Koeman causes annoyance at training with Memphis: “A fallen star who needs to be put in order by a reprimanding dummy”

A major international match on the agenda, because that is of course the Netherlands - Morocco. Not necessarily a clash of two playing styles, but rather a clash of two football cultures. Normally, the Netherlands will come out on top, but fitness and a drive to prove oneself will also play a role. How badly do you really want to win?

That question might very well be one Virgil van Dijk could ask himself for multiple reasons, because the nonchalance that Van Dijk radiates, particularly in defensive terms, is every now and then enough to drive you crazy. No, not when it comes to, for example, Cody Gakpo and the grief for him and his family. Van Dijk knows perfectly well how to deal with that as the leader of the group. It’s in other matters. For instance, being critical after the matches.

'We need to work on that, next time it has to be better', have since become stock phrases from Van Dijk, who nevertheless often gives the impression of being a ventriloquist dummy rather than a true leader, because very little of any substance comes out of the mouth of the captain. In that regard, whether or not Van Dijk lets the dummy have a voice, the upstart star Memphis should sometimes put him in his place.

Did Van Dijk, in the past, ever call the upward fallen Memphis Depay to order? About his attitude, the sagging socks, a bicycle kick against Tunisia that didn't make any sense and was by no means technically unfeasible at that moment, for example....? How much would Memphis Depay really like to win? Shouldn't Van Dijk and Memphis really ask each other this question?

Memphis Depay and, unfortunately as well, Virgil van Dijk also, from time to time, simply bring up many irritations, with Memphis in the lead. PSV watcher Jeroen Kapteijns tells in the football podcast Kick-Off by De Telegraaf about a remarkable moment during training with the Netherlands national team. The journalist saw Ronald Koeman take Memphis Depay aside on the training pitch and assumes that the head coach did so intentionally in full view of the camera.

“It’s always striking that Koeman has these kinds of conversations during that training hour,” says Kapteijns. “They’re together in the hotel all day. You can have those conversations at breakfast, lunch, or dinner: whenever you want. But he always does it on the field. Then there are always cameras around.“

“He’s doing it for a reason; he wants it to be recorded,” says the Oranje and PSV watcher for De Telegraaf. “I don’t know what he said. It will probably be something like: Memphis was always the number one, and he isn’t anymore, because we now have Brobbey. At the moment, that is the number one. It will undoubtedly also have been about his new role.”

“Maybe this is just a little moment to chat. You don’t know what has been discussed and whether it’s really about his base location,” colleague journalist Mike Verweij says. “Maybe Koeman finds it nice to have a quick chat with the players. That it can be done in the players’ hotel—I agree with Jeroen on that. But often it’s said that all those days are packed with line discussions and all kinds of other matters. Maybe this was a good moment.”

“Of course he has a purpose for that,” says Valentijn Driessen. “Ronald Koeman knows how it works. He’s been around for so long. It’s not that Ronald Koeman thinks: the first best person I come across, I’ll just make a nice chat with. Ronald Koeman is not like that at all. He’s not the empathetic Guus Hiddink or Leo Beenhakker as a coach. He’s simply more distant from those guys.”

“I can well imagine that players sometimes think: what do I have this national team coach? What am I supposed to do with him? They have a certain respect for him,” continues Driessen. “Ronald Koeman can well fling open the door to the coach’s office, but I’m sure not all internationals walk in to say: you’re doing this wrong. Because then it’s line for the door, that’s how he is.”