My Netherlands 'C' Team - Willem van Riel

Analysts Bar
Jun 5
7 min read

Inspired by England C (and the role AnalystsBar play in it) @DutchProFootballScout Willem van Riel provides his ideal selection of a national side composed of the best amateur footballers in the Netherlands.

Interestingly, this representative side has previously existed in the Netherlands and provided a powerful platform to promote the talents of players like Bram van Polen.

The criteria to be eligible for this team are slightly different from those in England. The criteria applied is:

● Active in the Tweede Divisie (Second Division)

● Maximum age of 23 years

● Preferably not returning from a professional football organization (BVO)

● Players from Jong teams are not eligible

Assembling this team immediately highlights the challenges scouts and scouting departments face, with decisions being impacted by the fast-moving pace of the transfer market. Some players have been excluded because they have already made or are about to make a step up, including Zonneveld (Quick Boys to Telstar) Drakpe (Spakenburg to FC Dordrecht), van Duijn (QB to Jong AZ), Offerhaus (QB to Telstar), Hetli (AFC to Telstar), and Van Kempen (Rijnsburgse Boys to MVV). These players were once included in this Netherlands C team but had to be replaced due to their impressive progression.

Telstar are a side that makes particularly good use of Tweede Divisie and lower levels of domestic football. You can read more here:

https://www.analystsbar.com/post/pride-of-the-white-lions

Additionally, some long-term injuries have caused issues: both Broekhuizen and Reinders are unavailable for selection. It can also happen that a player is benched due to a minor injury or loss of form and therefore is not selected first if there are players who are making minutes and distinguishing themselves positively at their current club.

In goal, we have Van der Kleij (Excelsior M), a goalkeeper with excellent reflexes and an athletic style. He is also improving in possession, making him a spectacular goalkeeper to watch, difficult to beat in 1v1 situations and on the line. Maassluis has performed better and better in the second half of the season, and Van der Kleij was a crucial part of this. If you want to see a spectacular goalkeeper in action, be sure to watch a Maassluis match.

On the left flank in a 1-4-3-3 formation, we see a newcomer: K. Rook (BVV Barendrecht). He takes the place of the former captain of Netherlands C: Van Kempen. Van Kempen saw his excellent season rewarded with a move to MVV Maastricht. Rook is a similar type of player: strong in possession, with a drive forward, but also strong defensively. Rook ranks 16th in Wyscout for the number of defensive duels (227). He has 130 interceptions and ranks 36th in the Tweede Divisie, higher than Van Kempen. His forty-one progressive runs are equal to Tureauij (Excelsior Maassluis).

In the left central defense position is Meerstadt* Previously, Kok (De Treffers) filled this position, taking over from Meerstadt*, who often plays in midfield. However, Meerstadt* is a versatile player, and with Kok playing less, Meerstadt* seems the right choice. He scores high on interceptions, 168 (#10). As a central defender, the number of interceptions is crucial, and Meerstadt* shows good insight. He also can make 205 passes into the final third from midfield, so he can build up from the back.

*at the time we were preparing to get this side, Meerstadt signed a contract at DeGraafschap. This only further demonstrates the quality available in the Tweede Divise.

On the right central defense position is R. Heeremans, the tall central defender from Koninklijke HFC. This defender exudes calm and confidence, a quality for a central defender. Heeremans usually plays in a three-man defense at HFC, which is a significant difference from a four-man defense. He is not a defender who often engages in duels; I would need to see why, he positions himself in such a way that it is rarely necessary. In the air, he regularly engages in duels, 129 aerial duels (#32), with a reasonable success rate (58%). In his own penalty area, his success rate is among the best in the Tweede Divisie. While the number of defensive duels may be low, the number of blocked shots is quite high, 18 (#9). His ball progression per minute is also good, 4.81 (#28), the same metric with the number of passes, 369 (#25). Overall, a reliable defender who does not do anything crazy and can contribute to the build-up in possession.

On the right, it was a toss-up this season between Tureauij (Excelsior Maassluis) and L. Veerman (RKAV Volendam). Recently, I was at BVV Barendrecht – RKAV Volendam and was disappointed that Veerman did not play. I saw Tureauij several times this season, and he remains an interesting player: drives forward, strong in duels, physically excellent. In terms of qualities, these players are not hugely different. With 299 defensive duels, he ranks second in the standings, the number 1 is L. Veerman, 326 duels.

