Rafael van der Vaart has determined his ideal line-up for the Dutch national team in the match against Germany. Bee Studio Football Van der Vaart was asked to create a setup with a five-man rearguard, assuming that Louis van Gaal opts for five defenders against major football countries. The the Dutch squad will play against Denmark and Germany on Saturday, March 26 and Tuesday, March 29, respectively.
Van der Vaart opts for Justin Bijlow under the bar, with Denzel Dumfries, Matthijs de Ligt, Stefan de Vrij, Virgil van Dijk and Daley Blind in front of him. He therefore does not reserve a starting spot for defenders such as Jurriën Timber, Owen Wijndal, Tyrell Malacia and Nathan Aké. Teun Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong form the central block for the rear, leaving no room for Davy Klaassen or Marten de Roon.
Image: NOS Studio Football
“Koopmeiners really plays a lot of balls forward and develops amazingly at Atalanta”, Van der Vaart explains the base place of the former AZ player. Pierre van Hooijdonk wonders whether Koopmeiners and Frenkie de Jong do not play too much in the same zones on the field. “I think Frenkie is playing a bit more offensively these days and is getting more into scoring position,” Van der Vaart responds.
“Koopmeiners is someone who often gets the balls and plays on. Because we don’t have a number 10, I prefer two players in midfield who can both pass the ball between the lines,” said Van der Vaart, who positions Georginio Wijnaldum as attacking midfielder. He is preferred to Steven Berghuis. Van der Vaart did consider putting Berghuis in that position.
“I have also thought about that. Wijnaldum has always functioned well in combination with Depay. If it doesn’t work out, you can put Berghuis there,” concludes Van der Vaart, who opts for Depay with Donyell Malen in the forefront. Van Gaal announced his thirty-man pre-selection earlier this month. The most notable names were Jordy Clasie and selection debutant Jeremie Frimpong. This week, Van Gaal is making the final decisions: the final selection will be announced on Friday.
Rafael van der Vaart’s setup: Bijlow; Dumfries, De Ligt, De Vrij, Van Dijk, Blind; F. De Jong, Wijnaldum, Koopmeiners; Malen, Depay