Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Kaj de Rooij
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 25/11/2000
- Current club: FC Eindhoven
- Career: Willem II (Y), FC Eindhoven (Y)
- Position: Left Wing
- Secondary position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Kaj de Rooij is a wanted player in Dutch football, gaining the attention of clubs in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie and the Eredivisie. He is 1.76 meters tall and what stands out is his excellent technique with his both feet. He can shoot with left or right from and he often attempts to shoot from every angle.
He is very good at dribbling and staying on his feet, despite being not having a physical appearance. Because he keeps dribbling and stays on his feet, he is able to create a goalscoring opportunity from himself in the box and this could be seen in this game where he scored the 0-1 for FC Eindhoven. The combination of his acceleration and dribbling makes him a very interesting player on the wing, but his real strength lies in the attacking midfield role with two defensive midfielders behind him.
He works hard and sees opportunities for other teammates and provide them with good passes in order to create more goalscoring opportunities. He is a remarkable talent but in order to succeed he needs to improve on his physical appearance, determination and his heading. This could be seen how he is in the 1v1. He is quick, agile and accelerates well – but when he has to fight out a duel (in the air or on the ground) he was easily beaten by the defenders.
Rating – A1
De Rooij is a very talented player and could definitely play in the Eredivisie with the potential to go to a top 5 league, but he really needs to improve on his physical appearance. If he does that, he could achieve great things.
Pieter Bogaers
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 09/03/1999
- Current club: FC Eindhoven
- Career: RKSV Sarto (Y), Willem II (Y), FC Eindhoven
- Position: Centre Back
- Secondary position: Defensive Midfield
- Preferred foot: Left
Pieter Bogaers played out of his natural position and occupied the left back position in this game against Jong FC Utrecht. The 21-year old is a strong defender with good feet and excellent defensive awareness with a knack for clearing the ball in the box. His work rate is good, as well as his aerial presence, as he wins most of his aerial duels and is tough to beat on a set piece.
In a game with both sides attacking, the full-backs needed to be versatile and be present at both sides of the pitch. Bogaers did well in his defensive duties, but when he made a run down the line or progressed the ball, he was vulnerable in the rest defence and that left FC Eindhoven vulnerable as a whole.
He has a strong passing game, but chooses to opt for the safer options and you can see that his natural position is as a central defender. He didn’t make many errors, but they were vulnerable on the left-wing in defence as Jong FC Utrecht were very quick on their right-wing.
Rating – B2
The quality of Bogaers on this level is okay, but he didn’t play on his natural position and you could tell. Playing as a full back made him vulnerable and he needs to improve on the specific qualities of a full-back to become a very good player at this level or even progress to the Eredivisie.
Valentino Vermeulen
Player profile:
- Nationality: Dutch
- Age: 19
- Date of birth: 20/07/2001
- Current club: FC Eindhoven
- Career: Willem II (Y), FC Eindhoven
- Position: Centre Back
- Secondary position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: right
The 19 year old central defender had a positive appearance in the FC Eindhoven defence. The 1,80 meter long defender is a force to be reckoned with in the standard defending qualities. He is strong in the aerial duels, does not shy away from tackles and is patient in the 1v1’s in this particular game.
His defensive awareness is great, as he is always looking where to stand and anticipate the next action by either his teammates or the opponent. He defends very concentrated and focuses on his decision making qualities, as could be seen in his actions to pass the ball to the full-backs or midfielders.
As said above, he does very well on the traditional, standard defending qualities – but his attacking qualities or qualities to progress the ball, are lacking. His dribbling and technical abilities are rather poor. When he attempts to progress the ball, he is often dispossessed and it leads to an attacking threat of the opponents.
Rating – B1
This is a very decent player on the level he acts on, doing the basic defending things right. But he is no top defender and as of now, I can’t see him play higher than the Keuken Kampioen Divisie.