Football has many sayings but some resonate more than others. Most notably Roberto Mancini and Jupp Heynckes have commented that ‘strikers win you matches but defenders win you championships.’
The latter part of this can be extended to goalkeepers – ask any Arsenal aficionado about Lukasz Fabianski. Newcastle’s Tim Krul and Swansea’s Michel Vorm may not be challenging for titles but they are nevertheless at the crux of their sides recent fortunes.
Until November, Newcastle were unbeaten in the Premier League whilst Swansea still have the best defensive record at home. To attain this though, both stoppers have certainly had to be Flying Dutchmen during the campaign.
Krul, 23, has turned in a string of impressive performances, none more so than at Old Trafford as the Magpies picked up a point. However, it was overshadowed slightly by a controversial penalty awarded to Newcastle which received the lion share of newspaper columns in the days after the encounter.
Vorm meanwhile has received plaudits for similar consistency and continuing to grow his reputation as the “Penalty Killer,” a title the 28-year-old picked up in his time at FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie. It’s worth noting how his old club’s fortunes have taken a turn for the worse defensively since his departure. They have conceded 35 goals in the first half of the season – something they never did when Vorm was between the sticks for the club.
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Utrecht sit in 14th place at the winter break although the departure of star striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel is another contributing factor to their poor performance so far this season.
It demonstrates how a strong defence provides a platform for any attacking flamboyance. This comes in the sense that as an attacker, you know that should you lose the ball, you don’t have to worry about your mistake costing the team. This is perhaps something players wouldn’t think about openly and is more applicable on a subconscious level.
The Netherlands will forever be associated with Total Football and talented goalkeepers such as Krul and Vorm do give their teams a licence to thrill. Vorm’s Swansea has come closer to emulating the likes of Johan Cruyff. Their passing at times is mesmerising but Roberto Martinez must take credit for bringing a stylish brand of football to South Wales during his two years at Swansea.
That was before he moved onto Wigan in an effort to further his career, something Krul and Vorm will both appreciate. However, there’s an interesting comparison to be made here. Many of the best Dutch players usually originate from or play for Ajax at some point in their careers.
Both played for their home town clubs; ADO Den Haag in the case of Tim Krul and Utrecht for Michel Vorm. The latter actually turned down the Amsterdam club’s advances when he was 13, something many would have been perplexed by when you consider Ajax’s standing in world football, let alone Holland. Instead Vorm left for Swansea City some 14 years later for £1.5 million, a price which looks astoundingly good considering how he’s played thus far.
Krul jumped slightly earlier at the opportunity to move to the bigger stage from Den Haag in 2005 before he signed his first senior contract in 2006. As understudy to Shay Given and Steve Harper, Krul had to bide his time before being handed a place in the starting eleven. This season, Pardew decided to make the Dutchman his first choice keeper and it’s a decision that looks to be paying dividends.
Any gap left in the Dutch goalkeeping stakes by Edwin Van der Sar’s retirement last season has been filled firmly in the Premier League at least by Krul and Vorm. It was perhaps no surprise when they came up against each other for the first time in the Premier League that the game finished 0-0. What’s more the first time they met each other was earlier this summer in the Dutch International squad as Krul received his first call up. Vorm subsequently called Krul before deciding on a move to Swansea in the summer.
Maarten Stekelenburg is the current first choice for Holland. Should he pick up an injury ahead of the European Championships, Bert van Maarwijk should have no concerns about selecting Krul or Vorm. The situation wouldn’t be unfamiliar to the pair either. They’ve been patient waiting for their opportunity for a long time. Now they’ve been given their chance in the Premier League, Tim Krul and Michel Vorm are certainly grasping the opportunity with both hands.
How do you rate Vorm and Krul’s performances this season? Tweet me @arhindtutt or comment below!
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