Is Wijnaldum’s passing for matches in the Nations League with Belgium, Wales and Poland striking?
Quite, though the omens were clear. Wijnaldum played only one half as a substitute in two international matches in March. Van Gaal spoke out about his precarious position; not an undisputed base player at Paris SG, where Wijnaldum hardly ever shows the form of his glorious years at Liverpool.
On the other hand: Van Gaal is forced to regularly deviate from his ‘law’, that he only calls up players with enough rhythm at their clubs. That aim cannot be sustained, because many top football players at foreign employers are not undisputed. But he has put together a pre-selection of thirty men. If there is already no room for Wijnaldum in this, that is a signal. Wijnaldum is one of the most chafed and acclaimed players of the current internationals, with 86 caps and 26 goals. As a replacement for the injured Virgil van Dijk, he captained the European Championship, although that tournament failed miserably. He led the fight, also off the field when it came to tackling racism, and formed a great duo with striker Memphis Depay especially in the first Nations League and in the run-up to the European Championship.
Did Van Gaal motivate his decision?
The national coach left it with a short statement: ‘Since our last two international matches in March, unfortunately little has changed in Gini’s situation at his club. As a result, I am forced to make other choices, however difficult and regrettable I personally find it.’ When the selection comes together in two weeks, Van Gaal will discuss the matter in more detail.
Van Gaal called on the following midfielders to help shape his intended 1-3-4-1-2 (or 1-3-4-3) system: Steven Berghuis, Jordy Clasie, Frenkie de Jong, Davy Klaassen, Teun Koopmeiners, Marten de Roon and Guus Til. By the way, Wijnaldum gets more playing time than many think. He was in the starting line-up in the game at Montpellier last weekend. In 37 matches in which he participated in all competitions, he came to 1,981 minutes, out of a total of 4,410. He was in the starting line-up 22 times.
Four players in the selection have had less playing time than Wijnaldum this season, although they are more specialized. Jasper Cillessen is a keeper, Nathan Ake a fairly rare, left-footed defender, Luuk de Jong a striker who was often successful as a late substitute at Barcelona. Steven Bergwijn is important in Van Gaal’s concept, as an attacker with a lot of speed and movement. Van Gaal is also looking for a point of contact in the striker. To the surprise of many, he put the almost forgotten Vincent Janssen on the provisional list, the little-scoring attacker of Monterrey in Mexico. In Mexico they thought Van Gaal was joking. In addition, Janssen is also getting married, around the first game against Belgium.
What will Wijnaldum show when he joins PSG?
Less than before at Liverpool, where he was a defining midfielder. He scored three goals in all competitions, including two in the Champions League against Leipzig. At PSG, almost all attention is focused on the three in the front (Messi, Neymar, Mbappé). It is clear that Wijnaldum made an unfortunate choice. The question is whether he will stay in Paris after the season, although he earns a salary that he cannot match elsewhere.
Does Van Gaal consciously stimulate him to change clubs and still make it to the World Cup?
That is possible. In 2013, Van Gaal took off the captain’s armband from Wesley Sneijder, who was furious just before a week of training in Asia. Sneijder had made it that way. He wasn’t fit. Van Gaal’s tactics worked wonderfully. The exasperated Sneijder did everything to make it to the World Cup and Van Gaal needed him as one of the creative players. Sneijder was one of the stars.
Does that also work at Wijnaldum?
Wijnaldum is a different type. In his behavior the Rotterdammer is a pro par excellence, although the right choice for a club belongs to the aspects of the profession. Worryingly for Wijnaldum, Van Gaal doesn’t seem to find him special enough at the moment, despite quite a bit of playing time, while he can be used in any position in midfield. That Van Gaal, who has little time to train together for the World Cup, is not taking this opportunity to call up Wijnaldum, is a bad sign.
However, there is hope for Wijnaldum. First of all, the announcement of the final selection is not until May 27. Wijnaldum was also not a first choice for Van Gaal during the 2014 World Cup. Wijnaldum came in for Jonathan de Guzman against Spain and Australia and was in the starting squad from the third group match up to the battle for third place against Brazil, which he graced with a goal.