In an exclusive interview with Football-Oranje, Sheffield Wednesday defender Joost van Aken gave his thoughts on the current crisis with the Dutch national team, citing consistency as a main reason behind failing to reach the World Cup this summer.

  • By Michael Statham
  • Follow Michael on Twitter @EredivisieMike

Van Aken, who joined Wednesday in the summer from Eredivisie side Heerenveen, said, “I think in general it’s not very good for the consistency of a team if there are too many managers in one qualification round.”

Danny Blind failed to make an impact during his tenure with Oranje and was succeeded by Dick Advocaat – but the Dutchman could only guide the Netherlands to third spot in the group.

The 23-year-old then added, “I think with the national squad the problem is also that there are too many players not playing for their team. I think it’s important to get the rhythm of the game. If you’re not playing and you have to play for the national team, it’s hard to show your best performance.”

Van Aken was also questioned whether the move to England will boost his chances of reaching the Dutch squad. He replied, “Yes. There is a possibility, of course maybe in the future, but I am not thinking about it this moment.

“I am thinking about playing for Wednesday and to become a better player here and become better with the team because we need wins and points. So, that’s the most important [thing] and that’s what I’m thinking about in this moment – not about the national team.”

Do you think Joost is right? Do you think he has the potential to play for the Netherlands? Tweet us your opinion [@FootballOranje_ or @EredivisieMike] or comment below!

 

You can watch the full interview with Joost below:




Michael Statham (802 Posts)

Writer/interviewer/YouTuber for Football-Oranje. Massive Dutch football fan from the UK. Follow me @EredivisieMike & subscribe to Football-Oranje on YouTube.