With Serie A and La Liga getting underway this weekend, Football-Oranje rounds up how all the Dutchmen playing in Europe’s top league’s got on this week.
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Italian Serie A
Lazio will be the team to watch in Italy for fans of the Netherlands with four Dutchmen in their squad this season. In their first game of the campaign it was Ricardo Kishna who made the biggest impact as he netted his first goal for the club in the 2-1 victory. Defender Stefan de Vrij also put in a good performance for the Roman side, but Wesley Hoedt and Edson Braafheid did not come off the bench.
Nigel de Jong played the full ninety minutes for AC Milan, but he could not stop his side from going down to a 2-0 defeat at Fiorentina. De Jong’s task in midfield was made harder by an early red card shown to his teammate Rodrigo Ely.
Former Heerenveen midfielder Marten de Roon made his debut for Atalanta on Sunday, but his side succumb to a 90th minute winner by Stefan Jovetic in a 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan. De Roon played the whole ninety minutes and was impressive despite the defeat.
Jonathan De Guzman did not feature in Napoli’s squad for the 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo on Sunday and he is being linked with a move away from the club. Sunderland and Bournemouth are two possible destinations.
Kevin Strootman is still struggling with a knee injury and didn’t feature in Roma’s 1-1 draw at Verona. Reports in Italy on Monday even suggested the midfielder may have to undergo another round of surgery which could rule him out for longer than expected.
Spanish La Liga
Rafael van der Vaart is the sole Dutchman standing in the Spanish La Liga, but the midfielder was missing for Real Betis as they drew 1-1 with Villarreal on Sunday.
English Premier League
The Premier League’s opening game of the weekend saw five Dutchmen in action as Newcastle United frustrated Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United in a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford. Tim Krul was one of the stars of the game, keeping out Manchester united on several occasions with Memphis Depay left a frustrated figure up front. Daley Blind, Vurnon Anita, and Georginio Wijnaldum also featured, while Siem de Jong was on the bench and Daryl Janmaat was suspended.
Dick Advocaat’s Sunderland earned their first point of the campaign as they came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Swansea City. Jeremain Lens put in a tireless performance up front, while Patrick van Aanholt also put in a decent performance in defence.
Ronald Koeman’s Southampton are still looking for their first win of the season after being held to a 0-0 draw by Watford on Sunday. Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg kept a clean sheet for the Saints, while Cuco Martina did not come off the bench. Jordy Clasie and Steven Berghuis both missed the game with injuries.
Leandro Bacuna played the full ninety minutes of Aston Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace, but the right back wasn’t at his best in a poor performance.
Stoke City’s trio of Dutchmen all featured in the 1-1 draw at Norwich City, but Erik Pieters was the only one to complete the whole ninety minutes. Ibrahim Afellay was hooked after 57 minutes, while Marco van Ginkel lasted 79 minutes. Ricky van Wolfswinkel did not feature in Norwich’s squad.
Michael Vorm was on the bench for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1-1 draw with Leicester City.
German Bundesliga
Arjen Robben was out of sorts during Bayern Munich’s 2-1 win over Hoffenheim on Saturday, with the Dutch superstar replaced before the hour mark. The winger failed to complete any dribbles, and frustrated fans by being called offside four times while on the pitch.
Luc Castaignos barely featured during Eintracht Frankfurt’s 1-1 draw with Augsburg on Saturday, with the striker only touching the ball thirteen times during his 73 minutes on the pitch. Paul Verhaegh put in a solid performance at right back for Augsburg.
Bas Dost played the full ninety minutes of Wolfsburg’s 1-1 draw with Cologne, with the striker proving a threat throughout the game, despite not being able to find the net.
Klaas jan Huntelaar had a frustrating afternoon on Saturday as his Schalke side were held to a 1-1 draw by newly promoted Darmstad. The striker only hit the target with one shot in 90 minutes.
Charlison Benschop played 66 minutes of Hannover 96’s 1-0 defeat to Bayern Leverkusen. The striker put in an energetic performance, but could not help earn his side a point.
Winger Roy Beerens was suspended for Hertha Berlin this weekend, with his side drawing 1-1 with Werder Bremen on Friday night.
Turkish Super Lig
Robin van Persie started his first Super Lig game for Fenerbahce on Sunday and scored in a 1-1 draw with Rizespor. The Dutch captain, who scored in the Europa league tie against Atromitos on Thursday, received a pass from Nani in the box before calmly finding the net.
Turkish Champions Galatasaray were shocked 2-1 at home by Osmanlispor. Wesley Sneijder played the full ninety minutes but could not inspire his team in an embarrassing defeat.
Diego Biseswar and Omer Bayram both featured for Kayserispor in a 1-1 draw against Konyaspor.
Ryan Donk’s Kasimpasa currently sit top of the league after their second win in two games this weekend. The Dutchman played the full ninety minutes in a 1-0 win over Istanbul Basaksehir.
French Ligue 1
Karim Rekik tasted victory for the first time this season as his Marseille side hammered Troyes 6-0 with the defender playing the full match and easily keeping a clean sheet.
Gregory van der Wiel was not involved in PSG’s squad for the 1-0 win over Montpellier on Friday.
Portuguese Super Lig
Ola John played 45 minutes of Benfica’s shock 1-0 defeat to Arouca on Sunday with the winger hooked off at half time after a disappointing performance. Bilal Ould-Chikh was not involved in Benfica’s squad.
Bruno Martins Indi was rooted to the bench for the whole of Porto’s 1-1 draw with Maritimo.
Former Ajax youth prospect Marvin Zeegelaar played the full 90 minutes of Rio Ave’s 1-0 win over Braga.
Russian Premier League
Quincy Promes was in top form once again for Spartak Moscow at the weekend as the winger netted two goals in a 3-1 win over Amkar Perm. Promes has now netted four time in the opening six games.
Dutch defender Douglas came off the bench on 70 minutes for Dinamo Moscow in a 1-1 draw with Terek Grozny, but Alexander Buttner did not feature.
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