The 5-3-2 or 3-5-2 system of the Dutch national team is perfect for Stefan de Vrij. The defender of Internazionale took his reputation as the best defender of the Serie A to the Dutch at the European Championship start against Ukraine and had no fewer than twelve interceptions. Only Jaap Stam ever had more in one European Championship match: fourteen at the European Championship in 2004. Cor Adriaanse was De Vrij’s teacher at Feyenoord and is of the opinion that the the Dutch international, 29 years old, is not too old to play yet. to learn. “He needs to be more ruthless with his mouth.”
De Vrij could hardly catch a mistake in the Johan Cruijff ArenA: he defended sovereignly and constantly anticipated. Adriaanse sees that his former pupil, who was named the best defender of the tournament at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, has grown into an all-round defender thanks to his time with Lazio and now Inter. “He masters all facets of defense. He had to play soccer with us, because stef feels comfortable on the ball”, Adriaanse tells in The Telegraph.
“In Italy he eliminates strikers, hands in the ball and takes his place in the organization.” Adriaanse emphasizes that De Vrij is ‘a smart boy’. “That’s why he’s so good positionally. He always has his eye on the ball and the opponent. stef anticipates the situation to come. In this way he conquers balls and avoids danger. He never has to pull the emergency brake.”
Nevertheless, Adriaanse sees points for improvement at De Vrij. The the Dutch organization was not too good when the ball was lost. The trainer believes that the the Dutch international should organize things and keep the team together, especially if Jurriën Timber walks away too easily as one of the three defenders. “Then Steef has to intervene. If Timber is gone and De Roon is too far away, he just has to do it with Daley Blind.”
“Then the Dutch becomes vulnerable because of the large space and because De Vrij and Blind are not the fastest. Then go wild to keep everyone on their toes. You can demand that from the best defender with so much experience”, emphasizes Adriaanse.
Football zone keeps you informed about everything about EURO 2020
Curious about the current position, the competition program and much more European Championship news? Click here!
Related
More sports news