Wim Kieft wants Ronald Koeman to keep Donyell Malen in place, even after the pressure around the forward rose sharply over three matches and a few missed chances. In his column in De Telegraaf, Kieft said the discussion around Malen has turned fast, but not in a way that proves Koeman should move away from him now.
That debate is being followed closely because Malen was in excellent form at his club before the WK, and Kieft said Koeman could not ignore him then. He wrote that Malen had to be in the basis and was seen as the natural next option, which is why his current spell has drawn so much attention.
Kieft’s argument is built on confidence. He said everything depends on vertrouwen for attackers and that, without it, a player starts doubting heavily. In his view, Malen should stay patient, keep doing what he has always done and wait for the next opening, because the breakthrough will come if he keeps the same approach.
That support is not blind, though. Kieft also noted that after three matches and a few missed chances, Malen was quickly taken off the horse again, a sign of how fast opinion can turn when chances go unconverted. He described that as part of a striker’s life and said it is now playing in Malen’s head, which is exactly why the selection talk has become so sharp.
The former Oranje striker also argued that the alternatives are not forcing the door open. He said Depay, Brobbey and Weghorst are not banging on the door, and pointed to the twenty minutes Depay and Brobbey had as substitutes against Japan without a clear lift for the team. That leaves Koeman with a familiar choice: keep backing a forward under pressure, or change for the sake of change. The next lineup call will show which side of that line he is on.
