Monday, June 28, 2021 at 12:55 pm• Rian Rosendaal • Last update: 13:00

There is also confusion in Henk Spaan about the introduction of Quincy Promes for Donyell Malen when the the Dutch squad was with ten players in the European Championship match with the Czech Republic (0-2) on Sunday evening. The columnist has no understanding whatsoever for the choice of national coach Frank de Boer, who therefore receives a 4 as a score after the painful decline of the Dutch in Budapest.

“The name of Dick Advocaat must have been mentioned millions of times when Promes was replaced by Malen”, Spaan refers in his contribution to The watchword to the substitution of the then national coach at the 2004 European Championship. At the time, the outstanding Robben had to give way to a 2-1 lead against the Czech Republic (2-3 defeat), with ultimately fatal consequences for the the Dutch. “Malen who was faster than the Czech defense. Promes who ‘scores in Russia’ (at Spartak Moscow, ed.) is a Sinterklaas myth in which only De Boer believes. Lawyer took out his best man Robben, a substitution that he still defends. I thought replacing Malen was even worse than putting in those Promes.”

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Another substitution by De Boer in the second half also caused disbelief and annoyance at Spaan. “And then in the 72nd minute, to make matters worse, we also had Weghorst to choose from, who had already shown that this level is even less suitable for him than for the rest”, the sports journalist gives a hard judgment about the tree-long rush hour. “So this is the umpteenth defeat of the Dutch national team that we will have to endure for a long time to come. How many children went to bed sobbing yesterday, like my daughter after Brazil-Netherlands in 1998? I have never forgotten that,” said the disappointed Spaan.

Replacing Malen by Promes was also reason for Wesley Sneijder, among others, to lash out at De Boer. “That switch… I had never taken Malen off,” said the record international on Sunday evening at the NOS. The former midfielder received support from Rafael van der Vaart. “Then you are a coach and a player gets a red card (Matthijs de Ligt, ed.), that’s just annoying. Then you bring Promes and take your most dangerous man off. Is there no one on the bench who says: ‘will we don’t? Shall we keep Memphis on the left and Malen in the center?'”

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