Ronald Koeman did not have to adjust his opinion about the performance of Brian Brobbey, according to Valentijn Driessen on Tuesday in a video item from The Telegraph. The national coach said at a press conference that he should have given Brobbey ‘more protection’ after he came in last week Rondo by Ziggo Sports was still critical of the Ajax striker.
“I’m surprised that it has become such a big item, but I told him (Brobbey, ed.) that in retrospect I think I should have protected him more,” Koeman said at the press conference on Tuesday afternoon. the KNVB sports complex in Zeist.
“I’m just a very bad politician,” Koeman continued. “I’m too honest and you are sometimes punished for that. I should have defended him more at that moment and I told him so.”
“There is still plenty of room for improvement for him, but apparently you can’t always say that. I should have protected him more, but on the other hand I also think that this should be possible,” the Dutch national coach concluded.
Driessen’s response
“I don’t think that taking protection came from the bottom of his heart,” Driessen doubts the authenticity of Koeman’s statements about Brobbey. “Afterwards he also said: ‘As a national coach you must also be able to say something and wear your heart on your sleeve’. Then I also think: Then don’t apologize. Or just say: ‘I just thought this and I still support it.'”
“I wouldn’t have done that myself as a national coach. At that table,” Driessen refers Rondo, where Koeman criticized Brobbey. “I think it’s fine when there are matches and you comment on players, but in that setting… And also because I had the idea that Koeman was triggered by Marco van Basten. Because at first he didn’t say anything about it. “
“And only in the second instance did he continue with it,” says the football chief The Telegraph in memory. “So then you are triggered by Van Basten at that table. Then as a national coach I would say: ‘Who are you? You’re just talking nonsense, but I’ll go my own way and just say what I want to say.’ “
“‘And I will not let you force me to tell you what the hell they have been doing at Ajax in the past eight years.'” Brobbey has also dropped out of the Dutch team due to an injury and is therefore missing from the European Championship qualifiers with Ireland (18). November) and Gibraltar (21 November).