Ronald Koeman has explained why he continues to select the struggling Luuk de Jong over Wolfsburg striker Wout Weghorst.
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Luuk de Jong has failed to score a goal or contribute an assist in seven La Liga games so far this season and he was heavily criticised in the Spanish media for a series of misses against Barcelona on Sunday.
Wout Weghorst, on the other hand, has been in great form for Wolfsburg so far, scoring four goals and adding two assists in seven Bundesliga games.
Koeman continues to prefer De Jong in his Netherlands squads and he explained why at his press conference on Monday. According to Voetbal International, he said, “If you really have to force something, I think that Luuk is better at it than Weghorst.”
On what Weghorst needs to do, Koeman added, “He must continue to score like this. He must also show that he improves throughout his game and not only focus on goals. He can do even better in that. But there is no doubt that he is enormously important for his club and he has a high return. That is of course what it is all about, that is clear.”
On De Jong’s performance against Barcelona, Koeman said, “For Luuk, it was only the first game that he really had chances. That he played again, indicates that the trainer has faith in Luuk. But he certainly should have made one. That is obvious. He was unhappy and had some bad luck. ”
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This is simply ridiculous. Koeman obviously has not seen Weghorst play much. He is a better all around player than De Jong. Why Davey Klaessen being ignored? He is excellent at Werder Bremen. Not having the time train should not be a reason to leave out better players in favor of average ones. Itaharren and Diest should think twice before opting for Netherlands it they want to advance their careers.
I think he’s more referring on the counter. Sure he can put the ball in the net, but how is he in transition and helping force the counter attack? These are the questions you must ask. As for Davy, he’s finding his form, but the midfield, Netherlands are not short on options. Sure we like his game better than Strootman, but Strootman adds the veteran presence which is a great counter balance to the squad’s youth.