Wim Kieft in a discussion about the Oranje player: “It seems almost like we’re not allowed to be critical.”

Former PSV forward Wim Kieft played an important role in 1988 during PSV’s victory in the Europa Cup I and in winning the European Championship title with the Netherlands national team. At the 2026 World Cup, Kieft is an analyst for NOS.

During the Thursday evening broadcast of the program WK Avond on NOS, the current TD of FC Twente was also a guest, as well as former assistant coach Erik ten Hag, and Jan Mulder. Ten Hag once again sang the praises of Frenkie de Jong.

According to the current TD, De Jong did not perform brilliantly against Japan, but even so, Ten Hag can’t help but heap praise on the midfielder. ''But Frenkie is a great player. He is so incredibly good, especially in the first and second phases of building up. He can ensure that the attackers get into position. He is one of the better in the world at that. In addition, he is also incredibly important in the rest defense and the transition to defending, because he can truly close off spaces. Most of the time he is also just extremely well positioned. He simply can scan brilliantly'', said the Tukker.

Then Ten Hag goes into why he thinks De Jong didn’t come into his own against Japan. ''Against Japan they looked for him an awful lot, but the rest around it has to play even more dominantly too'', he says. ''He is, of course, also capable of luring players. In principle you always have the feeling that you’re playing with an extra man on the pitch, because he can hold things up and draw opponents towards him. But then the rest has to start taking advantage of that'', as the current technical director of FC Twente analyzes.

Afterwards, Wim Kieft joins the discussion about the qualities of Frenkie de Jong, who is of the opinion that De Jong often holds onto his passes for too long. ''It seems like we almost aren’t allowed to be critical of Frenkie de Jong. Don’t you think he very often delays for far too long to play? The game could also be quicker if he sometimes plays it directly to Gakpo or Summerville. It’s always looking, looking, looking for the best solution, but it isn’t always there'', Kieft says to Ten Hag.

The Tukker agrees with the words of the former PSV striker, but still adds a caveat. ''But it is certainly his quality that he can almost never be put under pressure. If they do that, then he can dribble and beat people. That way, he can create a numerical advantage. But what I’m saying is that the rest has to be ready for it and benefit from it. It would be very nice to have a 'passer' alongside him, someone who can change the flow of the game. As we had that at Ajax with Frenkie and Lasse Schöne. That balance'', so Ten Hag thinks.

Also Jan Mulder joins the discussion and claims that the way De Jong plays is not meant to be stared at. ''Isn't that strange? I only see little passes wide. Am I missing the acceleration? I'm missing everything. It's not pleasant to watch. A little pass wide—every footballer can do that'', Mulder said.