Tureauij has a win percentage in defensive duels of 69.6. With 177 interceptions, he also scores very well, #7. Just above him is L. Veerman with 186 interceptions. In terms of blocked shots, the two flank players are almost equal: sixteen for Veerman, fourteen for Tureauij.

The number of fouls is higher for Veerman than for Tureauij, and the latter provides 290 progressive passes (#25), significantly more than Veerman with 248. In the number of passes into the final third, it is close: 180 (Tureauij) – 173 (Veerman), both in the top 50.

Tureauij played all matches from minute one to the end, 2700 minutes with three goals, he is less often passed, commits fewer fouls, and received only one yellow card. Overall, enough reasons to choose Tureauij over L. Veerman.

In the defensive midfielder position, we have Bayram (BVV Barendrecht), a true number 6, sharp in duels and pressing, but also good on the ball. Small in stature but fearless. Bayram ranks fifth in the Tweede Divisie with 287 defensive duels.

The number of interceptions is also remarkably high, 171 (#7). A player who does not shy away from duels but can also read the game. However, the number of fouls is high, 52 (#1), which is an area for improvement, but remember that BVV plays with the point backward, and Bayram must clean up everything between the defensive line and the attacking part. In this light, his four yellow cards are not too bad. In terms of build-up, Bayram scores well with 206 passes into the final third (#26), with a success rate of 69. 8 smart passes (#14). 66% success dribble 1v1.

As attacking midfielders in this team, we have Klaver (Rijnsburgse Boys) and a newcomer, Reemnet (Noordwijk), the latter joining the team because both Reinders and Broekhuizen (both QB) are out with long-term injuries. Klaver is particularly good at connecting the lines with his eye for spaces. He also knows how to shield defensive zones, making him important defensively. Klaver ranks fifth in the Tweede Divisie with 296 passes into the final third, with a success rate of over 72. This season, Klaver made seven key passes, twenty-six through passes (#14) with the highest success rate in the Tweede Divisie, and five second assists (#4). Defensively, his 139 interceptions (#25) are excellent, and he does not shy away from defensive duels, with 249.

On the right side, attacking midfielder, Reemnet has more than earned his place. The attacking player from Noordwijk showed strong statistics despite his team's poor campaign. Six goals and two assists are not bad numbers for an attacking player in an underperforming team.

Reemnet has various attacking qualities, he attempted 132 dribbles 1v1 with 55% success, so he can create danger through dribbles. He made four second assists, can deliver crosses, 57, 31 through passes, and twelve smart passes (#4). A player who can create something with an individual action but also has a good eye for his teammates!

In the attack, on the left, we have the winger from Rijnsburgse Boys: Kariouh. With nine goals and fourteen assists, this player cannot be excluded from this XI. Although he just turned twenty-four, he has retained his place as he was in this team all year, and his numbers are very convincing. With 304 dribble/1v1 attempts, he is at the top, the number 2 attempted almost one hundred fewer.

The success rate is also quite high, 54.9, which means over 150 successful dribbles/1v1. I am surprised that no club from the KKD or abroad has come for this player…yet.

On the right, we have Roep from Noordwijk. He has gained momentum during the season, and despite his playing minutes (1631), he still recorded seven goals and five assists. With 3.5 shots per 90, he ranks #2, with over 42% of these attempts on target. It is not just that Roep goes directly for the goal or tries to attack towards the centre of the field. He averages three crosses per 90, with a success rate of over 40, so crosses also reach teammates. In terms of statistics, Kariouh and Roep are certainly comparable.

In the striker position, we have a challenge as Zonneveld is moving to Telstar. Purely in line with what we have always done, this means that Been from AFC could take his place. Both score 0.4 goals per game. The towering Been, 1.99, is a plague for any defense, especially when the spaces are large, and in AFC's 1-3-5-2 system, his qualities are optimally utilized. His number of assists could be improved, and his eye for teammates will need to develop.

If we think creatively, we could also consider Van der Weijden (Rijnsburgse Boys) for this position, he is formally too old but has exceeded all expectations in his first Tweede Divisie season and scores more goals than expected based on xG. If we stick to the age criteria, we could also look a division lower, where Visser (Harkemase Boys) has dominated, scoring thirty-two goals.

Ultimately, a talented team with potential, and we will certainly see some of these players in professional football. Meerstadt is now increasingly linked with De Graafschap, a club where the coach of Quick Boys (Duivenvoorden) will become an assistant.