The Netherlands defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-2 on Saturday. Here are our player ratings for the Oranje stars.
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Bart Verbruggen 6/10: Didn’t have much to do throughout the game but picked the ball out of his net twice. Couldn’t do much about either goal.
Denzel Dumfries 6/10: Not his finest appearance in Oranje. Tried to get forward as much as possible but the end product wasn’t up to usual standard.
Nathan Ake 7/10: Played some excellent passes throughout the game and looked solid throughout. The best performing Oranje defender.
Virgil van Dijk 6/10: Didn’t look great for the first Bosnia and Herzegovina goal but not entirely his fault. Recovered well and was solid.
Matthijs de Ligt 5/10: Like Van Dijk, he was pulled out of position for Bosnia’s opener and he then let Dzeko run free for the second. Didn’t distinguish himself.
Jerdy Schouten 7/10: Another fine performance from the midfield controller, who is growing in importance for Oranje. Didn’t stand out as much as his midfield partners but did the little things well.
Ryan Gravenberch 7.5/10: A man in top form and his confidence showed throughout the game. A number of nice touches and passes. Koeman seems ready to let Gravenberch start more frequently now.
Tijjani Reijnders 8.5/10: Ended the game with a goal and assist but also hit the crossbar with an excellent effort. A brilliant performance from Reijnders at 10.
Xavi Simons 7.5/10: A lively performance from Simons, who began on the right wing. He created danger and eventually got the goal he deserved,
Cody Gakpo 7/10: A quieter performance from Gakpo, but he still ended it with a goal.
Joshua Zirkzee 8/10: His first start in Oranje and he did not disappoint. Opened the scoring and assisted the second. His link up play is excellent.
Substitutes
Lutsharel Geertruida N/A: Not on long enough for a review
Jurrien Timber N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
Donyell Malen N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
Wout Weghorst N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
Quinten Timber N/A: Not on the pitch long enough for a review
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This was a very interesting game. At one point, the passing and flowing style was such a joy to watch. Reminded me of old Dutch teams. Reijnders is definitely making this team tick. I would like to see how he does with Frenkie comes back. I see a trio of Reijnders, de Boer, and Gravenberch. It would need a good strong enforcer behind them to break up passes.
I was hugely disappointed by De Ligt. I was excited about him when he made the breakthrough, then went to Juventus. But I believe teams are realizing that he has this mental lapse at key moments. Like what happened yesterday. He was responsible for both goals.
Even in his last Man Utd game, Ten Hag had to yank him off in the 66th minute after he made a reckless unnecessary challenge, that missed the ball completely. He got a yellow for it, but it could have easily been a red by some referees. De Vrij was clinical in the Euros. We also have Van de Ven. He is easily expendable at this point. At his age and experience, it’s now or never for him.
Another thing I am not happy about is how we waste so many corner kicks. We now have a very tall group in this team. They need to work seriously on how to score or at least get on target on set pieces and corners.