Netherlands U21 5-1 Russia U21: Tactical Player Report

Ricardo Van Rhijn

In a domineering attacking performance by the Dutch team, it seems almost strange to list their right back as one of their top performers, but it also highlights the quality of the performance put in by the youngster.

Van Rhijn had a fine game, particularly going forward. The Dutch, as always, encourage their full backs to move forward and join in attacks, and van Rhijn accepted this invite with glee. The right back got into a number of good positions, and this was very helpful to Wijnaldum. Aside from this, his forward movement was also a method to fill up the space in the wide areas everytime Wijnaldum cut inside.

In terms of his passing, van Rhijn is from the Dutch school, and naturally a good passer. He played 8 long balls and all of them were accurate. His involvement in the build up play was also positive for the most part, as he took part in some of the slick passing moves that the Dutch put together. 59 passes played with a 92% completion rate certainly suggests that he knows what he’s doing on the all.

Crucially, for a full back, he has truck loads of energy, and ran up and down that flank all day long. His acceleration is also good, and his turn of pace helped him to beat his markers regularly.

Defensively, his positioning is a little suspect at times. He spent a lot of time in the other half, and had to run back to track back attackers. Overall, technically, he is a good one on one defender, and makes good, strong tackles.

The most important aspect of his game is the attacking side, and his tireless running from deeper areas. Such movement never ceases to give defenders a head-ache, and his partnership with Wijnaldum promises a lot.