World Cup
Derksen and Van der Gijp predict Malen will lose Dutch spot
Johan Derksen and René van der Gijp argue that Donyell Malen is likely to lose his place in the Netherlands national team after a muted start to the World Cup, while Brian Brobbey and Crysencio Summerville impressed in a 5‑1 victory over Sweden. Their assessment comes as the Dutch side prepares for the next round.
René van der Gijp said on Monday during Vandaag Inside that Malen knows himself that losing his spot would be justified. He added that a player who is swapped out and the replacement scores naturally loses his place.
Johan Derksen echoed the sentiment, stating that Brobbey deserves to stay in the lineup. Derksen noted that Malen performs well in Italy and had good matches in England, but is rarely seen in the Dutch team.
Malen started the first two World Cup matches for the Netherlands. He missed a major chance in the 1‑0 loss to Japan.
In five of the last six Dutch matches, Malen was in the starting eleven. Despite numerous clear chances, he failed to find the net in any of those games.
In Serie A this season, Malen has scored fourteen goals in eighteen appearances for AS Roma. His club performance contrasts with his national team output.
Listeners can follow the latest Studio Oranje episode featuring 34‑time Dutch international Daryl Janmaat on Spotify. The show also covers topics such as the World Cup, Louis van Gaal versus Ronald Koeman, and the roles of Brobbey and Denzel Dumfries.