The international break for Matthijs de Ligt went from bad to worse after he was hooked off at half-time vs Germany.
The Manchester United defender was already coming off a mistake in the previous game which cost his side a goal so the pressure was on.
Against Germany, Matthijs de Ligt gifted the ball to the opposition under no pressure in his own half, from which they created an attack and scored to cancel Netherlands’ early lead.
Ronald Koeman made the nuclear decision to sub him off, adding to his misery and making him the main subject of attention after the game.
Manchester United fans, however, took a nuanced view of the situation, making two clear points about the whole charade.
Matthijs de Ligt’s forgettable outing
Ronaldo Koeman had already called out De Ligt for his mistake against Bosnia and Herzegovina but at least ended by backing the player.
That backing was on display as he kept his starting place against Germany too.
All was looking rosy when the Netherlands took an early lead in the second minute but then De Ligt’s moment of madness arrived.
Jamal Musiala intercepted his meek pass while building from the back, leaving his team at sixes and sevens at the back.
Deniz Undav scored from the resulting chance and the game was level but the tide had shifted, as Germany took the lead before half-time.
That is also when De Ligt’s outing would come to an end, as Koeman made the call to bring on Van Hecke for De Ligt, ending a forgettable international break for him.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom for the player, who is expected to start for Manchester United vs Southampton.
Man United fans on De Ligt
Playing for United invites intense scrutiny and rivals salivate at the chance to make fun of a player any chance they get.
Therefore, De Ligt was never going to be spared but the whole sequence of events wasn’t as simple as “De Ligt mistake ends the Netherlands”. Van Dijk’s role in the buildup as well as De Ligt’s own match fitness were two major points.
One fan pointed out a clear error from Virgil Van Dijk, who was nowhere to be found on the back post during the attack: “De ligt! de ligt! de ligt! But van Dijk doesn’t mark the back post and he doesn’t get any criticism.”
Another joked that De Ligt is getting the mistakes that arrive due to lack of match fitness out of system so he can return to Old Trafford in top form: “De ligt getting all his mistakes out for Netherlands so he can drop top performances for united.”
A third preached perspective amidst the loud noise: “Bayern fans protested against selling him and everybody called him world-class before signing for United but they want me to believe De Ligt is all of a sudden “bad” after joining United.”
Another echoed similar sentiments: “De Ligt will be fine, he’s been neglected by the Dutch National Team for years. Will be a different player for Manchester United, was Bayern’s POTY only a year ago.”
Finally, a section of United fans rejoiced at Koeman’s decision because De Ligt playing only 45 minutes means he comes back less fatigued, while Joshua Zirkzee was also on the bench.
Of course, he would have preferred to not be taken off at half-time but the big picture remains that De Ligt was a part of the system that failed for the first goal, and had no bearing on the second.
He’s a player working his way back to match fitness in a team in which he hasn’t played much at all in the last few months.
If he ends up being a success for United, not many would be bothered about what he did in an international break.
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