Netherlands booked a slender 1-0 victory over Latvia on Friday as they took another step towards World Cup qualification. Michael Bell provides his player ratings for the Oranje stars.
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Justin Bijlow 7/10: Latvia got one big chance towards the end and Bijlow had to come to Netherlands rescue with a big save. He didn’t have much to do but showed once again that he is very reliable
Denzel Dumfries 5.5/10: Sloppy performance from the Inter right-back, who messed up some good attacks at times. Not at his usual level in Oranje.
Daley Blind 6/10: A solid enough performance at left back from Blind, who came close to scoring with a strike just off target. A reliable player in possession of the ball.
Stefan de Vrij 6/10: Another solid outing from the centre-back who is keeping Matthijs de Ligt on the bench. Had little to do but kept possession well and dealt with anything Latvia had to throw at him.
Virgil van Dijk 6/10: An overall solid match from the Netherlands captain despite one error in the first half that led to a chance.
Frenkie de Jong 5/10: Often reliable in Oranje, Frenkie had an off day and struggled to make a difference against a side set up to frustrate. Too many sideways passes at times, while Frenkie lost the ball more than usual too.
Davy Klaassen 7/10: The match winner for the Netherlands, Klaassen once again in the right place at the right time to net an important goal. An important player for Oranje at the moment.
Guus Til 5/10: Not the first start for Netherlands that Til will have wanted as he struggled to get involved and was substituted around the hour mark for Ryan Gravenberch. Latvia’s tight defence left Til struggling.
Steven Berghuis 5.5/10: Not able to replicate his excellent form for Ajax recently and struggled to make his mark on the game before being replaced by Noa Lang.
Cody Gakpo 6/10: A lively performance from Gakpo, who went close to scoring on a number of occasions. It is still early days for Gakpo in Oranje but he is a player with huge potential.
Memphis Depay 5.5/10: Another assist in Oranje for Memphis but this was not his finest game for Netherlands. He put a good chance wide of the post and lost the ball in good areas.
Substitutes
Ryan Gravenberch 5.5/10: Had a big chance to score which he didn’t take and struggled to have an impact on the game, unlike the other two substitutes who came on. A player with huge potential still waiting for a big performance in Oranje.
Noa Lang 6/10: Making his debut, Lang had something to prove and he looked lively on the wing. Set up Memphis for a good chance and then had a shot blocked. Plenty more to come from the Club Brugge star.
Wout Weghorst 6/10: Added a presence in the box and he went close to scoring twice. Clearly had an impact off the bench.
Very frustrating performance all around. Memphis and FDJ have clearly had their confidence damaged by their recent undewhelming play for Barcelona. The latter in particular may have just played his worst game in an orange shirt, i’ve never before seen him be so sloppy with passing. He almost cost his team with a needless attack and pass in injury time too, which led to the late corners. Thankfully Bijlow saved his bacon.
A win is a win but it was poor, and Gibraltar won’t be an indicator of any improvement. Lots for LVG to think about before the Montenegro match next month. They’ll need a better performance than this if they are to win that.
I don’t see Van Gaal putting the Oranje’s ‘best foot forward’ at the moment.
Who doesn’t want to see a front three of Danjuma, Depay and Lang? (the Latvia and Gibraltar double was the perfect opportunity to bring them together)
Why not a midfield of Frenkie-Koops-Gini – it makes the most sense both in attack and defence. And more so that Koops can take the pressure off Frenkie in orchestrating, has the long range passes and the intelligence of when and how to make runs into the box. As a three they just look the best balanced and dynamic.
Whereas with Klassen, the midfield is made to work more around him and to make up for his deficiencies in tracking and defending – against better sides in the big games Klassen will get found out in defence.