Van Basten insists De Ligt learned NOTHING since Juventus move

Holland icon Marco Van Basten insists Matthijs de Ligt learned NOTHING since moving from Ajax to Juventus… slamming Dutch defence despite victory over Austria and calling on 21-year-old to ‘lead’ defence

  • The Netherlands cruised to a 2-0 victory over a poor Austria side on Thursday
  • Gini Wijnaldum starred but there were concerns elsewhere for the Dutch side
  • Marco Van Basten has been critical of the long-ball Holland being forced to play
  • He pinned it on the defence, and slammed young centre-back Matthijs de Ligt
  • Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here

Holland have two wins from two at Euro 2020 but that’s not enough for Marco Van Basten, who has ripped into the Dutch defence and singled-out Matthijs de Ligt. 

The Dutch beat Ukraine 3-2 on Sunday and dominated play, but were forced into a frantic push for the winner after a late four-minute comeback by Andriy Shevchenko’s squad. Thursday was more comfortable, winning 2-0 against an Austria side lacking imagination.   

The men in orange haven’t been entirely convincing, with pundits such as Roy Keane and Gary Neville sceptical of their chances. The Irishman expects the Dutch to be ‘found-out’ by a stronger team in the knockout rounds. 

Matthijs de Ligt has received tough criticism from Marco Van Basten despite Holland’s wins

The Dutch have back-to-back victories in Group C but haven’t convinced against poor teams

Van Basten, who scored in the final and won the Ballon d’Or as the Dutch won the 1988 Euros, was particularly critical of Juventus’ De Ligt, who starts at the heart of Frank de Boer’s back-three within the controversial 5-3-2 formation. 

‘De Ligt is a central defender but he needs more range,’ Van Basten told Portuguese newspaper Record. 

‘He has to make himself heard, to assert himself. Because he has to lead the defence. 

‘He just runs after his man, leaving huge spaces. De Ligt went to Italy to learn how to defend, but I don’t think he learned much there.’    

Van Basten isn’t at all happy with the Dutch’s defensive setup and blasted the Juventus star 

Frank De Boer’s side have beaten what is in front of them so far but have been far from perfect

The Dutch are yet to get the best out of Memphis Depay, who has struggled to have an impact

With winless North Macedonia their final opponent, the Netherlands are already qualified for the last-16 and primed to go through at the top of Group C. 

However, fans have been complaining about De Boer’s tactics since before the tournament even began, flying a banner over their training base begging the coach to try 4-3-3.   

‘If you look at how often Stekelenburg has to put the ball long and therefore doesn’t have an advantage, that’s not a good thing,’ the Dutch great added. 

‘The game becomes a kind of fighting football. From behind you have more vision and control to go out and start playing football. From there you can dominate the match. 

‘But I haven’t seen any of that so far.’




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