Koeman snaps again at Veerman: “It’s not a problem to have one more Volendam player…”
1 min readThe relationship between national team coach Ronald Koeman and Joey Veerman continues to keep tempers on edge. Despite a strong season from the PSV midfielder in the Eredivisie, his name was missing from Oranje’s 26-man World Cup squad. During a send-off interview with Radio 538 Koeman once again gave Veerman a subtle dig.
Koeman was first asked about the division of roles within the technical staff of the Netherlands national team. In response, he went into extensive detail about the work of his brother Erwin Koeman.
"What exactly Erwin does? He is part of the staff and primarily analyzes the opponents", Koeman explains. "He puts it into words and he looks for images which he presents to the players. That is his primary job, but he also assists with training and does exercises."
Subsequently, the national team coach emphasized that within Oranje there is a shared approach. "The responsibility for the training lies with Wim Jonk and I assist in that as well. If we work with groups in a particular training session, then we do that also with Erwin and with Ruud van Nistelrooij", he continues. "And Patrick Lodewijks is responsible for the goalkeepers. We do everything together. I’m also not one for: 'he is the first and he is the second assistant'. I work as a whole with the staff."
Host Edwin Evers caught on to that with a wink at the presence of Wim Jonk, from Volendam. "So there’s still a Volendam man in it," he remarked.
The remark appeared to be a clear reference to Joey Veerman, who also comes from Volendam and, despite his good performances, was left out of the squad. Koeman then responded with a short, telling comment. "Yes. One Volendammer isn't too bad."
The remark immediately caused laughter in the studio, after which Evers wrapped up the moment with: "Whereof record is made." Whether the words were actually intended as a subtle jab at Veerman remains likely to be a matter of debate. The fact is, though, that the relationship between the national team coach and the PSV player is once again giving rise to speculation.
Comments10
Bro, bringing on that youngster felt like a gamble. On the bright side, the tempo changed instantly, but you gotta start him more often if we want trophies 👀.
Naah, i think the defensive setup is the real worry. If the fullbacks step up like that again, teams will just play the diagonal and open space behind. PSV can win with this style, but it needs smarter cover in transition 👀
Defending wise, i still feel we get punished in transition. It doesnt matter how nice the build-up is if the press is half a second late...💀
Tbh i just hope the coach trusts the kid winger more. When he comes inside, it creates the overload, but we still seem scared to commit numbers at the back.
Tbh i love how PSV looked more direct in midfield in this one. If that press gets triggered a second earlier, Dumfries and Tillman can actually hurt teams on the counter 🔥
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If PSV stick with that midfield setup, we are gonna be way too slow to cover transitions. I like the intensity, but the balance feels off, especially when they lose the first ball.
If PSV are serious about controlling games, we need Gakpo getting closer to the ball more often. Right now it feels like too many attacks restart from the wing instead of through the middle. Also Noni has to be a bit more decisive, those half-choices get us stuck.
Maxim? He was everywhere last match, but sometimes he holds the ball too long before the pass. If he speeds it up one touch earlier, we look way more dangerous 🔥.
If the plan is wing-play again, then do we actually trust our fullbacks to overlap with purpose? Looks like midfield has to cover every time the ball goes wide.