Dutch strikers Zirkzee and Brobbey fail to score so Koeman sees ‘number one’

Zirkzee, 23, was particularly praised after his performance against Bosnia. Not only because of his goals and assists, but also because he made the Dutch team’s attacking game more fluid and the combination with midfielder Tijjani Reijnders was just right.

Against a stronger opponent like Germany, the 22-year-old Brobbey proved his worth as a point of contact with, among other things, an assistant and sent the direct opponent Jonathan Tah to despair.

In addition, the Ajax player showed his poor finishing when he had a big chance. It’s Brobbey’s weakness, but also Zirkzee’s. Both have not excelled as goalscorers and have not scored since their last club internationals.

Zirkzee scored on his Manchester United debut against Fulham in mid-August but has not been directly involved in a goal in 481 minutes in all competitions since then. He started the last three games on the bench and coach Erik ten Hag chose Rasmus Højlund up front.

Zirkzee’s decision to move to Manchester United after an impressive season with Bologna in Serie A was not the easiest. A move to top Italian club AC Milan, who were also interested, might have been more logical.

“He would have been better off saying yes to Milan,” Dutch icon Ruud Gullit recently said in Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport. “He knows Serie A. A few more seasons in that competition would have been very useful for his development, but at a major club like Milan. Now he is at a club with a lot of problems.”

It’s difficult right now for every player at Manchester United, let alone a new one. Brobbey doesn’t have that problem. The Amsterdammer knows Ajax, he knows the Premier League, but still he is waiting for his first championship goal of the season.

Brobbey scored once for Ajax this season with sixteen strikes in all competitions, at home to Polish side Jagiellonia Białystok. In the 261 minutes of play after that game, the forward did not score with his seven shots.

Brobbey also received criticism from the Orange icon, not for the first time from Marco van Basten. “He works hard and is a good communicator, but he is not a cute boy or a smart football player,” Van Basten said in a statement. Rondo on Ziggo.

“Ajax training is responsible for this,” continued Van Basten. “What the hell did they do with that boy all these years? He is strong and explosive, but technically he is substandard.”

Koeman acknowledges Brobbey’s negatives, but puts it a little more quietly. “There are a number of areas where he can and must improve, but that is logical for a 22-year-old striker,” Koeman said. “Only very good talents can be perfect at that age. “

“Against Germany we saw where his qualities are: speed, strength, possession, always depth,” Koeman said. “And there is room for improvement. He understands that and is open to that. I talk to him about that, but he can and must improve, especially at the club.”

Either way, there will be plenty of playing time coming to four-time international Brobbey and three-time international Zirkzee in the coming days. In the absence of Wout Weghorst and Memphis Depay, among others, the two are the only center forwards in the selection.

For Koeman, it is not only important how Brobbey and Zirkzee perform in the upcoming international matches against Hungary and Germany. “At their club they have to play in such a way that a situation arises where you choose one,” said the national coach.