German press slams Veerman after weak start at Dortmund

After the 0-1 victory of Borussia Dortmund on the road at VfB Stuttgart, the German press sharply focuses on midfielder Joey Veerman. The press labels his performance as the weakest so far, despite a promising start in his first weeks in Germany.

Borussia Dortmund secured a narrow 0-1 win in Stuttgart, but the attention quickly turned to Veerman. The Dutch midfielder was given a limited role and was substituted after about an hour. His contribution was described by the press as disappointing.

German press slams Veerman

Spox noted that Veerman, despite a ‘fantastic impression’ in his first weeks in Germany, received only a meagre 5.5 after the match. The publication wrote: ‘He could not orchestrate as usual; he struck a free kick over the bar and delivered a very inaccurate cross.’ In addition, he was frustrated by an inaccurate pass from Ryerson and was substituted after about an hour.

Other media give mixed scores

Sport.de was milder and gave Veerman a six as a report card. The outlet praised his sharp passes in the final third, although small miscommunications reduced the quality, and called him at his best moments a crucial link in the defensive organization. Ran Joyn emphasized that he brings a lot of structure to BVB’s build‑up and noted that it was surprising that Kovac substituted him after 62 minutes.

Tribuna called the match Veerman’s ‘weakest performance so far in a BVB shirt’ and criticised his inability to control and structure the game as in previous duels. The outlet emphasized that his performance ended after about an hour.

Nevertheless, Spox wrote that thanks to his strong start at Borussia Dortmund the Dutchman has been called up to the national team for the first time since 2024, indicating that his potential is still recognised despite the critical reactions.