Louis van Gaal called up Ryan Gravenberch by the Young Dutch on purpose. The Dutch national team coach believes the Ajax player is better suited to the orange in the unrefined system than before, but his lesser form and usefulness to the young orange led Van Gaal to the decision.
“I think it fits the system better now than it did in the previous one, because we then played with one player regressing and two forwards. Frenkie de Jong played like that,” Van Gaal said at the press conference on Monday. In my view, Frenkie de Jong is ahead of Ryan Gravenberch. We needed these two for Memphis Depay.
On top of that, Van Gaal knows that Gravenberch hasn’t been in great shape for long. “He had a really tough time. Then he spoke to me and then showed a response. I am very happy with that. But the Dutch youngsters are also playing against Switzerland and they are at the top. I am with Dutch football. Not only for the Dutch national team, but also for the youth.
“Ryan and Devin Rench can lead the way to victory over Switzerland,” the coach added. I told him that. He’s not always happy about it, but it’s a test for him. It’s great to have this experience at such a young age.
Van Gaal does not rule out surprises
Therefore, Van Gaal does not rule out the possibility of surprises in the current selection compared to the World Cup. I expect that, because we have this list and the shadow list. Then you hope the younger players will continue to evolve this year, so that you can still use them.
