Yet again praise: “What incredibly trained!”
1 min readThe Netherlands national team was eliminated at the 2026 World Cup after the team of head coach Ronald Koeman lost to Morocco in Monterrey on penalties. For departing PSV player Ismael Saibari, it was his job to deliver the verdict on Oranje on the team of head coach Ronald Koeman.
Saibari did not fail against goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and the Moroccan international fired the Atlas Lions into the round of 16 against co-host Canada. At the program WK Praat on ESPN, there is a lot of praise for the performances of the midfielder.
The departing PSV player is really on a roll at this World Cup, and ESPN hasn’t missed it either. ''We’re talking about the Netherlands national team, which doesn’t want to make it a match... Then Morocco has simply really done fantastically. And especially Ismael Saibari'', says analyst Kenneth Perez.
After that, Hans Kraay junior continues. ''Oh, what a fit one, wow. What incredibly well-trained. That he can play football, we knew that already. But he has so much depth in his game,'' Kraay says.
Also Kees Kwakman is full of praise and, in particular, commends the fact that Saibari has to play up front. ''And then he is still forced to play in the striker position and he does that, after all, pretty well. He doesn’t let himself drop back the whole time,'' says the man from Volendam.
After that, Kraay goes on to the fact that during the match the midfielder had to change his shirt. ''At a certain point he had to switch his shirt... Well...'', as the former footballer concludes.
Comments10
Shirt switch moment by Kraay is so random but also tells you Saibari was in the middle of everything. I just hope Koeman plans a proper replacement, because you cannot bench that kind of engine.
Die shirtwissel-scène bij Kraay, dat is toch typisch WK drama 😂. Maar serieus, als Saibari fit blijft en niet helemaal wegzakt, dan is het logisch dat Nederland hem als wapen gebruikt. 100% doorzettersmentaliteit.
Kees Kwakman saying Saibari is forced to play as a striker and still doesn't keep dropping deep makes sense. If he can play with that discipline and depth, opponents are gonna suffer.
Ik snap de lof, maar ik vond die quote over in de spits wel grappig. Als PSV-fan hoop ik dat Koeman dat niet als excuus gebruikt om hem te veel op te offeren, want zijn waarde is toch tempo en ballen verleggen. 👀
"Wat is die ongelofelijk afgetraind" is precies het woord lol. Je ziet gewoon dat hij diepte kan draaien en tegelijk fit blijft in zo'n stresswedstrijd op het hoogste niveau. 🔥
"Wat is die ongelofelijk afgetraind" lol that's the Dutch way to hype fitness. If Saibari keeps being that sharp in the front line, PSV are lucky even with him leaving.
i like that ESPN didn't force a narrative, they basically said Marokko deserved it and Saibari stood out. That quote about not making the match ugly is exactly what midfielders should do.
Saibari die Marokko vooruit duwt vanaf het middenveld, echt terecht dat ze hem noemen. Verbruggen hield hem niet klein, maar Saibari was wel de versneller.
Fair play, but Verbruggen saving in the shootout gets too little credit. Still, Saibari clearing the vibe for Oranje and then scoring it feels peak control.
Saibari having "depth in his game" is so true. Also funny how they mention that shirt switch like it's the biggest highlight 😂