Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 07:17

Wim Kieft is in his column The Telegraph particularly hard for Erwin van de Looi and his 4-2-2-2 system at the Juniors. The former striker is of the opinion that the national coach of the Dutch Juniors ‘squander’ the basis of the Dutch football training. At the same time, Kieft can hardly understand why Van de Looi is not called to order from the KNVB – “from national coach Frank de Boer to director of football development Art Langeler, director of top football Nico-Jan Hoogma to technical commissioner Han Berger” – is called to order because he is the Jong Oranje training team abused to become European champions.

Kieft notes that Van de Looi has acquired the 4-2-2-2 system while ‘traveling through Germany’ and is given the freedom to ‘project this on his players’ at the Dutch Juniors. “Like PSV gave the German Roger Schmidt a free hand to abuse club and players. But we are not Germans and over the past fifty years we have developed our own successful football culture, which is embedded in all the capillaries of our football ”, Kieft writes. “And why? To become European champion.”

“Those high KNVB men and national coach De Boer in particular must make Van de Looi understand that such a European title is nice, but that De Boer wants to see how Cody Gakpo functions from the left-winger position before the upcoming major European Championship”, Kieft continues. The analyst states that Jong Oranje should play the same as the ‘big’ the Dutch, because it is a front portal and De Boer is wiser from that. “He can see how Justin Kluivert is doing on the right winger. Or Boadu in the striker position brings what he possibly has to bring to the big the Dutch. He can bring in Mo Ihattaren to get him back on track. ”

Kieft does not find it strange that Van de Looi is receiving criticism and finds it even more surprising that he himself does not understand the fuss. According to the former striker, the Juniors had also qualified for the European Championship in a 4-3-3 system and survived the group stage there. “No, Van de Looi prefers to play with midfielder Dani de Wit in the front line at the Juniors and makes the backs important. As if Jordan Teze, Deyovaisio Zeefuik and Mitchel Bakker have a future as the new backs of the Dutch national team. It is unheard of that everyone at the union allows a 4-2-2-2 training team to be played. ”