Hoever is away with the u17 team... he probably regretted it I read that he was in line for a first team appearance for ‘Pool in less-glamorous Cup matches like this one. Maybe in the next round. Looks like a pretty busy and eventful match for Sepp.... 5-5 tie (went to PK shootout).
Well, both Hoever and vdBerg learn from these matches. Hoever learnes that tournement soccer in a hou, humid climate isnot funny, but most of all he gets used to it. Sepp learnes firts team football reallyis fast lane football in England.
I watched most of the Liverpool match and van den Berg was just OK. He was playing on the left side but is pretty much only right footed. I didn't see him do much kicking with his left foot. He was caught in a really bad position on one of the Arsenal goals and should have slid to try to clear the ball. Decent speed and quickness but several years away from NT consideration. I don't know what the future will be at Liverpool as they have some solid central defenders. He should have stayed in the Eredivisie where he would be playing against a higher level of football than with the Liverpool U-23s.
Caught the second half of AZ - Twente match... Wijndal was one the best on the field. Looked really composed, way beyond his age. He is a gem for sure. Also smart assist on the third goal (finished by Boadu). From the little that I saw, he had a decent shot to be part of the Team of the Week. And maybe a surprise call from Koeman?
So it seems that Patrick van Aanholt and Jetro Willems have been doing quite well in the Premier League for Crystal Palace and Newcastle respectively. Especially in attacking sense they have been getting a lot of praise (unsurprisingly). In fairness both are in no way currently any less than Mazraoui or Dest. Do you think either could potentially fill in the RB position or is that too difficult of a switch? With Wijndal coming up I think he should be looked at as the main LB option for the future. I also wonder how Ake could perform as a RB. What do you guys think is the ideal way to fill that position at the moment?
I don't know why you are comparing them to Mazraoui and Dest. Both have cast their lots with other NTs. Willems is a poor defender and putting him on his wrong foot side negates his ability as an attacker IMO. Ake is too prone to mistakes. Why are we even discussing the RB situation when Dumphries is already in the lineup and a decent choice. the problem is at LB with Blind's lack of pace even though he has other good attributes.
Because there is a lot of discussion (especially from Americans) about how we missed out on a superstar with Dest but personally I don't think either Mazraoui or Dest have shown anything more than Van Aanholt or Willems who are having decent careers but also didn't really reach any superstar status. They still can, they're both very young and have lots of potential (especially Dest) but the USMNT fans act like he is a sure case whereas for us it feels very similar to the last 10 other fullback prospects. In fairness I can understand their excitement to some degree though because even Patrick van Aanholt or Jetro Willems would be amongst the best players on their team, arguably even amongst their best players ever. As far as Dumphries, I think he has a lot of potential but he is also a kind of hateable player sometimes. Considering the players we will have at our disposal we need fullbacks who can combine well (a la Mazraoui, Dest, Wijndal, Van Aanholt, Willems, Blind, etc.) and Dumphries at this moment is still kind of a heads-down player. He also has a lot of potential but he isn't there yet. Who knows how he'll progress himself, but at the moment it is definitely a weak position for us. LB for me feels like less of a problem position because we have many solid options there, they just need to be used by Koeman. In my opinion Wijndal, Van Aanholt, Willems and Blind are all still better than Dumphries. Especially with Wijndal I feel confident for the future.
I have to admit looking at their forum there are definitely some delusional posters. As amazing as the thought is that Van Aanholt or Willems would probably be amongst the best Americans ever (if they were from the US) it isn't wrong. Look at their best players ever. I don't think any of their best players ever would even make it into our top-100 players since 1990, let alone of all time. Dempsey, Donovan etc. have had at best careers similar to players like Babel or Leroy Fer. Not trying to be arrogant, but the truth is US soccer is still way way behind because of their view on soccer. Even now they argue that their team is bad because they don't have the best athletes. ITS NOT ABOUT BEING THE BEST ATHLETE. Of course you have to be a 'good athlete' as in any professional sport, but the difference between the top players is in their technique not their athletic capabilities! Look at the plethora of super athletic wingers and fullbacks that were hyped up at a young age thanks to their speed and athleticism and then end up not really making it. We have had many of them just in this last generation in The Netherlands. Narsingh, Elia, Babel, Lens, Ola John, etc... All solid enough players but by no means top level.
