We begin our profiling of Netherlands World Cup squad with the three goalkeepers who have been picked to travel to Brazil this summer.

  • By Michael Bell
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krul vorm cillLouis van Gaal picked his 23-man squad on Saturday morning, with PSV Eindhoven’s Jeroen Zoet the unlucky goalkeeper who missed out.

Ajax’s Jasper Cillessen, Newcastle United’s Tim Krul, and Swansea City’s Michael Vorm have been picked as the three goalkeepers in the squad, and will battle for the number one jersey against Spain in Netherlands opening game on June 13th.

But who are these three keepers?

cillessen wcJasper Cillessen

Age-25 Club-Ajax Caps-6

Cillessen has been favoured by Van Gaal in recent friendly matches, and is the favourite to be number one at the World Cup. The former NEC Nijmegen keeper became Ajax’s number one at the start of the season, taking over from Kenneth Vermeer, and impressed many with his shot stopping, and distribution.

In 25 Eredivisie matches this season, Cillessen kept 14 clean sheets, while only conceding 13 goals, while he also kept two clean sheets in the Champions League. For the national team, Cillessen has conceded five goals, and kept two clean sheets in six appearances.

Most of Cillessen’s appearances for the national team have been in friendly internationals, and it remains to be seen how he would deal in the pressurized atmosphere in Brazil.

Strength: Reflexes, and shot stopping

Weakness: Prone to occasional errors, and isn’t most commanding at claiming crosses.

krul aTim Krul

Age-26 Club- Newcastle United Caps-5

Despite being Newcastle United’s number one for a number of years, Krul has only managed to earn five international caps, often being held back by injuries. He was an unused substitute in the recent friendlies with Japan and Colombia, while he didn’t make the match squad for the last game against Ecuador.

Newcastle United struggled in the second half of their Premier League season, and Krul was often left helpless by their defence, ending the season having conceded 51 goals in 36 games, but he also managed 10 clean sheets.

A goalkeeper with great reflexes, Krul has pulled off a number of World Class saves in his career, but his distribution, and decision making can sometimes be very poor.

In five appearances for the national team, Krul has kept two clean sheets, and conceded five goals in the other three matches.

Strength: Excellent Shot stopper

Weakness: Distribution

vorm aMichael Vorm

Age-30 Club-Swansea City Caps-14

The most experienced out of the three goalkeepers, Vorm has been in and out of the national team ever since making his debut back in 2008.

Under Van Gaal, Vorm started three World Cup qualifiers, against Estonia, Hungary, and Andorra, whilst also playing the full 90 minutes in a 1-1 friendly draw with Portugal.

Vorm had an injury hit season with Swansea, and only made 26 Premier League appearances, conceding 32 goals, and keeping seven clean sheets. In 14 internationals, Vorm has conceded 12 goals and kept seven clean sheets.

The former Utrecht stopper has a solid all round game, with good shot stopping ability’s and is confident at claiming crosses into the box. However distribution, and concentration can sometimes be poor.

Strength: Claiming crosses

Weakness: Distribution, especially goal kicks




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