or Weghorst.
He has two clear options in front of him which I see little evidence of him trying:
1) Giving young alternatives a go, especially those outside the ‘big clubs’ Ajax, PSV, Premier League, La Liga etc.
2) See if outside of club football within the national team setup that he can stimulate some kind of form, confidence in front of goal and partnership between the attack players orientated around Brobbey or Zirkzee, (or someone else other than Depay or Weghosrt). All I ever see is said players being introduced for a game here or there but never given any real sustained time to get used to playing up front in the Oranje jersey.
This would mean throwing the form book out of the window. However sometimes giving genuine (I highlight this term) opportunities can generate a hunger and confidence. This would also require a vision, a long-term plan, perseverance and man management skills from the coach, which I fear Koeman does not possesses.
It makes me sad when I watch other nations and clubs give opportunities to fresh and attaining success with this approach, hungry young players and The Netherlands team coach still blindly selecting from the same circle of players.
I have seen Greece give a 17-year-old Karetsas who plays for Genk nine matches. He was excellent, scoring a superb goal against Scotland a few months ago. I see none of this type of vision from the Dutch setup.
One of the reasons why I fell in love with Dutch football in the early 90s was because I could sense something different. A vision, and idea, a swagger with a blend of youth. Watching Ajax win the Champions League with a youthful team sealed the deal for my love for Dutch football. Watching many consecutive Dutch National teams come so close to success with an abundance of talent, creativity and style only added to the drama.
With Koeman at the helm, I see no vision. Which is sad, because I see that with the current team, there is talent and there is opportunity, and outside the team there are a lot of decent prospects, but there is the wrong captain steering the ship.
*Btw, I am not bashing Weghorst (he has a role in the team for sure), or Depay (he has clear limitations and we need something fresh and more long-term upfront if we want to take the next step).
Koeman is a poopy butt. He has one pattern and if a player, even if he is brilliant, does not fit into that pattern, Koeman will ignore him.
Happy to see you back Bro..koeman is a dimwit..i dont expcet anything good from him..But wim jonk will save him to some extend..
Yes, good to see you guys back, this is the year that it has to happen for Oranje, this generation is promising…..
koeman has Vision??…koeman and vision are on opposite spectrum…
Why Ake??..He was injured for long time,he needs time..We would have been perfect with Hato and Maatsen..As a makeshift left back we could use Van de ven and Geetruida..So why Ake..its time for Botman to get introduced to team if he wanted another LCB..Ake plays 3 men back system with a wing back and he plays LCB.Koeman needs expereience Vs MAlta????..what a clown he is..
the liverpool winner trio are enjoying and relaxed and partying. I mean Gakpo,Gravenberch and virgil..i would be surprised if they play lackluster game in coming days..
it was pefect time to give chance to piroe and meerdink for Malen and Depay..thats the kind of shift we need,At least a test chance..this kind of cowardice will never make you champion..
our only hope is Wim jonk and his training methods,he has improved our team..
i am Pi@##sed off by koeman selection to see Depay and Malen in team…
Also that AZ keeper Oduro is much better than kyle sherppen..
As usual PSG and its young players A2@S whooped old legged intermilan..Dumfries looked like clueless..
Owusu-Oduro of AZ Alkmaar has a potential to develop into a solid goalkeeper. However, at this point of time, he is not ready for Oranje. This year he was playing most of the games for AZ, and several times he made very bad mistakes. One of his weak spots is long range shots. He always misjudges them. I personally felt so confident Zoet was playing between the bars than Owusu-Oduro. I agree that Bizot was supposed to be called for Oranje.
My Starting 11
Flekken
Aké – Van Dijk – Van Hecke – Dumfries
De Jong – Gravenbergh – Reijnders
Lang – Gakpo – Frimpong
I am not wishing anything bad to Oranje, but I do not want Koeman to continue.
In order to get rid of Memphis, he should be officially banned from playing in Oranje. Otherwise, Koeman will use him until Memphis retires. Both Memphis and Weghorst should retire from Oranje.
I think that Weghorst is a perfect guy for the last 15 minutes if you need to force something, so I would stay with him, but he is not a starter. I can imagine that Memphis will return to PSV so he can qualify for WC2026, on the other hand maybe he will leave for Saudi Arabia to fill his pockets and then he will disappear as Koeman is not a big fan of that competition.
Per VI, lineup: Flekken, Dumfries, Van Hecke, Ake; Reijnders, Gravenberch, De Jong; Frimpong. Memphis, Gakpo.
ohh blog looks dead..common guys, be here,say something..
