Erwin van de Looi is not exactly happy with the cancellation of Sven Botman for the Dutch Juniors. The central defender of Newcastle United preferred to stay with his club to fight relegation for the full hundred percent and the national coach of the Dutch promise team does not like that in the least.
The Dutch Juniors will play practice matches against their peers from Belgium and Romania this week. Botman is therefore not among them and Van de Looi would have liked that to be different. “I am disappointed,” he reports in conversation with ESPN. “You are working together for something and that also includes friendlies. If you are part of the group, you should just be there and you should not cancel too easily.”
The national coach of Young the Dutch told Botman that he might be able to come into the picture with the great the Dutch of choice lord Louis van Gaal, since he had a player in the same position with Bruno Martins Indi who had to drop out. The left-footed mandecker, however, did not change his mind. “This is the first time I have experienced something like this, but I still respect his decision,” says Van de Looi. “You have to want to play for the national team, otherwise not. We will just continue with the guys we have here.”
For Van de Looi, the practice matches that will be played are dominated by the preparation for the European Championship next year. The trainer of Jong Oranje would like to see some new players at work and add accents to the way of playing. In addition, it is also an opportunity for players who have just missed the ‘big’ Dutch national team to show themselves. “They have lost weight, but not yet out of the picture,” emphasizes the national coach.
Related
More sports news
