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Jurrien Timber earned mixed reviews from his latest performance for the Netherlands
Arsenal star Jurrien Timber was in action for the Netherlands on Friday but his performance against Poland earned him a mixed bag of reviews from the media.
The Dutch side played out a 1-1 draw against Poland in Warsaw, thanks to Memphis Depay’s equalising goal in the second half. While Ronald Koeman would have been hoping for another win, his team’s result has all but secured their place in the World Cup next year.
The Netherlands sit top of their group with 17 points, yet to lose a single one of their fixtures. They also boast a significant goal difference over Poland, meaning a draw in their final match against Lithuania will mathematically secure automatic qualification.
Even if the Oranje lose their next game, Poland would need a win over Malta with a goal difference swing of 13 to topple the three-time runners-up at the top of Group G.
Arsenal’s Jurrien Timber splits media reviews with latest Netherlands performance
National media was split over the Arsenal defender’s performance in Warsaw. While his ratings were pretty closely contested, the opinions of two outlets were quite contrasting.
Voetbal Internationaland Voetbal Primeur both issued Timber a rating of 6/10, with the latter analysing: “He was given another chance alongside Van Dijk in the centre, but this time he wasn't as convincing.
“At 1-0, Timber was fooled by [Robert] Lewandowski. At other times, he did push very aggressively, leaving the Dutch team open at the back. On the other hand, Timber also made several good saves.”
Football Oranje gave Timber a 6.5/10 rating, the highest of the Netherlands backline and reflected their reasoning as such.
“The pick of the Oranje defenders, Timber was good at the back and strong when he was moved to right back in the second half.”
Jurrien Timber benches Matthijs de Ligt for the Netherlands
This is now the second international camp Timber has played in the heart of the Netherlands defence, having also started at centre-back in October against both Malta and Finland.
Timber helped keep a clean sheet in those previous fixtures, which both ended in convincing 4-0 wins for the Dutch.
The Arsenal star’s presence kept Matthijs de Ligt on the bench as an unused substitute against Poland. The Manchester United defender was left out of the previous international camp but earned himself a recall this time round.
“I felt I had to select him based on his performance,” Koeman explained after including him in the November squad. “He’s been through a difficult period. There’s also more peace and quiet at the club now, and they’re performing better.
“I’ve also sat with him sometimes and said he didn’t look confident in his play. I think that’s much better now. His position at the club will always be important for a player. I felt I had to include him again.”
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