@ Emmanual
The blog is quiet because people are fed up with R Koeman and Dutch Football Federation. There is not excitement. Holland is the only big football nation that hasn’t lift the WC and we are not even trying. The last and only time the Dutch won something was in 1988. The past 6 years we have been recycling a bunch of coaches with no new ideas. The past 3 years, our starting 11 has not changed one bit. SAME OLD PLAYERS! Look at France, Germany and Spain(Barcelona). All of these coaches are bringing new and younger players like Yamine Yamal, Pedri, Leao for Portugal, many youngsters from Germany except R Koeman. Totally insane! Why did the Dutch Federation went for Koeman again, I don’t know. From a fan perspective, I am fed up. I think we have enough players available to build a very strong team that could have be ready for the next year WC but Koeman does not want to look forward. He kept on bringing the same old players all the time. The only reason I think we are going to the WC is because we are in the easiest group. Even in such a group, he still not bringing any new players. Let me tell you what is going to happen at the WC. We are going to go out just like Italy in 2010 and I hope this time the Dutch Federation doesn’t go for Van Gaal again. HAHAHAHAHA.
@Jean ..you are pretty much right, we understand what will be the out come with Koeman.Has he beaten a top team ??No..will he beat a Top team?? most likely no..Does he tactically good or astute to lead the team ? No..
i would blame Nijel De jong and knvb as well,they play crucial role in this sturpidity to stay with koeman..
i understand we are going thorugh a painful time with a dumb coach and no excitement thats why blog is vacant..
Hi guys, sorry I wasn’t able to post earlier. Got this rotten flu ruining my life at the moment :-). Jean asked me about my blog post and comments on Koeman’s vision. Jean, I didn’t write the blog. Johan did. Maybe he wants to comment.
As for your comments on Frenkie de Jong, you are still quite unique in your views on football. You must be the only living human being thinking that Frenkie is not developing. Even Inzaghi after the Inter – Barca CL semi finals said that “people talk about Yamine Lamal and with good reason, but I saw another player who played the perfect game and should be named more. 100% pass accuracy, and always finding the right solution”. he was talking about Frenkie.
Flick told Barca: extend his deal, he is super important for us.
I don’t think you understand football as well as you think. Frenkie has been instrumental for Barca and hardly ever disappoints in Oranje.
I do agree with the criticism on Koeman. He’s old school. A Dinosaur.
Having said that: the really bright new lads for Oranje ( Xavi, Frimpong, Van der Ven) are part of the squad. I get that people are excited about Meerdink and Stein but I too think it’s too early. Meerdink will get there, but I think Reiziger is dealing with him so Koeman wouldn’t touch him. For Stein this is too early. He plays at Twente now where he is the key man in the team. I still need to see him succeed at Feyenoord, where he is expected work his arse off and play football. His contributions without the ball at Twente are poor. He scores easily but his overall play is not that great. Not as good as Reijnders or Simons and maybe physically also not there. Don’t forget Klaassen, Van de Beek and Vincent Janssen in bigger competitions.
Back from my holiday 🙂
Agreed with Jan, Meerdink and Steyn are to young and yes Frenkie is Top Player, unique at Dutch team, only a good Schouten get close to his skills. Schouten was injurid for most of the time last season, so poor performance but also an amazing player (like Frenkie).
Guys, lets keep the blog alive please, thats what this place makes so unique….
If you guys want to contribute please let me know…
I think we’ll see some changes tomorrow. I hope a 3 man at the back system when we’re in possession: Geertruida instead of Dumfries (who needs to travel to the World Cup for clubs).
I hope he’ll play Olij, to give him his debut.
Then:
Geertruida – Van Dijk – Van der Ven
Wiefer – Frenkie – Xavi Simons – Taylor
Malen – Weghorst – Lang
With Memphis coming in after 60 minutes to score two goals.
We’ll win this 6-0 I think, with Taylor, Weghorst, Lang, Malen, Xavi and Memphis on the score sheet.
@ Jan,
You are a Dutch bias, I get it! I am too sometimes but if Inzaghi had to pick between De Jong and Pedri, I guarantee you he would not pick De Jong. If you can please tell me a game this season or even last year where De Jong had exploded? A game where De Jong was the deciding factor? The only game I can think of was right when I got back from injury the (Real vs Barca) game. I’m reading several soccer magazines, no one is talking about De Jong but everyone is talking about Pedri. You talk about 100% pass accuracy but off course, if I’m constantly passing the ball to the guy right next to me or kicking it to the guy behind me, I’m going to get 100% accuracy. That’s what he does most of the time. When De Jong left Ajax, the expectation was for him be like Luca Modric or Tony Kross. So far he has not met that expectation. When De Jong is not on the field for Barca, you don’t feel it. As far as the national team, he has very little impact. De Jong was completely absent at the WC, injured at the Euros and no impact in the Nations league. Now De Jong is about 28 years old. My point is people had higher expectations when it comes to De Jong and so far he has not met those expectations.
Why am I even replying to you. If you do your homework you’d know Frenkie usually passes vertically forward. I’m starting to get that feeling with you that I had for years and prompted me to abandon all this. I’ll stop responding to you. You’re a troll and have not much warmth for the Oranje, so cu later.
