Netherlands kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Bulgaria on Sunday. Michael Bell rates the Oranje performances.
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Jasper Cillessen 5.5/10
Didn’t really have any saves to make and couldn’t prevent the Bulgaria goal, but I found Cillessen frustrating in possession during the game. Was far too slow in the first half with his distribution and almost seemed to be time wasting despite it only being 1-0.
Kenny Tete 5.5/10
Got a lot of space on the right-hand side but struggled to make any sort of impact going forward, unlike Blind on the other flank. Most of his crosses sailed out of play and he was caught out a couple of times defensively. Not a bad performance, but could have contributed more.
Daley Blind 8/10
For me, Blind was the best Oranje player on the pitch. He not only contributed the assists for the first two goals but he was always an attacking outlet on the left wing. He found space constantly and linked well with Quincy Promes, while remaining untroubled at the back.
Wesley Hoedt 5.5/10
With Bulgaria sitting deep during the game, Hoedt got the chance to move forward with the ball on several occasions but he was too inaccurate and slow with his passing. Was also frustrating to see him constantly pass the ball backward. Will probably lose his place as soon as Virgil van Dijk returns.
Stefan de Vrij 6/10
Had very little to do during the game. Was untroubled by the Bulgarian attack and didn’t venture forward with the ball often.
Tonny Vilhena 6/10
Put in a lot of effort during the game and made some good interceptions and tackles. However, was sloppy in possession and seemed to be less influential after receiving a yellow card. He is a player I wan’t to see in the national team, but not his best performance on Sunday.
Georginio Wijnaldum 5/10
Another invisible performance from the Liverpool man, who continues to struggle in an Oranje shirt. Had very little impact on the game and lost the ball on several occasions. Nearly played himself into big trouble at the back during the second half.
Davy Propper 7.5/10
Totally justified his selection over Wesley Sneijder by netting two goals during the game. Also linked well with Janssen up front. A very solid performance from the Brighton midfielder. His best yet in Oranje.
Arjen Robben 6.5/10
Got a goal in the second half which saw him overtake Johan Cruyff in the all time top scorers chart for Oranje. However, he struggled to have a major impact on proceedings despite a lot of effort. Saw a few efforts blocked and sent a strike over the bar. Looked visibly frustrated at times, possibly with his own performance, but more likely with his teammates, who frequently failed to spot him in space.
Quincy Promes 7/10
A bright performance from the winger which saw him play a major role in the opening goal before providing the assist for Propper’s second. Played some nice touches with Blind on the left flank and most of Netherlands best play came from the duo. He is playing with a lot of confidence at the moment in Russia and is justifying his selection over Memphis Depay.
Vincent Janssen 5/10
A man clearly out of form and match practise, Janssen was a frustrating watch on Sunday. He did play a part in the opening goal with a nice flick, but after that everything just seemed to go wrong. Missed several chances and that could prove crucial with it likely to come down to goal difference with Sweden. Cannot understand why Advocaat didn’t swap him for Bas Dost in the second half, especially with the amount of space Blind was getting to cross on the left-hand side.
Sub: Marco van Ginkel X
Not on the pitch long enough for a thorough review.
The Manager: Dick Advocaat 5/10
Got his team selection right by picking Davy Propper over Wesley Sneijder, but it didn’t seem like he injected any urgency into his players, who were lethargic after going 1-0 up. Left it far too late to make a change and when he did it was a midfielder for another midfielder, instead of introducing another striker.
It feels to me like he doesn’t fully understand that it is likely going to come down to goal difference with Sweden. He failed to shut up shop against France on Thursday after the red card and he failed to freshen his attack on Sunday. These could be vital errors when it comes down to who gets second place.
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Advocaat is out of touch, and his appointment is a colossal mistake. He saw his team dominated by a superior French team and did nothing. Then he insisted on selecting the hapless useless Vincent Janssen and stuck with him when he was clearly struggling. And instead of pushing his team to score at will, he saves his 3 subs till the last few minutes, and even then he gets it wrong!
I am devastated, avid Oranje fan here… Looks like I won’t be enjoying the WC!!!
Thank you Blind, Advocaat, and most importantly, the oblivious KNVB
Spot on with your ratings and analysis, Michael. You make some very good points about Cillessen, Hoedt, and of course Janssen. A few of my thoughts:
– Although Vilhena wasn’t perfect in this match, he needs to become a regular. He’s positionally aware, defensively sound, and is tenacious with bundles of energy. That’s something the Dutch have lacked in the MF in recent years.
– Wijnaldum deserved a 3 or 4. Invisible summed him up perfectly. He completely lacks awareness of what’s going on around him and is the reason he gets so dispossessed frequently (both here and at Liverpool). How many bad matches for the Oranje are necessary before he is dropped?
– Even if VVD is back, I have a nasty feeling Advocaat will play Hoedt or BMI next match because of the whole “one left footed CB” thing. That idea is so naive – the Dutch are not Italy and do not have the luxury tons of great CBs. They should play the best 2 CBs regardless of “footedness” – and that’s VVD and de Vrij.
– Hopefully Advocaat has the sense to start Dost next time around and Karsdorp is back. That will allow good service from both fullbacks to a CF who knows how to find the back of the net. They will certainly need a lot of goals against Belarus.
Completely disargee with Gio and Tonys ratings.
Best midfielding perfomance from a dutch side since Brazil. Literally. Not perfect in the least bit but they were tidy and bossed play. Plus they looked fit which is something we haven’t looked in a while. Give them a break.
Sneider should never were oranje again. Thanks for all you have done Wes!
…..Gio?
Cillessen, not so confident in his team which probably made him tentative on his distribution. Hopefully, Karsdorp and van Dijk will be options next time, as well as Klaassen. Wijnaldum plays so well off the ball and people lose that in his ratings. Pieters at left-back would be welcomed. Switch to a similar tactic as Klopp with a False 9 utilizing Promes or Robben there and the latter or former on the wing and Depay out on the left. Vilhena as the 8, Wijnaldum and Klaassen in front of him. Tete/Karsdorp, de Vrij, van Dijk and Pieters to round out the defence. I love Dost, but the Netherlands National Team just doesn’t utilize him as they should. With Janssen not named to Tottenham’s Champions League squad I do not see him being called up again.
Wijnaldum’s movement may be good, but that doesn’t excuse his poor play with the ball in recent matches. He was the most dispossessed player at Liverpool last year and was truly awful in both France matches and the away Bulgaria match. Then he sometimes compounds the problem by giving it away too often, as he did in this match. And his ability to recover the ball is almost non-existent.
As one of the few players in the team who regularly plays for a top side, Dutch fans have the right to expect a lot better of him. And both he and Strootman have both let them down massively in this campaign