The football panel sees the Netherlands failing to win the Women’s World Cup. How much will the Orange Lionesses miss their top scorer Vivianne Miedema de Hoogeveen?

During a discussion at the Groninger Forum, she brought up the Women’s World Cup, which will take place in New Zealand and Australia from July 20 to August 20. What are the chances of Oranjeleeuwinnen, World Cup finalists lost four years ago? And how much will the Netherlands miss their all-time injured top scorer Vivianne Miedema de Hoogeveen at the tournament? Questions to which a panel with additionally football journalist Suse van Kleef, former coach Foppe de Haan and former sports commentator Evert ten Napel as moderators formulated answers for a modest but interested audience.

Eelkema, who played for sc Heerenveen and a number of matches for the Netherlands, was supported in his prediction by Van Kleef. “If we go through the group, Sweden will probably wait. Then you can just lie down. But if the Netherlands win this match, Spain and the United States, against whom we also play in the group, can be the opponents. We are not on the easier side of the calendar.”

Van Kleef expects a lot from England and Germany

Former coach De Haan was the most optimistic of the group: ,,If we win against Sweden, we can also beat America.” Van Kleef named his favourites: ,,I expect a lot from England with Sarina Wiegman and Germany. The Germans were good in the final of the European Championship last year. England won the title, but were lucky. Germany might as well have won. France also has a great team. And downside, she says, certainly not the reigning American world champion. “The team is weaker than four years ago. Preseason results have been meager, but America has so many great football players. This country can field two full squads for the World Cup.”

According to De Haan, the Orange Lionesses should just play football freely. De Fries was an assistant in 2017 alongside head coach Wiegman and the players jumped wildly as the Netherlands won the European title in Enschede. ,,Go and play well, then you have a chance,” he said. Van Kleef: Esmee Brugts (PSV international, editor’s note) was asked if she was afraid of America. Afraid? she replied, very surprised. It’s nice to play football against them, she said, haha. On a good day, we can beat anyone.

What is the weight loss of Vivianna Miedema?

But how much will the loss of Miedema, who has to miss the World Cup due to a serious knee injury and surgery, weigh? The London Arsenal player is back on the pitch, but has yet to revalidate. ,,The fact that Miedema does not participate saves a sip on a drink,” Eelkema said. ,,National coach Andries Jonkers therefore changed the system of play. If Miedema had participated, the Netherlands would not have played with two strikers.” Van Kleef: ,,The system is extremely different with the 5- 3-2. Brugts and Pelova (Victoria, ed.) are now to play as wingers. Brugts, who had never done this before, was shocked. But it looks pretty good.”

Eelkema, who wants to play in the Eredivisie with the women of FC Groningen in four years, still sees his weak points. ,,The Netherlands are the most vulnerable in the back.” Van Kleef: ,,They lack good defenders.” And De Haan: ,,With Miedema, we had a striker who always scores a goal. It’s easy. From now on, Lieke Martens has a free role in this system. We will see.”

Vivianne is truly a team player

De Haan remembers when he sometimes coached the women of sc Heerenveen: ,,When Miedema was fifteen, she was unbearable. Very difficult.” Ten Napel: ,,Johan Derksen called her a bitch.” Complete nonsense, according to Van Kleef: ,,Vivianne is really a team player.” Between De Haan and Hoogeveen, everything went well. The Friesian nestor helped her above the dead spot as she didn’t score for a while. ,,I sat down with her and said, ‘you shouldn’t worry about a goal. The moment comes by itself and then you film it.” It happened too. I had already said the same thing to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at the Dutch Juniors. So he scored some great goals.

Van Kleef: ,,Miedema was only twenty when he won his first World Cup. There was a lot of pressure on that.” Reporter de Langs de Lijn, among others, had tears in her eyes as the Netherlands won the European title. She was not alone. Because, like other former football players, she realized how far Dutch women’s football had come, initially led by pioneer Vera Pauw. But we are not there yet. The Premier League is too much of a training institution. Eelkema: ,,The best players go abroad, to England or Germany.”

Van Kleef: ,, We need to do more. The Premier League is going to grow to twelve clubs, but we don’t have enough good players for that. Limit yourself to eight clubs. Then you can also better pay more female players and, for example, grant maternity leave. Now most of them are amateurs working on the side. They are tired in training.” And that’s a shame. Especially since the mentality of young footballers is excellent. “16/17 year old boys are often already spoiled. These girls would do anything for that,” De Haan said.