Rinus Israel is full of praise for Denzel Dumfries, the match winner on behalf of the Netherlands on Sunday evening in the first group match of the European Championship against Ukraine (3-2). The former international assessed the the Dutch internationals on behalf of The Telegraph and has the highest mark left for the right back of PSV: a 7.5. Stefan de Vrij is judged by Israel with the same rating, while he is more critical of Memphis Depay. Despite the fact that the attacker of the Dutch suffered a lot of ball loss according to Israel, the attacker still gets a pass with a 6.5.
Dumfries created a lot of threat in Frank de Boer’s 5-3-2 system. The wingback had two great chances in the first half and had a share in both the 1-0 and the 2-0. Just before time he signed with his head for the winning goal. According to Israel, Dumfries had a very large part in the victory. He says he likes the work ethic that the PSV player shows. “Physically he is also strong. Look, he is of course not the best footballer, but in this match he played a very important role. He really goes like the fire brigade on the right flank. He does not pass there like Berghuis on technique or with feints, but he does fill in the role that Frank de Boer gives him well,” says Israel.
Israel notes that the system that De Boer uses at the European Championship is disastrous for a winger like Steven Berghuis, as there is no place for him in the team. Despite the victory, the tactics chosen cannot meet with Israel’s approval. “I am never in favor of this way of playing (5-3-2) and I never will be,” says the former player of Feyenoord, among others, who was impressed by De Vrij’s game. “You can tell he plays for a big club, Inter. An advantage for the the Dutch is that he knows the system with five defenders well.”
Israel emphasizes that Depay can “do great things with a ball.” “But against Ukraine he suffered too much loss for the good player he is. That wasn’t deadly now, but it is when you play against France. If you lose the ball so often in midfield, it will be severely punished, especially if the organization behind it is not good,” he continues in the newspaper. “Memphis looks like Hakim Ziyech after all. He also suffered too much loss of ball in his first year at Ajax and became more important when he started playing on the wing. If an action failed, there were still plenty of players between him and the goal.”
The worst man in the Dutch gets a 4 after thriller against Ukraine
Voetbalzone handed out report numbers to the basic players of the Dutch national team.
De Boer is rated a seven by Israel, despite not agreeing with his way of playing. According to the former football player, the national coach was right with the victory. “In addition, he has created a team with a great attitude for the start of the European Championship,” said Israel, who wants to conclude with a critical point: “When the second goal against, the header from the free kick, I was surprised at how far the defense of the goal. Then you leave a lot of space and you have to run backwards as a defender. You can never jump high.”
the Dutch figures by Rinus Israel: Maarten Stekelenburg (6.5). Denzel Dumfries (7.5), Jurriën Timber (6.5), Stefan de Vrij (7.5), Daley Blind (7), Patrick van Aanholt (6); Marten de Roon (6), Georginio Wijnaldum (7), Frenkie de Jong (7); Wout Weghorst (6), Memphis Depay (6.5).
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