A starting spot for Guus Til against Sweden?

The Netherlands national team began the 2026 World Cup with a 2-2 draw against Japan. Next Saturday, the second group match in Houston awaits against Sweden at 7 p.m. Dutch time.

Sweden, on the other hand, had a better opening match. The Scandinavians won 5-1 against Tunisia and therefore go into the match with the Netherlands as the top team of the group. Anyone who sees Memphis Depay play as a striker for Oranje can only conclude that there are better options. 

If it were up to PSV legends Willy and René van de Kerkhof, PSV player Guus Til will start for Oranje on Saturday evening. ''He provides depth,'' says Willy in the Willy & René PSV Podcast for Omroep Brabant.

Til remained on the bench for the entire match against Japan and saw that the Japanese went level in minute 88. The two Helmond brothers are also totally unimpressed with the substitution policy of national team coach Ronald Koeman.

''He removed all speed from the equation. You can probe and grind into the depth, and they can’t get it back anymore, and that also applies to Summerville. I certainly would have left one there. Mr. Koeman had a certain strategy that I don’t understand,'' Willy said.

Even brother René had left Summerville standing. "They say he was tired, but he certainly could have made three more good plays," René says.

Both brothers found the wing attacker, responsible for the 2-1 for Oranje, the most dangerous man on the Dutch side. ''He’s the kind of René van de Kerkhof. A bit of pace and scoring—nothing else is needed in football. And I also played from left and from right. I’ve scored with my left foot sometimes too, but those were tap-ins'', René said.