Mark Fleks is the most striking name in the selection of the Dutch national team for the coming international match. National coach Louis van Gaal has brought the 28-year-old goalkeeper of SC Freiburg into the the Dutch selection for the first time. He is rewarded for his good performances in the Bundesliga and can compete with Justin Bijlow, Joël Drommel and Tim Krul. Youri Mulder sees his call as a signal to other Dutch football players.
Mulder, former player of Schalke 04, among others, follows German football closely. Fleks is therefore not an unknown name to him. He last saw him in action against FSV Mainz 05 (0-0). “Then he was just in the pre-selection. He makes a very good, mature impression and is of course also the right age for a goalkeeper”, says Mulder in The Telegraph. “I like that Van Gaal shows that he is well-informed by choosing Fleks. He and goalkeeper coach Frans Hoek often look a bit further than most people. It is also a signal to Dutch footballers that you can also reach the Dutch national team through a detour.”
The Dutch national team will play against Latvia and Gibraltar in the coming international match as part of the World Cup qualifiers. Mulder hopes that Fleks can make his debut in one of these duels. “Although I wonder if Van Gaal can judge his qualities. I don’t know if he will get anything to do in these matches…”, says the former international with a laugh. “Fleks will ultimately not make the difference between whether or not a World Cup for the the Dutch. But Van Gaal can of course get an impression of who that boy is in this international match. He gets to know him a little. That will mainly be the function of this selection.”
Mulder hits the nail on the head with those last words. In the press release that the KNVB sent out on Friday, containing the 26 names of players who can report on Monday, Van Gaal briefly explained why he has called up Flek: “We have included four goalkeepers in this selection. last time. I would like to see him to get a good picture of him. In the Bundesliga he shows good things,” said the elector.
The Dutch national team will play two matches in the World Cup qualifying campaign at the beginning of October. On October 8 (8:45 PM) the the Dutch squad will visit Latvia, while a home game will follow in De Kuip against Gibraltar on October 11 (8:45 PM). After the resounding 6-1 victory against Turkey with thirteen points from six matches, the Netherlands is at the top of Group G. Norway has the same number of points, but a much less good goal difference: plus sixteen to plus seven. In November, the Norwegians will visit the Dutch.
The final selection of the Dutch:
Target: Justin Bijlow (Feyenoord), Tim Krul (Norwich City), Joël Drommel (PSV), Mark Flek (SC Freiburg)
Defense: Nathan Aké (Manchester City), Daley Blind (Ajax), Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Denzel Dumfries (Inter Milan), Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus), Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord), Jurriën Timber (Ajax), Stefan de Vrij (Inter Milan) )
Midfield: Ryan Gravenberch (Ajax), Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Davy Klaassen (Ajax), Teun Koopmeiners (Atalanta), Marten de Roon (Atalanta), Guus Til (Feyenoord), Georginio Wijnaldum (Paris Saint-Germain)
Attack: Steven Berghuis (Ajax), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Luuk de Jong (Barcelona), Noa Lang (Club Brugge), Donyell Malen (Borussia Dortmund), Memphis Depay (Barcelona), Wout Weghorst (VfL Wolfsburg)