Rafael van der Vaart Surprised by Ronald Koeman's Dutch Lineup at the World Cup

Ronald Koeman has made some adjustments to the Dutch national team's lineup compared to their previous match against Japan. Against Sweden, Brian Brobbey will start as the striker, moving Donyell Malen to the right flank. "I'm certainly surprised with Brobbey up front," Van der Vaart began on the NOS. "But I'm very happy about it."

When it comes to Brobbey, one match always comes to mind for him. "I'm thinking of that game against Germany in the Nations League at the Johan Cruijff ArenA." Two years ago, Brobbey played an excellent half against Germany, acting as a target man up front.

Van der Vaart is quite optimistic about the former Ajax player leading the attack. "He didn't do well at Ajax, but he had a fantastic season at Sunderland. He's so strong, and if you have quick players around him... Let's hope this is the winning formula," he says optimistically.

"I chose Brobbey because we need to offer more offensively," Koeman explained. "The spaces will again be tight, and in that situation, Brobbey as a target man is more effective than Malen. He will also play more centrally on the right, to create space for Dumfries. It's clear that we need to play more cohesively, and one striker isn't enough. In my opinion, this is the best option."

Guus Hiddink, also present at the NOS, is particularly curious to see how Brobbey will perform. "He has undergone an incredibly positive development, and he was criticized at Ajax. But you could also see that he could lay off a ball well. In England, he's now getting the recognition he deserves," Hiddink believes.

However, he is curious about why Summerville is starting on the bench. "Summerville has minor complaints," Koeman later revealed. "I was very pleased with Summerville, but he also had some physical issues in recent days. I'd rather not start him then. We don't want to take unnecessary risks with that. But he can still come on as a substitute, which is also a weapon."

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