Van der Gijp sees Nations League clubs being hurt, they will respond

René van der Gijp warns that the injury wave during the Nations League international‑match period will not remain without consequences. He sees numerous top players dropping out and suspects that clubs will intervene to limit the impact on their squads. The former international emphasizes that the four fixtures in two weeks constitute a heavy load for both players and clubs.

Big injury wave

Van der Gijp mentions a long list of injured talents. “Kai Havertz is injured, Brian Brobbey is injured, Kylian Mbappé is injured, Cody Gakpo is injured. I have been looking at that whole list. There are really a huge number of them,” says the analyst. For the Netherlands, Brian Brobbey, Lutsharel Geertruida and Cody Gakpo have already dropped out due to injury.

Clubs consider action

He predicts that clubs will intervene. “I do think that clubs will act against all injuries during the international‑match period,” Van der Gijp starts in the podcast KieftJansenEgmondGijp. The former international does not rule out clubs taking measures to limit the damage.

According to Van der Gijp, the Nations League format works against the clubs. “Those clubs are not happy. It’s also a hassle to play four internationals. The Nations League was also created to give friendly matches a bit of cachet. It’s about nothing.”

The combination of an intensive match schedule and a growing injury wave puts the relationship between national associations and clubs under pressure. Van der Gijp concludes that a re‑evaluation of the format is needed to protect the interests of both parties.