If it is up to Ibrahim Afellay, Anwar El Ghazi will be part of the (pre) selection of the Dutch for the upcoming European Championship. National coach Frank de Boer will announce his preliminary selection corps on Friday afternoon and if it is to the analysts of Studio Football Ryan Babel is not part of it. While Pierre van Hooijdonk and Afellay argue for El Ghazi, Theo Janssen expects Calvin Stengs to be in the selection.
“He plays in a serious top competition and takes his goals with it. He has not scored the least goals and plays every week ”, Afellay explains the choice for El Ghazi. The 26-year-old attacker, who is also preferred by Van Hooijdonk, played 28 games for Aston Villa this season, including 17 as a basic player and in which he scored 9 goals.
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“I have a lot of doubts, I’m thinking who you would take with you”, Theo Janssen says. “I had put Stengs on the list anyway. But when I see him play football on Thursday … Well. We hope and expect a lot, only that is a bit further. Then you look further. If Robben is willing and able, he is fit and you can bring an extra player for part of the match, he certainly could. He has many qualities. Only you can’t count on him for four or five games.
“I think he will take Stengs with him. We think Babel does not add a lot to other players who can sit there ”, Janssen continues. Afellay states that De Boer should therefore not take Stengs with him. Janssen agrees, but thinks that Babel will be selected. “Based on De Boer’s statements. Nice that El Ghazi is doing well, but Frank never called him up. So it would be strange if it were now. ”
Janssen is then asked whether Steven Bergwijn and Quincy Promes are not in the picture as far as he is concerned. “They don’t play. Or well, Promes does play, but there is a whole history attached to it. What does it do to the rest if you bring such a boy into your group? That can come into play in the near future ”, the former midfielder concludes. In the talk show of the NOS in any case, the suggestion is to select relatively more attackers than defenders.
“Defenders are rarely if ever replaced. Maybe the last fifteen minutes, if you have to force something. So you better bring more attackers than defenders. Then you can also slide, because Frenkie de Jong, for example, can also play in the back ”, says Afellay. “It also depends on how he is going to play”, adds Janssen. “Because if he is going to play 5-3-2, seven forwards is fine in itself. If you play one match 4-3-3 and the other 5-3-2, you have to switch. It is better to determine how you are going to play before the tournament and create consistency in it. Of course it will become less predictable, but it will be more difficult to play. I think you should play with three in the front, if you have a good left and right winger. The only question is: do we have that? ”