Valentijn Driessen would like to see Steven Berghuis in midfield next to Frenkie de Jong in the match against Senegal. On the podcast Kick Off from The Telegraph says the journalist that he hopes for an offensive the Dutch, although he expects that the choice of national coach Louis van Gaal will fall on Teun Koopmeiners. According to Driessen, the place under the crossbar and the one in midfield are the only two of the eleven positions that Van Gaal has not yet filled.
“I am always in favor of attacks, so I would choose Berghuis,” Driessen opens in the podcast. “I don’t think Van Gaal thinks that either. Berghuis was turned around and he said with a big smile: ‘So you think I won’t start in the base?’ So maybe there is something in the background that he will start against Senegal in the base. I would go for the offensive option, but I think Van Gaal opts for Teun Koopmeiners. He’s done that many times. He also did that against Poland, which was of course an important opponent in the run-up to this tournament. I think Koopmeiners will be preferred.”
Mike Verweij joins his colleague. “It must indeed be his first thought to set up Koopmeiners. Koopmeiners only lasted six minutes against Poland, of course, because he hit his head against an opponent. He was then excellently replaced by Steven Berghuis and against Belgium as well. It is nice to watch, because I think Louis van Gaal opts for stronger opponents than for Koopmeiners. Marten de Roon is of course also an option, although he is of course no longer part of Van Gaal’s plans as a basic player.”
Brought earlier on the Friday The Telegraph already revealed that Van Gaal has already entered nine of the eleven names in the starting line-up. Based on Thursday’s training, Denzel Dumfries, Jurriën Timber, Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké, Daley Blind, Frenkie de Jong, Cody Gakpo, Steven Bergwijn and Vincent Janssen are assured of a basic place against Senegal.