Netherlands have seen a dramatic rise in form lately under Ronald Koeman and his new batch of talents. Many might say that total football is still not coming back, but we could certainly see that their football is becoming more and more effective - especially the forwards. Even without the presence of clinical finishers like Robin van Persie or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, or a classy winger like Arjen Robben, or a versatile player like Dirk Kuyt - Netherlands can still compensate with what they have now and what they have now might even be an upgrade from the past. Under Koeman, the Dutch team has seen some low-profile names like Denzel Dumfries, Pablo Rosario, and Arnaut Groeneveld getting called to the national side and after watching their last two games, I could positively say that they did very well. But my attention instantly shifted to the name Arnaut Groeneveld when I saw his name on the scoresheet. Who is he exactly and why did he get called up by Ronald Koeman to the Dutch national team? Let's find out now.
Player Profile
Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld was born in the city of Lagos, Nigeria on the 31st of January, 1997 to a Dutch father and a Nigerian mother. He was eligible to either national team.
Young Groeneveld began his journey at Dutch club FC Oss before moving to a more established, famous academy of PSV Eindhoven in 2008. The half Dutch half Nigerian winger established himself as an important figure in the youth establishment of PSV, showcasing his amazing ability on the ball, excellent tactical understanding, and impressive athleticism.
By the season 2014/15, 17-year-old Groeneveld has already been promoted to the U19 side of PSV Eindhoven, playing alongside the likes of Steven Bergwijn, Sam Lammers, and Yannick van Osch who was also regarded as the academy's brightest talents at the time. Groeneveld managed to make 20 appearances in total for PSV U19, but he failed to score a single goal and didn't make any assist either.
In the 2015/16 campaign, appeared in 13 matches for PSV U19, putting his name on the scoresheet 5 times and contributing with 3 assists before getting promoted to Jong PSV where he only played one game.
Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld, 19 years of age at the time managed to secure a move to NEC Nijmegen from PSV Eindhoven on a free transfer. He was intended to play for the reserve side, Jong NEC Nijmegen, but after an awe-inspiring run where he scored 8 goals in 9 matches, he was immediately promoted to the senior squad. He appeared in 16 games for NEC Nijmegen but unfortunately failed to help them escape relegation.
By the next season, he has already cemented his place in the first team. Playing in the left wing where he is most dangerous, Groeneveld put the ball past the goalkeeper 13 times while also providing 17 assists for his teammates in 30 games. His brilliant performances attracted interests from several teams in Europe, including Club Brugge, his current team.
The Belgian defending champions secured his services for a fee of 1 million Euros in the summer before the start of the 2018/19 season. The 20-year-old skilful winger didn't need a lot of time to slot himself in the first team and he has so far proven to be one of the team's most influential player with his 5 goals and 4 assists in 15 matches including his first ever Champions League goal that he scored against Atletico Madrid. This news has, of course, arrived at Ronald Koeman's table and the former Everton gaffer decided to give him a call-up to the national team where he has already made two appearances and scored one goal, which came in a match against Belgium. He is in such magnificent form this season and it could only get better as far as I can see.
Style of Play
Arnaut Groeneveld is a right-footed player who plays on the left side of the wing. He has also played in several different positions in his career including a striker, a right-winger, an attacking midfielder, and even as a central midfielder - but it is on the left flank where he plays best and is most comfortable.
He has a strong right foot and a decent left one. His energy, his determination, his pace reminds me of that of Sadio Mane. Utilising his blazing speed and top dribbling skills, he likes to run at the defence, taking on the defenders and beating them - and more often, cutting inside and curling the ball to the top corner or simply delivering a cross into the box. He has a tendency to take a shot whenever given adequate time and space which makes him a danger especially inside the box.
Player Strengths
Standing 1,78m (5ft8) tall and with a lean but strong build, the 21-year-old inverted winger is able to hold the defenders off and is not easily muscled off the ball. He has a decent ball control and a very good first touch. He is a skilful dribbler but not really a showboat. He has a blistering pace and once he gets past the defender, it would be hard to catch him up. He is a good finisher and has improved a lot in this particular department lately. He loves to try a long-range shot and is in fact pretty good at it as a high percentage of his long-range shots ended up being on target. The Netherlands new call-up is also a fairly decent free-kick taker.
Player Weaknesses
Arnaut Groeneveld has truly been at the top of his game lately and he could only improve from it, but there are several aspects of his game that he still needs to improve.
Firstly, his defensive work rate. Every player needs to contribute to his team both offensively and defensively and so therefore even for an attack-minded player, defensive discipline is still important.
Secondly, he needs to be more consistent in his performances. In some games, he plays seamlessly, while in some other matches, you might even forget that he's actually still playing on the pitch right now. Sometimes he also played well in one half and suddenly lost his charm in the other half.
His form has been improving ever since he left Eredivisie and his weaknesses seem to become more and more insignificant as he grows and develops his game.
Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld might still be a relatively unknown name at this time but judging by his showing lately and with the right tutelage, there is little doubt that he could be Netherlands' next big star someday.
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