Ronald Koeman's mistake undermines Netherlands, Xavi restores Veerman

Johan Derksen points out that Ronald Koeman's decision to leave Joey Veerman out of the plans now clearly proves to be wrong for the Netherlands. The 27‑year‑old midfielder, who under national team coach Xavi again got a starting place, shows how Koeman's old criticism no longer applies.

Veerman's revival under Xavi

After Euro 2024, Koeman decided that Veerman was no longer needed, causing the player not to play a single minute until the current international break. However, Xavi called him back, and Veerman came on Thursday as a substitute against Germany (1‑1) and started on Sunday against Serbia (1‑2) in the starting eleven.

Derksen praised the midfielder in his podcast “Groeten uit Grolloo”, stating: “Our Volendam native, who was heavily at odds with Koeman, has now played twice under Xavi and is also performing surprisingly well at Dortmund.”

Joey Veerman looks to Xavi for guidance after Dutch recall

Derksen's assessment of Koeman and Xavi

The former analyst explained that Koeman criticized Veerman because he did not contribute when the ball was lost, which according to Koeman led to a “ten versus eleven” situation. Derksen responded: “Koeman criticized Veerman. He thought he didn’t fit, and I agreed with that. Because Veerman is an amazing footballer, but he doesn’t help when the ball is lost.”

Furthermore, Derksen emphasized his appreciation for Xavi: “I am happy for Xavi, a serious football man with a great background, and not an irritating man in his presentation. He is a very modest gentleman.”

He concluded that the first weekend under Xavi had gone well: “Against Germany 1‑1 was an excellent result. Winning against Serbia 1‑2, that actually should have been 1‑5. But let’s not complain about that. The Dutch national team is radiating something again. It will get better again.”