Luuk de Jong has left an excellent impression on the analysts of ESPN. The striker came in the Europa League match with Arsenal halfway through a 0-0 score and with an assist and goal then had an important part in the Eindhoven victory (2-0). Kees Kwakman and Pierre van Hooijdonk conclude after the victory that De Jong is the most suitable pinch hitter for the Dutch national team.
Ten minutes after his substitute, De Jong gave the decisive pass to Joey Veerman, who scored the opening goal. Then, on a pass from Cody Gakpo, the striker was accurate with his head. “With Luuk de Jong you always have an extra option if things don’t work out constructively, because then you just play with the long ball on him”, begins Kenneth Perez. “Luuk is also just smart, because it is not necessarily the case that he is physically stronger than the Arsenal central defender. He just does it every year. He’s not the most refined footballer, but some things… It’s not normal how well he can kick!”
“I’m getting a bit fed up with the people who still say: Luuk de Jong can’t play football,” Van Hooijdonk adds to his colleague analyst. “Then you don’t understand it, because this is a specific footballer and he doesn’t make seven scissors. He plays a specific role within the team. It’s another question whether you always want to play with that type of player, but this is a really valuable strength.”
Kwakman believes that De Jong is currently more suitable than Vincent Janssen or Wout Weghorst as a point of reference for the the Dutch squad. “Luuk has to come along! I still think he is the best pinch hitter we have in the Netherlands. It will of course still be a little bit whether he is fit, but if you see the images he seems to be okay.” Van Hooijdonk joins Kwakman. “It’s about heading and at the Dutch he can also make others function better. Weghorst does not have that. He is a great striker, but he is always someone who wants to score goals himself. It is different with Luuk, because he can be played with a long, diagonal ball and he simply puts them back.”