Hans Kraay junior has his reservations about Tyrell Malacia’s game. The analyst is a ‘huge fan’ of the left back of Feyenoord, but concludes Tuesday evening in football talk that the apple of his eye is not in good shape. Since Malacia was selected for the international matches that the Dutch played last month, his form has declined, according to the analyst. He calls the game of the youth exponent of Feyenoord ‘a bit confused’.
“I was really hoping that he would be selected and that has happened,” Kraay junior looks back on the talk show. “From the moment he was selected, he has not been in the form of an international.” Since the match against FC Utrecht (3-1 defeat on Sunday, August 29), Malacia has returned ‘so many balls wide in the crowds’, the reporter continues. “He is constantly gone, I think he plays very strange. So much wide, so much back, while he can just open well, play a number 10 and move on. He is now losing balls at the back line… I find Malacia on a little confused at the moment.”
Malacia made a mistake in the game against NEC on Saturday, September 25. He lost the ball on the back line to Édgar Barreto, who then was able to give the cross that enabled Jonathan Okita teammate Cas Odenthal to make it 2-2. In the end it was 5-3 for Feyenoord. Nasser El Khayati, also present on the talk show, also points to a mistake Malacia committed in the international match between the Dutch and Montenegro (4-0) on Saturday, September 4. After a wrong pass from the back, the ball suddenly ended up at the feet of Stefan Mugosa, who was not accurate eye to eye with Justin Bijlow.
“I partially agree with you, but potentially he’s a very good left-back,” said El Khayati. “If you pass too much wide and back, you run the risk of those passes being intercepted.” Malacia played ninety minutes against Montenegro and made his international debut in that match. The left back provided the assist for Cody Gakpo’s 4-0. In the matches against Norway (1-1) and Turkey (6-1) Louis van Gaal chose Daley Blind as left wing defender.