Frenkie de Jong did not experience the mood within the selection of the Dutch team as negative this month. The game and the results in the exhibition match against Mexico (0-1) and the Nations League match against Bosnia-Herzegovina (0-0) offered the outside world little reason for optimism, but De Jong disputes that the team was in a dip . On Wednesday, the Orange came to a visit to Italy and the midfielder played an excellent game.

“I don’t think we were really in a dip”, says De Jong after the match in Bergamo in front of the camera of the NOS. “People talk to us about that, especially you. It is not that we ourselves get lost, but there is such a mood in the Netherlands: it is over, we are overrated. That is a bit fast. In the previous match against Italy we lost (0-1, ed.) And we were the inferior ones, but today we showed that we are a good team. “

The man of the match was not Stefan de Vrij or Frenkie de Jong

Voetbalzone handed out scores to the players of Orange.Read article

De Jong is not surprised by the criticism that has arisen against Orange in recent weeks. “It is also the job of people. There are a lot of people who are analysts for their work. They can also think something about it and that is not bad at all,” he says. “But then you create a mood among the people. The mood is that it is bad, but we as a team do not feel it that way.” The Orange had a ‘good plan’ against Italy, De Jong noted. “I feel there could have been more in it.”

In the studio of the NOS analyst Rafael van der Vaart shows understanding for De Jong’s reaction. “He gives nice interviews,” said the former football player. “Players hate analysts. I had that myself. That’s just how it works: as a player you have a different image of a match. I’ve also thought: if there is an analyst under my car, then I accelerate. ” Van der Vaart thinks that the criticism has not left the selection cold. “They talk about it. They say it doesn’t hurt them, but it does something to them.”

De Jong was mentioned in the player report of Football zone rated with a 7.5 for his performance. The Barcelona midfielder constantly made gains for Orange with impressive attacks or by looking for the opening. The midfielder received some criticism after the game with Bosnia-Herzegovina because he would often choose safe solutions, but that was not the case against Italy. “This is the Frenkie de Jong with whom we have all fallen in love”, Pierre van Hooijdonk sounds lyrical. “He was phenomenal tonight. Frenkie de Jong was almost old-fashioned today.”

In his opinion, De Jong was able to put more risk into his game thanks to the system. “I think Italy came through more difficult, we had it better now,” he explains. The presence of Virgil van Dijk, Stefan de Vrij and Nathan Aké in his back enabled De Jong to play more freely. “I could take more risks, because I have three central defenders behind me. If we keep more guys in the remaining defense, then I don’t necessarily have to stay in my position. It’s different with only two center backs.”