Valentijn Driessen finds the choices that national coach Louis van Gaal has made under the bar at the Dutch national team remarkable. The elector announced the the Dutch selection for the last two matches in the World Cup qualifying series on Monday morning and he did not include goalkeepers Tim Krul and Remko Pasveer. Joël Drommel and Mark Flek, on the other hand, were selected by Van Gaal, and that leads to some surprise for Driessen.
“What I do find remarkable is that Tim Krul has lost weight”, Driessen starts during the podcast Kick-off Eredivisie by The Telegraph. “That means that Fleks has lived up to it with Van Gaal and Frans Hoek (goalkeeper coach, ed.). That is also not surprising, because it is their discovery and for the time being he is being kept under wraps. But Drommel is also there. He has been in the stands the previous two games, because he had allegedly overslept. He was charged a lot for that, but not to such an extent that he isn’t there now. Krul has become the child of the bill.”
Mike Verweij also finds Van Gaal’s choices striking, although the journalist argues for some caution given the fact that the national coach can still come up with text and explanations at the press conference on Tuesday. “Krul is an old keeper after all and he is not doing very well in the Premier League. I wouldn’t be surprised if they said to him: ‘Focus on Norwich City now, because you’re second or third goalkeeper after all. And stay fit.’ By the time there is a big tournament, especially if Drommel continues with the way he is now, I think you will fall back on experience. And that could also be Cillessen, by the way,” says Verweij.
Driessen believes that Pasveer actually deserved a place in the Dutch. “If you see him… He has already won Ajax with decisive saves in three or four matches in a row. Lately he has really been keeping things like clockwork and he is really picking up points for Ajax. Even at the highest level. Perhaps it is opportune, because they select with the World Cup in mind. But I would say: first make sure you make it to the World Cup. And then I think Pasveer is a better keeper than Flek”, Driessen concludes.
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