Chicken curry-ruined Gakpo returned to the Dutch national team on Monday after a much-discussed week. During the victory over Gibraltar, the Liverpool striker was not yet able to make his mark. Afterwards he spoke of a memorable week.
Gakpo saw the Orange lose from the living room: “Be careful with chicken curry from now on”
“We knew we would have the ball a lot,” Gakpo responded to the encounter with the tiny Gibraltar. The Orange played against a dozen for almost a half, but it was not possible to score much. He added, “It’s hard to play through a wall like that. You look for openings, for opportunities, which can be frustrating. You just have to be patient.”
The chagrin of the defeat at France (4-0) could not be completely played away. Gakpo watched it patiently from his living room. “I was sick, so I had to watch it on television. That’s not fun, of course, when you see how it goes there. The button had to be turned, because today we just had to win. Do I still eat chicken curry? I’m going to be very careful next time,” the forward continued.
Difference between Louis van Gaal and Ronald Koeman
Due to his absence, national coach Ronald Koeman was not yet able to discuss extensively with Gakpo. The attacker does see a difference with predecessor Louis van Gaal. “I got sick, so a long conversation was difficult. The difference? Louis was more strict in his dealings. Now we have more freedom. That also asks more of us. They are both good coaches from whom we can learn a lot,” he remarked.
Gakpo understands that there was little to learn against Gibraltar. Still, the attacker did not want to be too light about the victory. “I don’t see it as us wasting our time against such an opponent. You must treat them with respect and take them seriously. They have less quality, but made it as difficult as possible for us. You shouldn’t joke about that,” he said.
Feyenoord has to miss Geertruida for weeks
Lutsharel Geertruida will not play for Feyenoord on Sunday in the away match against Sparta Rotterdam. That is the first game of a series of games that the 22-year-old defender will have to miss due to his hamstring injury.
Geertruida sustained a hamstring injury in the European Championship qualifier against France. The Feyenoord player made his debut for Orange on Friday in Stade de France and did not come out of the battle unscathed in the 4-0 defeat. It is expected that Geertruida will be sidelined at least until mid-April. That would mean that, in addition to the derby against Sparta, he will at least also have to miss the cup match against Ajax, the competition match with RKC Waalwijk and the first confrontation with AS Roma in the Europa League.
