René van der Gijp is absolutely not in favor of the 5-3-2 system of the Dutch national team in the group stage of the European Championship. The analyst would opt ‘one hundred percent’ for a 3-4-3 system, with Daley Blind on the left, because Denzel Dumfries and Owen Wijndal now have ‘too important a role’. “I think that’s just two players that I don’t think should be made too important. They already have enough of themselves,” emphasized Van der Gijp on Thursday evening in the program ‘De Oranjezomer’ on SBS6.
“It drives me a little crazy. Somehow I don’t trust it at all”, started Johan Derksen. “We have a clumsy national coach who I don’t trust. They are nice footballers, but I have never seen a team.” Van der Gijp has little sense in hearing ‘for four weeks’ which system should be played in. “You know very well that if the 5-3-2 system immediately goes wrong in the first group match, there will be criticism again. That they should play differently. I see it quite simply: the Netherlands will not become a European champion.”
Van der Gijp believes that the the Dutch should play to its qualities for that reason. “It doesn’t matter if we don’t win the European Championship. But that’s why I think we should play nice football. That is what we as a country are known for. It is not for nothing that hefty transfer fees are paid for players such as Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong. That’s because we have players who can play football well and well. Soon we will have played three group matches and then you will also be eliminated in the eighth finals. And then everyone says: ‘What a shit tournament that was’. That’s why I think they should play with three strikers.”
However, it mainly bothers Van der Gijp that two players are made more important than they are supposed to be by the 5-3-2 system. “Denzel Dumfries and Owen Wijndal are made extremely important in this system. And I think that’s just two players that I don’t think should be made too important. They have enough on their own already. Those are two guys who can just keep their heads above the water. Wijndal is just a very simple back, but we’ll find out in a few months. You’re going to let those boys swim right away,” the former professional football player provided.
Derksen fully agreed with Van der Gijp. “With this team you can still lose to any serious opponent if you are through the group stage. When the backs become the most important football players in possession . . .” Dick Advocaat: “Then the national coach has to change that.” Derksen: “Dumfries goes forward twenty times, reaches the backline twenty times and there is one useful cross in between.” Van der Gijp added: “Do you know what it is Johan, who does not dare to pass the ball to Wijndal. It makes no sense at all for Wijndal that he comes there. When he gets there, he goes in.”
“We know from Dumfries: if the cross arrives, it’s luck.” Van der Gijp would say, at least in the group stage, ‘one hundred percent’ would opt for a 4-3-3 system. “With wingers. Dumfries and Wijndal must have people in front of them. They have that at their club too. Now Wijndal sees no one and at a certain point he is standing at the corner flag.” Lawyer would also choose 3-4-3. “I think it’s much more dangerous, also compared to the opponent. Then they have to make choices. Now you can set yourself up for it.” Van der Gijp: ‘With a 3-4-3 system, I would put Daley Blind as left back and Teun Koopmeiners in Blind’s place. Then you have football twice. You have football on the left, much more than with Wijndal, and you have football from the center.”
“If we had that left back from AS Roma”, Van der Gijp referred to Italian international Leonardo Spinazzola. “Then I would have said: ‘Let him cover the whole left side. But now we just don’t have that. Ready. You just can’t expect too much from a boy like Wijndal. Of course he is a nice player, but I would just like to put Blind on the left.” All in all, Derksen thinks the 5-3-2 system is ‘wasted energy’ for Dumfries and Wijndal. “Those two backs are having a blast. The last pass is almost always nothing. Then I think: wasted energy. Let them put their energy into defending.”
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