Re: the Finland match. Not much to say. It came at the end of a long season for most these guys. Two early goals. Finland was not going to trouble them too much with De Jong and Gravenberch sitting in front of the defense. The intensity dropped and they saw the game out. Nothing exciting except the win to start the qualifying—sometimes boring is fine, think of previous qualifying campaigns when they got an unexpected result early, and had to chase it.
Some thoughts:
—I know Dumfries scored, and he has shown he can do so, but I’d still rather have Frimpong wide and one-on-one against a defender, opening space and forcing another defender to come over and help out leaving more room in the middle. With Dumfries up there it causes a little too much of a crowd, and Frimpong isn’t used to his best advantage. Judging by what the players said afterwards though, they are aware of it, so maybe they’ll figure it out, with Dumfries playing more like a traditional rfb and choosing his runs more, rather than just starting so far up the field.
—Gravenberch and De Jong, with Reijnders at the 10, is a stronger defensive lineup, but they don’t get the same penetration as with Kluivert at the 10, and Reijnders coming forward from a deeper position. So which do you pick?
Re Malta: Hopefully, Koeman will give lots of players an opportunities. No reason not to, and every reason to, play Kluivert, Simons, Van De Ven, Lang, Geertruida lots of minutes. Van Hecke should start to get the bad taste of the last match out his mouth.
Watching the first half of Ned-Mal. Gakpo looks very tired and needs to be replaced. Malta defends resolutely and NED sometimes lacks creativity to break that defense. In general, after the sparking first 15 min, it was a quite boring game. If I was Koeman, I would make all five changes after the second half to give opportunity other players.
You will not have creativity as long you play Van de ven and Dumfries as your full back..they basically cannot do it..Do you guys remmber Hartmaan gaol vs France with Berjwin combination??if you want that you need real ball players..Van de ven is class Center back,so Doea Ake…yes since they are so talented they can even play Goal keepr role ..thats not their strength..
if we want to play silky flow foot ball on left…you better move Gakpo to middle or bench him..Put simons on left winger spot or even Noah lang on left winger spot..same time put Maatsen,hato,hartmann,i prefer Hato though…there you see creativity and patterns..
On right side put frimpong as right winger,then use Geetruida or Timber as RB..both are press resistant players who doesnt back pass or ball looser like dumfries..dumfries can easily be marked,beacause he cannot keep ball on his feet..he is waste in matches where it really counts..if want to see creatvity thats how idiot koeman should work..
Game vs spain was not a fluke..it was a statement that we are better,much much better with out dumfries,we are stunning with hato at left back..the first leg we were impeccable…Thanks to hato(though he made 2 mistakes,he could not get way like huijsen did for spain with biased refree)..we owe that game to hato,geetruida,frimpong,kluivert ,Reinders and frenkie..
Finally we understand whats our double pivot…our choice no 1 should be Reinders-Frenkie combo with koopemeiners-gravenberch on bench..
Simons——–Gakpo———–Frimpong
——————-kluivert————————–
—Reinders————–Frenkie————-
Hato–Virgil——De ligt———Timber
——————Verbruggen—————————–
on bench
——-Depay————Meerdink————
————–koopmeiners——————
——-Gravenberch—-Weiffer————-
Maatsen–Van de ven–De vrij–Geetruida
———————-Flekken——————————–
Additional 4 players
23-Nick olij
24-Nathan Ake
25-Jayden Addai
26-Milambo
i understand koeman will go for Malen over meerdink with weghorst as hitter.
Today u21 is facing portugal..it requires a miracle to beat Portugal team..i have not seen portugal u21..but our boys of u21,are least talented and pathetic,there is no one stands out except Jorrel hato..i am not writing off poku,and ryan flemingo they do give us little hope..
Am going to watch the match in 1 hour time..Michael Reiziger is a pathetic coach ,he has no plan B.his selections of players are average ,his coach method is below average.He should not be anywhere near U21.
We are doomed with koeman and Reiziger Good luck..
So far (85th minute), the Dutch U21 play very concentrated. I like it ok except R. van Bommel.
0-1 Poku, the Portuguese don’t impress me…
yup…Monster performance by Hato, Rensch,etc..
Hopefully a good result later today, looking forward
Yes, looking forward to the match. They are playing shorthanded—no Taylor, rensch or Van Bommel—but the team was tight defensively against Portugal, and can win this one.
And…U19’s semi-final Netherlands 3-1 Romania. Over the tournament, Land, Smitt, Read and Oufkir have stood out. Will play Spain in the Final onThursday.
Overall Young Oranje did ok against England U21, but England has some premium players like Elliot and Hutchinson. Its a shame that Meerdink didn´t go, but for Reiziger this tournament was more important then the big picture (WC2026).. I liked Valente, good energy, Poku tried and our goalkeeper was really strong, some very good saves.
Agree; they didn’t have a talent like Eliot. Maybe an equivalent would have been Simons or Emegha. Hoping for a better result tonight in the U19 final.
U19 finals: Netherlands 1-0 Spain