Netherlands started their European Championship qualifying campaign with a 4-0 victory over Belarus in Rotterdam on Thursday. Michael Bell provides his player ratings for Oranje’s stars.
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Jasper Cillessen 6.5/10: An overall quiet night for the goalkeeper but he did make one sloppy pass in the first half that could have been punished by a better team. In the second half he made up for it with an excellent fingertip save.
Denzel Dumfries 6.5/10: Was lively up and down the right wing and played a big role in the second goal. Looked tired in the second half before being substitute for Tete.
Daley Blind 6/10: A quiet night for the left-back, who did not contribute much going forward and was not challenged enough by Belarus at the back.
Matthijs de Ligt 6/10: Was solid in the first half but became sloppy after the break especially when Netherlands were forced to play with ten men. Igor Stasevich got in behind him and should have scored. Will hopefully be more focused against Germany.
Virgil van Dijk 7.5/10: The Netherlands captain is a sensational player and he breezed through the ninety minutes. Got a goal at the end to put some gloss on his 25th cap.
Marten de Roon 5/10: There is an argument that a player such as De Roon isn’t needed against a side like Belarus and Thursday proved it. He put some tackles in but was sloppy in passing. Got an unlucky booking before being brought off at half time.
Frenkie de Jong 7.5/10: Again, Frenkie looked like a star in Oranje. Breezed past his opponents and carried the ball with ease. Helped Netherlands gain ground when down to ten players and barely put a pass wrong all night. A sensational player.
Georginio Wijnaldum 8/10: Seems to love playing in his advanced position which he doesn’t get with Liverpool. Scored the second goal and looked lively throughout. Was constantly involved all over the pitch.
Ryan Babel 7/10: Another lively performance from the forward, who got past his marker Shitov on several occasions in the first half. His pressure led to the opener in the first minute too. He was given a deserved rest in the second half.
Steven Bergwijn 6.5/10: Looked lively at times and his pace frightened Belarus. However, didn’t have the impact he would have wanted. Plenty more to come from the PSV winger.
Memphis Depay 9/10: For some reason when Memphis pulls on an Oranje shirt he clicks into form. He has loved playing under Koeman so far and was exceptional on Thursday. Scored twice and gave two assists in a dominant attacking performance. He is key to Netherlands attack heading into Euro 2020.
Substitutes:
Kenny Tete 4/10: Was only on the pitch for a few minutes before going off with a hamstring injury
Davy Propper 6/10: Came on for De Roon at halftime and was tidy in possession. Didn’t put a foot wrong but also didn’t prove he should start over De Roon on Sunday.
Quincy Promes 6/10: Was lively after coming on for Babel and filled in at right-back when Tete went off. A role as a right-back against weaker side could be a future role for Promes.
Good ratings as usual, Michael.
I’m not sure I agree about RB being a future role for Promes,though. Even against Belarus he made a mess at RB twice. First was a pathetic attempt to clear a high ball (which De Jong had to clean up). Second was when he left a big a gap between him De Ligt on the long ball that resulted in Belarus’s only shot on target.
Koeman surely needs to bring in Janmaat or Hateboer for the Germany match as reserve RB.
I feel your rating is too harsh on De Roon. And Bergwijn is a 5 in my opinion.