You could call Willy van de Kerkhof an inveterate optimist. While many football followers are very happy if the Netherlands reaches the last sixteen, Willy firmly believes in a successful World Cup. “I am really convinced that we will become world champions,” says the 63-time international from Helmond in the Willy and René Podcast of Omroep Brabant. “You have to be a bit lucky, but we had that too in 1978. And we deserve it for once, don’t we?”
Brother René, good for 47 international matches, is absolutely not convinced. “Where do you get that from? You have to be realistic: we no longer have players of the level of Cruijff and Van Hanegem. We don’t really have players who can decide a match on their own.” Willy also agrees. “Our strength lies in the collective. And I think that’s a good thing. If you don’t have to play France and Spain in the last eight and last four, you can easily get into the final.”
As a certified trainer, René has also thought about the line-up against Japan next week. “I was an attacker myself, so I started at the front: Summerville, Malen and Gakpo. I thought Summerville played well against Algeria. He was not awkward on the right side and had a few actions from which Malen should have scored. Memphis is doing everything it can to get fit again, he gave our friend Noa Lang a death kick during training, but he is not quite there yet so Malen plays.” Gakpo is also a certainty for Willy. “He had a difficult season but that will be fine. Don’t worry.”
“How do you get it out of your mouth?”
For the middle line, René chooses De Jong, Gravenbergh and Reijnders. “They haven’t played well together yet, but they will be there.” René has some surprises at the back because in addition to goalkeeper Verbruggen, Van Dijk and Dumfries, he goes for Aké and De Roon. “Aké has always done well in the Dutch team. It may also be his last World Cup. And De Roon also played at the back in Italy and he did that very well.” Willy will follow his brother. “But I would still choose Van Hecke in the right center.”
The brothers expect Guus Til to be the only PSV player in the Dutch squad who will not play much. “If the need arises, Koeman would rather choose Weghorst than Til,” says Willy, to René’s disapproving grunt. “How do you get it out of your mouth? I would rather choose Brobbey than Weghorst.” Willy and René will also follow the other PSV players with interest. “If they all play a good World Cup, they can all just make a transfer,” says Willy. “Otherwise it won’t be too bad.”
“The best match of his career.”
In the podcast, the brothers also look back with great pleasure on the World Cups that they experienced themselves. In 1974 they were both reserves. “Although I was lucky that I was allowed to play the second half of the final,” René says still proudly. “And that was the best match of his entire career,” says Willy firmly. “I recently watched that match again and it was fantastic. Unfortunately, that also applied to the German goalkeeper.”
