Doubts about playing in the Orange? “I can taste it a little.”
1 min readSince his switch on a loan basis from Aston Villa to AS Roma, former PSV striker Donyell Malen has fully blossomed. Last weekend, Malen scored two goals for AS Roma in the match against Parma, which they won 2-3 away.
Thanks in part to these two strikes, AS Roma is still very much in the running for a spot in the Champions League, and it also fuels the debate about who should be starting in attack for the Netherlands at the upcoming World Cup. As a rule, national coach Ronald Koeman will choose Memphis Depay, provided he is completely fit.
According to René van der Gijp, it is clear who should be in the number 9 role up front for Oranje next summer. ''Now Malen'', says the former PSV footballer with certainty on Vandaag Inside.
Table companion Johan Derksen, however, thinks that Koeman has doubts about Malen. ''In some way, he doesn't have confidence in him. I can feel that a bit. I think Koeman always acts a bit confused about Malen. But he doesn't see it happening'', says the bearded analyst.
According to Van der Gijp, Koeman's job is to put the players who are in form in the starting lineup during the World Cup. ''As national team coach you have only one assignment, and that is to field the players who are in form in your team. If De Jong is in form, you put him in. If Gravenberch is in form, you put him in. If Reijnders is less in form and is sitting on the bench more often at City, you put someone else in,'' Gijp said.
After that, Derksen says he no longer has any confidence in Memphis Depay and Van der Gijp thinks that Memphis must be completely fit. ''His downside is that if he isn't one hundred percent fit, he's going to do the craziest and toughest things. Then he wants to turn away between three men. When he's in form, he lets the ball drop and keeps going. But you should definitely put Malen in the striker position, one hundred percent. He's in form. He hasn't been this good yet,'' concludes the Dordrecht analyst.
Comments14
I like the argument that a coach should put the players who are in form into the XI. But Koeman also needs to manage roles, and Depay's ability to play under pressure might still matter if he is fully fit. If Memphis is not at 100%, though, Van der Gijp is right that Malen should be the first-choice striker, based on current output and form.
"Dat proef ik een beetje" lol, okay but you can smell the confidence in Malen. He is active, arriving at the right times, and roma are clearly feeding off it 👀
If Koeman "warrig" doet over Malen, dan is het kwalijk. Een spits die bij Roma ineens knalt, kan je toch niet wegzetten op basis van gevoel. Zet hem erin en laat Memphis maar bewijzen dat hij honderd procent is.
Die uitspraak van Van der Gijp over "maar één opdracht" is wel zuiver, maar Koeman maakt het soms te persoonlijk. Idk, ik zie Memphis alleen starten als hij echt fit is, anders is het gewoon gambling. Malen in de basis, dan tenminste vertrouwen op flow en goals.
Malen moet je zeker in de spits? Daar zit wel wat in. Memphis kan geniaal zijn, maar als die niet 100% is gaat hij juist te moeilijk voetballen en wordt hij frustrerend. Malen is nu peak qua vorm, 100% inzetbaar lijkt me 🔥🐐
Derksen saying Memphis is only a pick when he is 100% fit is fair, but i still think Koeman might choose Memphis for his game IQ. Malen scoring vs Parma in a 2-3 win is nice, but it is still a transfer-of-momentum question. 100% Malen as starter though, that is a bold take.
Derksen saying koeman has no trust in Malen... i get it, but the Parma match proves he is doing the basics right in a big game. If depay is even slightly off, malen should start, no cap. And no, i dont buy the "warrig" take, just pick the striker that is scoring.
"Dat proef ik een beetje" is such a Derksen line lol. If Koeman truly doubts Malen, it can mess up the whole attacking pattern at the WC, especially with Memphis only if he is 100% fit.
tbh this whole debate ignores the obvious, malen is in form right now. If koeman keeps memphis as starter but he is not 100% fit then we are limiting options up front. That "nu malen" call feels like the common sense move to me 🔥
"Dat proef ik een beetje" ... lol, tja Derksen ruikt natuurlijk zo'n discussie al maanden. Maar als Memphis niet 100% is, dan snap ik dat ze in de spits voor Malen kiezen. Je wil een spits die ritme heeft, en Malen lijkt het nu te hebben.
Derksen zegt dat Koeman geen vertrouwen heeft, ik proef dat ook een beetje hoor. Met Koeman krijg je soms het gevoel dat hij Malen niet helemaal ziet staan in z'n plan. Als Malen blijft scoren, moet hij gewoon minuten krijgen.
Tbh vind ik het verhaal wel logisch. Roma Malen die twee keer scoort, dan is "Nu Malen" niet eens zo gek. Maar Koeman die twijfelt? Daar geloof ik alleen als Memphis niet 100% fit is.
Two goals for Roma and suddenly everyone wants Malen in the Oranje striker role. Tbh i get the hype, but Koeman also has to balance chemistry, not just form.
Two goals for Roma and suddenly everyone is shouting