Monday, June 14, 2021 at 4:03 PM• Dominic Mostert

The Dutch national team is wary of Marko Arnautovic. The day after the hard-fought victory over Ukraine (3-2), defenders Nathan Aké and Patrick van Aanholt are already looking ahead to the second group match against Austria on Thursday. After the first match, the the Dutch and Austria lead together in Group C. On Sunday, Austria won 3-1 against North Macedonia and Arnautovic made the last goal as a substitute.

Both Nathan Aké and Patrick van Aanholt have often faced the attacker. Arnautovic played in the Premier League between 2013 and 2017 for Stoke City and West Ham United, while Aké (for Chelsea, Watford and Bournemouth) and Van Aanholt (for Sunderland and Crystal Palace) played simultaneously at the highest level. “You have to be prepared for him”, Van Aanholt knows. “He is a really good and above all dangerous player.”

“A difficult player”, Aké adds. “He’s very dynamic, has good technique and scores a lot. He’s a nightmare to play against, I really mean that.” Van Aanholt assumes his own strength with the Dutch. “We are going to look at Austria and see what we are going to do against them. It will not be easy, but we are all ready.” The left back surprisingly had a starting spot against Ukraine on Sunday and says he only heard that he would play in the morning.

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“I heard it on Sunday morning with the meeting that I was allowed to play, I saw my name on the line-up. I had seen it coming a bit during training. When I saw it on the board yesterday, I was happy,” says Van Aanholt, who was preferred over Owen Wijndal. “I showed it in the training sessions and in the last game I came in. It’s up to me to make it as difficult as possible for the trainer. The choice is up to the trainer for the coming matches. I did my best and it is up to him.”

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