‘Orange counters cool to see’

During Orange’s matches at the World Cup in India, an analyst is then asked to shed light on the performance of national coach Jeroen Delmée’s team. Today Mink van der Weerden (191 international matches, 115 goals), who New Zealand – Netherlands (0-4) watched over for us.

Mink van der Weerden also can’t ignore New Zealand’s remarkable goalkeeper change. The fact that the Kiwis coach has already taken his goalkeeper aside in the first quarter in favor of an additional outfield player also raises eyebrows for the former Orange corner specialist.

“I didn’t understand it, I’ve never seen that in my entire career. I texted Bob from Voogd if he knew where the keeper had gone,” laughs Van der Weerden. “Maybe the coach was hoping he could surprise the Netherlands in this way. I think it’s good that they try something different. But in this case it wasn’t really a success.

The Netherlands took advantage by scoring the 0-2 in an empty New Zealand goal via Thierry Brinkman.

The Orange pose after the victory over New Zealand. WorldSportPics

Combinations (8)

Mink van der Weerden: “The Netherlands have simply done well. They win for the second consecutive time and are first in the group. They don’t give up defensively and score good goals. You can tell by everything that they are comfortable in it. It’s a compliment to the coach and the players.

You can see from everything that Orange players feel comfortable there. Mink van der Weerden

“Orange was supreme against New Zealand. I liked them much better than in the first game. It was sparkling. The Netherlands played more in the first game half court, now they were higher up the pitch. When they intercept the ball, that counter is fantastic. There really isn’t much to criticize about the game.

Defense (8)

The defenders didn’t give much and were strong. They defended well outside the circle and also did well inside the circle. Of course, the Netherlands haven’t played against a top country like Germany, Belgium or Australia, but New Zealand are really stronger than, for example, Chile. They had some good attackers on the pitch, but the Netherlands played solidly and didn’t give them a chance.

‘It was also more constructive, more creative especially than against Malaysia. I thought Justen Blok played well. He was also the most creative central defender against Malaysia. From the side, I think Reyenga is strong. There is depth with every ball in his stick. It looks good.’

Pirmin Blaak and Thijs van Dam celebrate victory over New Zealand. “For Pirmin it’s good that the defense is in such a good position, it gives confidence for the rest of the tournament,” says Mink van der Weerden. Photo: WorldSportPics

‘For Pirmin (Blaak, editor’s note) As a goalkeeper, it’s good that the defense is in such a good position, it gives confidence for the rest of the tournament. He had almost nothing to do against New Zealand, but against Malaysia he recovered some good balls. I think he’s in good shape. The Netherlands have already kept their clean sheet twice. It’s great in hockey today. They do it well.

Middle (7.5)

“In midfield, I was particularly impressed by the defensive work. The Netherlands had so many interceptions. Orange was sharp. You saw that New Zealand struggled a lot with that and struggled to reach their midfielders.

‘I think it’s cool to see Orange’s counters from the switch. The speed and power of guys like Croon, Van Dam and Pieters is truly unparalleled. It goes very fast. Physically, they are in great shape. I think it’s good that players don’t make it difficult for themselves when they lose a ball. Thierry Brinkman had a great action, but played the ball just behind Tjep Hoedemakers. Nobody complains about that. Players accept that this can happen if you play full throttle and immediately go full throttle to get the ball back.

“I’m really curious how this game of Orange against the top teams is going to go. You can’t say much about it in advance. It’s only when you play against a top team. level that you know where you really are. On paper, it looks very good physically and technically, but we won’t know what it’s worth for two weeks.

Attack (7.5)

“I thought it was really a lot better offensively than in the first game. I saw some good attacks. Rounding was also sharper. Tjep Hoedemakers and Koen Bijen have scored their first major tournament goals. It’s zonte.’

“I think it’s great for Teun Beins to score his first goal for Team Orange against Malaysia. From a corner. It’s almost an exception in this tournament. This trend has been going on for a few years now and it has everything to do with exhaustion. The counters are wearing so much protection that they will do anything to avoid scoring. How they stop the ball doesn’t seem to matter. I don’t know if that’s a such good development I think we hockey fans prefer to see a well driven ball from Peillat, Hendrickx or Janssen in the intersection?

Jip Janssen aims for a corner. Photo: WorldSportPics

“Of course I watch with glasses like a corner taker, but I think we should think about it. I don’t know the solution either. We’re doing the sport a disservice with less protection. Then every game , someone is carried off the field with a stretcher. But pulling hard against the foothills is also not sustainable for the future.

“Footballers do everything to avoid scoring. It doesn’t seem to matter how they stop the ball.

“The fact that Jip hasn’t scored yet doesn’t mean anything to me. Of course, as a corner taker, you prefer to have a ball in it. But if you win two group games sovereignly, that doesn’t matter. important. Soon against the top teams, it will be discussed. Jip will score anyway. He manages the corner well and does not let himself be fooled.