Netherlands sealed their Euro 2020 spot with a poor 0-0 draw in Belfast against Northern Ireland. Michael Bell rates Oranje’s players for their performances during the draw.
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Jasper Cillessen 5/10: Looked very shaky at the start and almost gifted Northern Ireland a goal in the opening minutes. Calmed down after that and barely had anything to do.
Joel Veltman 5/10: Was very unlucky to give away the penalty and get a yellow card for a handball he could do nothing to prevent. Doesn’t offer enough going forward against a compact team like Northern Ireland. Right-back definitely still an issue for Koeman.
Daley Blind 6/10: Got forward a lot more than Veltman did and was tight defensively throughout. Steady and unremarkable performance.
Virgil van Dijk 6.5/10: Had very little trouble from the Northern Irish defenders. Was composed and solid throughout. A captain’s performance once again.
Matthijs de Ligt 6/10: An unfortunate handball was luckily not punished but De Ligt was solid afterwards and had very little trouble throughout.
Frenkie de Jong 7/10: Netherlands standout player once again. Drove Netherlands forward with a few excellent runs. His teammates couldn’t take advantage of some of the situations he created.
Marten de Roon 4/10: Booked early on and taken off in the first half. A night to forget for the midfielder.
Donny van de Beek 5/10: Given another opportunity to impress in Oranje but once again did not take it. Struggled throughout to make an impact.
Quincy Promes 6/10: Was Netherlands most dangerous player in the first half and he created a great chance for Berghuis. However, he completely disappeared after the break.
Steven Berghuis 5/10: Was a surprise that Koeman went with the Feyenoord winger and he did little to reward his manager for his faith. Hit the bar when he had a golden chance early on and was substituted for De Jong early in the second half.
Ryan Babel 5.5/10: Got chances but could not take them. A tough night for the forward, who failed to fill Memphis Depay’s void.
Substitutes
Davy Propper 6.5/10: Came on for De Roon and was much more influential in the game. Got the ball moving forward and was always open for a pass. Should start against Estonia.
Luuk de Jong 5.5/10: Gave Netherlands more aerial threat but didn’t make a huge impact.
Nathan Ake N/A: Came on for the last three minutes.
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Veltman got himself into good positions a fair few times, but his crossing is poor. They really need to consider Hateboer or even Janmaat in the Euros, as they need 2 fullbacks who can deliver decent balls.
FDJ was class in midfield and Propper did okay. But after these last 2 matches, it seems VDB isn’t offering much competition for Wijnaldum as the #10. Didn’t create one dangerous situation all match.
Babel as a #9 was a terrible experiment. I think Memphis will play vs Estonia, but if he can’t it should be Weghorst or Boadu.
Replace: Cillessen, Veltman, De Roon, Berghuis & Babel; with: Bizot, Dumfries, Propper, Stengs & Boadum. Give chance to younger Player. No Place more for Veltman ini Oranje
The attacking performance proved that memphis and gini are valuable to the team going forward most of the goals scored or assisted both of them must included
stengs could have made impact more than berghuis
the right back also still an issue dumfries is the best option now but we must have a better right back in the bank than veltman who is not convincing with the national team
but finally we are going to see the dutch team in the summer so lets celebrate
Frenkie de Jong was good under Koeman… Now he was bad at against Celta Vigo. I miss Frenkie at Ajax…