For Ian Maatsen and his BVB colleagues, the game of their lives is coming up on Saturday (June 1st). He and Borussia Dortmund will face Real Madrid in the Champions League final and fight for the trophy.
Shortly before, however, Maatsen received bitter news: he was removed from the Netherlands’ provisional squad for the 2024 European Championship. For his BVB teammates Nico Schlotterbeck and Julian Brandt, this was an incomprehensible decision.
BVB: Maatsen not at the European Championships – Schlotterbeck shocked
National coach Ronald Koeman surprised everyone on Wednesday (29 May) by not nominating Ian Maatsen. Despite outstanding performances in the second half of the season, the BVB defender is not part of the Netherlands squad for the 2024 European Championship.
+++ Borussia Dortmund: Everything about the CL final in the live blog: Big fan concern! It could be very bitter +++
For Nico Schlotterbeck, this is a very unexpected decision: “I was very surprised. Ian was the best left-back in the league in the second half of the season, made a name for himself in Europe, played incredible games against Atletico and PSG,” he emphasised, adding: “For me as an outsider, this is inexplicable.” And Brandt also declared: “I would have nominated him too.”
Schlotterbeck is keeping his fingers crossed for his teammate’s future: “I hope Ian can maintain his form in the next few years, then he will also play a big role for the Netherlands.”
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Schlotterbeck and Füllkrug nominated for Germany
Unlike Maatsen, Schlotterbeck will be taking part in the 2024 European Championship. With his strong performances, he has secured a place in the German national team. Alongside Niclas Füllkrug, however, he is only one of two BVB stars in national coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad.
2024-06-03 04:56:09
#BVB #Maatsen #shock #Schlotterbeck #perplexed #Inexplicable
