Netherlands chances at Euro's just took a massive hit. Had them as one of the favorites but without Depay can't see them going far. He plays at an elite level in Oranje. This is devastating. And who knows if Depay ever recovers to 100 percent. Feel terrible for him
Depay and Malen going down on the same day with ACL injuries is devastating... Terrible for our Euros and very worrysome for their future progression as players. With Stengs, Boadu, Malen and Depay all having/having had serious long term injuries pretty much our whole offensive line is a risk for the future. Really rough..... We’re gonna need players like Boadu, Ihattaren, Stengs etc to step up huge in the coming period...
Oranje offensive lineup is cursed! Injuries are piling up. Started with Bergwijn earlier in the season. Then, Promes. Now Depay & Malen, and Kluivert. Dilrosun and Danjuma haven't fully res-discovered their forms from last season after both went down. Koeman will go to Euro with Luuk, Babel, Weghorst and Berghuis. Wow, let that sink for a while
ACL injuries can take a year to fully heal. They can not assess the damage o until the swelling goes down.
Might as well stay home if that’s the case. Seriously though, this blows. Depay is our star forward. Both Malen and Boadu could have developed in his shadow. Now the former is likely to be seriously injured as well. This leaves Boadu to be thrown into the lion’s den. As much as that prospect scares me I’d rather it be Boadu then Luuk. Anyone is better than Luuk as far as that’s concerned. Surely Stengs and Boadu are a shoo-in for getting selected now. Hopefully Ihattaren regains his form and gets to go as well. Even if Depay and Malen recover in the nick of time they would be lacking severely in match fitness and it begs the question of how much they could really be of value to the team in such case. Lack of match fitness is often underrated, only to be used as an excuse for sub-par performances in hindsight. Sigh.....
Agreed. Furthermore, like I said, it will be the perfect setup for them to fail. Lack of match fitness has proven to be crucial to performance time and again most times. So it’s a lose-lose situation if Koeman decides to risk it, which he just might, at least with Depay... I think we should look at this EC as e stepping stone towards the WC. Let our very talented youth have a go at it. Stengs, Boadu, Dilrosun, Ihattaren, Bergwijn, Koopmeiners, Frenkie, Donny, De Ligt, Ake. Of course mixed with some of the more experienced players like Virgil, Wijnaldum, Promes, De Vrij, Van Aanholt, and Blind. Will most likely see Babel, Berghuis, De Roon and co. judged by Koeman’s past actions. Big sigh...
I did not see Vincent Janssen in the Monterrey team sheet in their first win in the club WC. Don't know why as he had been starting. Monterrey play Liverpool on Wednesday and I would like to see him in that match to see if he is back.
Janssen faded as quickly as he burst onto the scene. I wonder if in the modern game an out and out striker like the van Nistelrooy’s/Huntelaar’s/Luuk’s/Wout’s of this world would still be effective. It helps if the latter two were world class finishers like the former two, of course. Maybe the game as it is right now favors the quicker, multifaceted, more dynamic strikers we see today in the mold of Aguero, Dybala, Lautaro, Reus, Suarez, Mbappe, Depay and co. Which is why the prospect of Boadu/Malen is an exciting one. Then again we have Lewandowski and Kane... Though the latter is struggling a lot this season. Seems that these types of strikers are a dying breed. That includes Janssen.
Indeed. With Malen out too, that’s going to be a lot of pressure on young Boadu. I do believe in him, though. If not for this EC certainly for the WC.
Okay, so I'm obviously not a doctor, but the challenge didnt look too bad, and the fact he could still limp off the field without a brancard is a good sign IMO. Video: https://www.ad.nl/video/ernstige-knieblessure-voor-memphis-depay~p118707
Injury problem. They tried to get him ready, even took him to qatar, but in the end he wasnot healed enough to put him on the pitch.
Malen injury not as bad as originally feared: https://www.voetbalprimeur.nl/nieuw...kt-op-eerste-oog-minder-erg-dan-verwacht.html
Ok let’s try to have some fun then at the Euro and put Malen Boadu and Stengs. At least they’ll get experience. We have a young team but talented nevertheless, the only player totally irreplaceable at this point is Frenkie. Even Van Dijk can take a day off. Really bad luck with Memphis tbh. Let’s see how he develops. He has always been a fighter for sure. I feel Koeman will try to take him although it might not be the smartest move out there.
The trio of Promes, Bergwijn and Stengs/Babel/Boadu, while not necessarily "elite", should have enough ammunition to take Oranje top of the group stage. Ukraine, Austria and the other member (whichever team may end up there) are not exactly powerhouses - and playing at home would be a huge advantage. The key is to get the same offensive output, if not better, from the midfield players - as it did during in the qualifying stage. Wijnaldum is needed more than ever for his forward runs, goals and assists. Frenkie is Frenkie... he is the play director. I hope that Koeman is open-minded to spice things up in midfield... perhaps by introducing Mo Ihattaren or switching one of Stengs or Bergwijn to a free-roaming, offensive midfielder. This would add more creativity in midfield and prevent the opposing team double-teaming Frenkie. At the very least, Koeman must be able to unlock V.d. Beek, as putting De Roon would logjam the midfield and slow things down. Assuming finishing top, in the second round (round of 16), Oranje would have 66.67%, or 2 out 3 chance, to face a favorable team (3rd place finishers in group D or E). The other third place would be a nightmare scenario... coming out group of death, group F - this could be Portugal or France. And then QF and beyond, well, this is a crapshoot... who knows which team is hot. So I think QF is a reasonable expectation, maybe SF with lucky bounce of the balls. Anything short, well I'd say it's quite a disappointment campaign. If there's any silver lining in Memphis' injuries, it happened 7+ months ago before the first kick-off, so plenty of time for Koeman to plan ahead and figure things out. Doesn't take away the pain, though. Hopefully no more shockers like, fingers crossed!!!
Unless Stengs, Boadu, Dilrosun, Ihattaren, Bergwijn, Koopmeiners, Donny (maybe we can try him up front rather than midfield, leave midfield spot for Ihattaren), De Ligt step up big time, without Depay up front the chance to win Euro is slim. Time to give those young players much needed experiences to aim for the WC in 2022. Very sad to hear about these ACL injuries!
Against AZ it was said the weakness of Donny was exposed. He's not a player who can penetrate a defense by being played the ball through. He has to get the ball played to his foot. Plus he hasnot the creative qualities and defensive weaknesses. So for three spots with two locked in for Gini and Frenkie I wouldnot waste the third on Donny. It is Ihattaren against defensive teams and de Roon against teams with more attacking power and a strong midfield.
What was ment is that Ajax youth teams dominate the play so much that they hardly ever have the chance to play passes through to chase, but almost 100% of the time get the ball played in their foot and then take on the opponent. So it is precisely ment they're more developed to play in thight spaces.
van de Beek has been moving all around between a #10 and BTB MF. In the Valencia match, he was shifted in the 2nd half to have more defensive duties and totally closed down Parejo, the most influential Valencia MF. I think his defensive abilities are underrated. We'll see how the rest of the Ajax season goes. When Neres and Promes come back into the team, van de Beek is likely to be more BTB as Ziyech will drop back into the MF and have freedom to roam.