Poor Dumfries... he can’t seem to get love and respect on this board. I don’t know why, maybe because he looks angry all the time I watch PSV games quite a bit, and I thought Dumfries is progressing just fine. He is only 22 years old, and he has planted himself as a key player for PSV. As a defender, it’s tough for him to get the MoTM award, but consistently he’s always the top 3 or 4 PSV best player. (BTW - his overall rating is third best among PSV squad this season in all competitions, according to whoscored). He is built like a brick and can produce strong challenges. Tracks his man just fine, rarely out-dueled in the air, and has plenty of ground speed to recover if he gets caught of position. His offensive output is a very welcomed addition. He is formidable when charging down the wing, is a very decent passer and crosser. He had a neat sequence this past weekend, launching a pinpoint cross while directing ball mid-air to Bruma (that he squandered badly in the end). It was a nice agility from Dumfries. But more impressive was the awareness of where his teammate was. His growing pain is that he has tendency to rush things and becomes out of control. Gives the ball too cheaply. Makes him look selfish when he has this kind of silly mistake. I think this is where casual observers, myself included, usually get irritated. He needs to take care of the ball! I must say that, anecdotally, his turnover rate has been declining. Overall, if you want a balanced modern fullback, Dumfries is your man. Veltman (and maybe Tete) will give you more defensive presence, but you get practically zero offense, and a lot of backpasses if that’s what you like. On the opposite end, I predict eventually Wijndal will be the long-awaited balanced LB, a successor (and upgrade?) of Blind. PvA and Willems will bring speed and forward runs, but suspicious defense. I personally cant stand defenders who can’t defend
Yup. The only one that really is a threat to him for that position at the moment is Rick Karsdorp, when he finally gets 90 minutes matchfit and stays healthy.
I was impressed with Dumfries at first and I like what a physical beast he is. I think he does have a lot of great attributes to become a monster, I still remember last season when gave Ajax hell. But man, when the team is off Dumfries can get really frustrating. I guess it's unfair to expect a fullback to bail your team out when it's performing badly, but sometimes his possession play against teams parking the bus can irritate me quite a bit. When it's an open game and he can make his marauding runs down the side he is at his best.
https://www.vi.nl/video/oranje-heeft-met-de-vrij-een-van-de-beste-bankzitters-van-europa 'Oranje heeft met De Vrij één van de beste bankzitters van Europa' 13 nov 2019 22.35 uur
Of course he already made his decision, but Dest had a fine match for the US last night as they easily defeated Canada.
Rumor has it that Messi has sadly won the Ballon d'Or over Van Dijk... In most years a Champions League winner gets it. With the latin voting block aligning their votes in all the years since 1995 it is basically impossible for a dutch player to win this.
Yes we can....by starting to kick the shit out of those so they donot make the end of the season. You can't win if you donot play
I just got home and didnt see the game, but twitter is lighting up He had some difficulties keeping his hands out of the way early on, but in recent weeks Matthijs de Ligt has been absolutely immense, and tonight has been his best performance yet.Strong, commanding, confident — he’s denied everything Atletico have thrown at him tonight. MOTM. pic.twitter.com/MO5H34SBOM— EiF (@EiFSoccer) November 26, 2019 Matthijs de Ligt 💪🏼 pic.twitter.com/9UNLeYYLks— Juve1897 (@Juve1897no) November 26, 2019
Yah if anyone wants to type in De Ligt on twitter they will see everyone raving about him. And rightfully so. The commentators couldn't stop talking about him
https://www.sofoot.com/pourquoi-van-dijk-merite-le-ballon-d-or-2019-477290.html Article from SoFoot about VvD his merits.
van Dijk with the only two goals in a Liverpool 2-1 win over Brighton. Keeper gets sent off for a hand ball but they hold on.