AFPMemphis Depay is disappointed during the match against France
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 06:00
Thierry Boon
follows the Dutch national team
Thierry Boon
follows the Dutch national team
The outside world, but above all Memphis Depay himself, had expected more from his European Championship so far. While he wants to be a pacesetter, against the French we mainly saw someone who had enough difficulty with his own game.
Post football. Who hasn’t played it as a child? Only the street has temporarily changed into a Wolfsburg turf and the posts have become orange foam rollers. Practitioners’ enjoyment is still as great.
Depay has the most fun when he comes up with a game with Denzel Dumfries, Cody Gakpo and Stefan de Vrij during the training. Trying to hit each other’s post with a ball from about twenty meters away. Only winners.
‘Lazy’ training for the Dutch team with post football, Koeman speaking a lot
Depay has already had a conversation of about fifteen minutes with national coach Ronald Koeman. What is discussed there on the training field in Wolfsburg, the day after the 0-0 in Leipzig, is a matter of conjecture. But it is clear that there is room for improvement.
Depay finally started preparing for a final tournament fit. He made an excellent impression in Zeist in recent weeks. His play in the friendly matches against Canada and Iceland was convincing. This could well be his European Championship, on the way to the title of all-time top scorer of the Dutch team.
His value to this Dutch team is undisputed. His record is impressive, with 45 goals in 94 international matches. With Depay in top form, the Dutch team can reach great heights. Koeman knows that, Depay knows that.
Toiling on an island
That is precisely why it was such a disappointment to see the transfer-free striker struggle against a top country like France. “I often stood on an island,” was Depay’s own conclusion afterwards in the catacombs of the Leipzig Arena.
“When a ball came to me, there was little support. Then you have to hold the ball and unfortunately that didn’t work a number of times. That has to be improved,” said Depay, of whom 9 of the 29 ball contacts resulted in loss of ball.
Depay after ‘difficult’ match: ‘Unfortunately we did not have a linesman and VAR on our side’
The fact that the Dutch crowd in the stadium called for Wout(je) Weghorst to come in early on Friday evening will not be very nice for Depay either. Especially not with the knowledge that Weghorst did something that Depay was unable to do this European Championship: score.
New single with Akwasi
On the day of the Netherlands-France, Depay, an artist in his spare time, released a new single, together with rapper and activist Akwasi. The song is called ‘Thanks for Your Opinion’ and, as the title suggests, is about the many outside opinions with which they have to deal.
This is evident again this European Championship when Depay starts playing with a headband. It has caused a lot of controversy in the Netherlands. The attacker’s reaction? He has the words ‘who cares’ printed on the tire.
AFPMemphis Depay is disappointed during the match against Poland
In the design of the single, the much-discussed headband, now extremely popular among Dutch fans, can also be seen in the silhouette of the footballer.
Keep your cool
On the football field, the Orange Legion hopes to soon see the Depay who decides duels with a touch of genius. “I keep my head cool and know what I have to do,” Depay said on Friday after the showdown with France.
“But especially in the first group match, against Poland, I felt good. When you score a goal, everyone says that I played a fantastic match. But I understand the questions. I agree that things need to be improved. at sometime.”
It is Depay who, with his talent, perseverance and character, can make this Dutch team that little bit more. That didn’t work at the previous European Championship. That didn’t work in Qatar either. But it can still work this European Championship.
Despite the mounting criticism from the outside world, Depay must continue to believe in himself. Or as he himself raps: “I have one thing: thank you for your opinion. We are not going to do anything with it. End of communication.”
2024-06-23 04:00:02
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