Matthijs de Ligt, once again, endured a difficult outing in the Netherlands’ Nations League campaign – this time against Germany. And, post-match, boss Ronald Koeman commented on the centre-back’s performance, stating that he didn’t want to take the Manchester United man off.
The two international behemoths were held to a 2-2 draw after Tijjani Reijnders gave the hosts an early lead. De Ligt’s blunder allowed Germany to pounce and equalise through Deniz Undav.
The former Ajax youth prospect, who moved from Bayern Munich to Old Trafford in the summer in a deal worth £38.5 million, was exchanged for Brighton & Hove Albion’s Jan Paul van Hecke at the interval after his high-profile mistake was capitalised on by the Germans.
De Ligt Hooked at Half-Time After High-Profile Blunder
‘I gave him a new chance today’
De Ligt, in full control of the ball, attempted to play a line-splitting pass to his fellow countryman, Jerdy Schouten, in the middle of the park, but it was, relatively easily, thwarted by Germany’s Jamal Musiala.
A sea of German bodies then flooded the host’s box and a chance, that emerged on the back of the 25-year-old’s error, was converted by Undav, giving Julian Nagelsmann’s side the momentum heading into the break.
A 46-cap Netherlands international, the ex-Juventus ace was dragged, as mentioned, in favour of Van Hecke at half-time and the Brighton man put in an assured 45-minute performance.
Post-match, 61-year-old Koeman was quizzed over De Ligt’s error that led to Germany’s first goal. Insisting that he’s currently in a position where all his mistakes are being punished, the boss said:
“Of course I would rather have kept Matthijs de Ligt on the pitch. It just looks like he is now in a period where all his mistakes are being punished. I gave him a new chance today, but eventually protected him by taking him off.”
Dutch captain Virgil van Dijk rallied behind his compatriot in his post-match interview, though he did suggest that De Ligt needs to learn from his mistakes as – at the top level – they are easily punishable.
“This is football, you have to learn from this. It was one moment but at the highest level, you will get punished for it.”
This most recent error just builds on the criticism that he – one of the highest-paid centre-backs in the Premier League – received after the Netherlands’ fixture against Bosnia and Herzegovina. As the ball was floated in towards Edin Dzeko, the Manchester United man misjudged the flight of the ball and seemingly switched off to allow the intelligent centre-forward ample time to bring the ball down and slot it home.
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De Ligt – National Team Statistics |
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|---|---|
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Debut |
March 25, 2017 |
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Age at debut |
17 years, 7 months and 13 days |
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Caps |
47 |
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Goals |
2 |
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Assists |
3 |
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Yellow/Red Cards |
4/2 |
De Ligt’s Tricky Start to the Season
Internationally, the centre-back has flattered to deceive
Moving to Manchester United in their current state is always a tough ask for a summer addition – and De Ligt, despite playing well in his side’s opening three Premier League outings, has been subject to two defeats – a 2-1 loss to Brighton and a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of their fierce rivals, Liverpool.
Internationally, things have not gone swimmingly with De Ligt, 25, looking to tie down a starting berth next to the aforementioned Van Dijk. In his first two outings in the Nations League, Koeman has trusted him enough to give him a starting position – but he has failed to impress on both occasions, leaving the door ajar for other members of the Oranje squad to stake a claim.
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