Willem van Hanegem strongly advises Noa Lang to act ‘normally’. The former midfielder sees the potential of the Club Brugge attacker, but fears that he will shortchange himself by dealing with peripheral matters.
Van Hanegem has been following Lang for some time. “When I saw him play at Ajax, I saw that he has quality,” said the former international to ESPN. “After that he went to Club Brugge and you saw that he got even better and better and better. But then I see him again this week and then I think: why are you doing that again?“, Van Hanegem refers to Lang’s provocative behavior in the game against Anderlecht. The left winger went head to head with Wesley Hoedt and drew the anger on the neck of the home crowd with gestures towards the stands.
“Last year he already did a lot of crazy things, running screaming on that field”, recalls Van Hanegem, who refers in this to the anti-Semitic song that Lang sang at the Club Brugge championship party. “And now he does exactly the same again. All those people scolding and acting very strange. Just act normal. Show that you can play soccer very well, that you can play soccer even better. But don’t start shouting things and very strange things do against those players. Then I think: let it go, man! Come on, play them upside down! You have those qualities. No, then he is able to play himself out again, while he has a lot of qualities.”
Lang reported to the the Dutch squad for the first time in his career this week. “What the national coach made clear in the press conference, he also made it clear to me. That I should not do those provocative things,” said Lang. “It is also a bit who I am, it would be boring if everyone is the same. Van Gaal appreciates that too. But it has to be in the right way. In the end I am with the Dutch national team, so I will also do things doing well.”
Related
More sports news