Welcome to the Weekly Grind, where we take a look at how players in or around the Oranje squad performed for their clubs in the previous week.
The past weekend saw excellent performances from the likes of Memphis Depay, Myron Boadu and Tim Krul, while others such as Matthijs De Ligt and Kevin Strootman struggled. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
The Netherlands
It was a huge weekend in the Eredivisie. Not only was there the small matter of De Klassieker taking place, but 2nd and 3rd faced off as AZ travelled to PSV.
In the former, it was the Ajax men that shone. Donny van de Beek scored his third goal of the season, being set up by Sergino Dest, while Daley Blind was named Man, or King, weirdly, of the Match. The likes of Rick Karsdorp and Steven Berghuis however, did little to stake their claim for a spot in the Oranje squad.
AZ youngsters continue to hugely impress, with Calvin Stengs and Myron Boadu tearing PSV apart. Stengs got two assists and Boadu two goals as they stormed to a 4-0 victory. Steven Bergwijn and Donyell Malen both missed the game through injury, while Denzel Dumfries was given a poor 5.8 rating by WhoScored.
England
Tim Krul was the stand-out Dutchman in the Premier League as he brought back memories of 2014 World cup quarter-final, savings two penalties against Manchester United. He also pulled off this unbelievable stop – will Ronald Koeman reward him with a call-up?
Elsewhere in England’s top flight, Daryl Janmaat and Nathan Ake both kept clean sheets as Watford and Bournemouth played out a goalless draw. Further south, Davy Propper impressed in Brighton’s 3-2 win over Everton.
Finally, Virgil van Dijk was his usual reliable self but Gini Wijnaldum missed a few chances in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory against Spurs.
Italy
Marten De Roon got an assist and an 8.8 rating from WhoScored for his performance in Atalanta’s 7-1 drubbing of Udinese. Hans Hateboer also played the full game and was booked. The former was typically entertaining on Twitter.
Life at Juventus continues to prove difficult for Matthijs de Ligt, as the youngster gave away a penalty in his side’s 1-1 draw with Lecce.
Stefan de Vrij’s Inter Milan also failed to pick up three points, drawing 2-2 with Parma, with the Dutchman coming on in the 66th minute.
Germany
Jerry St. Juste and Jean-Paul Boetius both played in Mainz’s 3-1 victory over Koln, with the latter scoring their club’s equaliser.
Jurgen Locadia also found the back of the net, scoring his first goal for Hoffenheim in their 3-2 win over Karim Rekik’s Hertha Berlin. Javairo Dilrosun missed out through injury.
Davy Klaassen continues to impress at Werder Bremen, scoring their second goal in a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen. Wout Weghorst, however, drew a blank in the 0-0 draw between Wolfsburg and Augsburg.
Rest of the World
In France, Kevin Strootman played 90 minutes and was given a 5.8 as Marseille lost 4-0 to PSG. On a brighter note, Memphis Depay was given the captain’s armband for Lyon and delivered with an excellent performance, topped off with this stunning solo effort to make it 1-0.
Luuk De Jong came on in the 81st minute of Sevilla’s 2-1 win against Getafe, while Jasper Cillessen wasn’t picked for Valencia defeat to Osasuna, as he woke up suffering from vertigo.
Finally, Tonny Vilhena and Ryan Babel both played 90 minutes for Krasnodar and Galatasaray respectively, but neither managed to help their club win.
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