Xavi has two scoring forwards, Brobbey scores in Manchester
After years of talking about a striker problem for the Oranje, caused by the poor form of Memphis Depay, national team coach Xavi Hernández can now count on two goal machines: Donyell Malen, who has been playing for AS Roma for months, and Brian Brobbey, who recently scored a hat trick for Sunderland against Manchester City.
For a long time it was claimed that the Netherlands suffered from a striker problem because Memphis Depay was out of form. That criticism had put pressure on the national team for years.
Malen's form at Roma
Xavi can now rely on Donyell Malen, who has been playing as a forward for AS Roma for several months. His presence provides an extra option alongside the traditional strikers.
Brobbey's hat trick against Manchester City
Brian Brobbey delivered a spectacular hat trick for Sunderland on Sunday in the away match against Manchester City. Despite a 5‑3 defeat he remained a constant threat to defenders Ruben Dias and Marc Guéhi, and he scored the 1‑1, 2‑2 and 4‑3. The match took place at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
So far Brobbey has played 37 matches for The Black Cats, in which he scored ten times and provided one assist. His productivity makes him a serious candidate for the national attack line.
Khalid Boulahrouz praised Brobbey and said:
“He makes a very good impression. This season he has not yet scored, last season I saw a number of goals where he received a lot of criticism in the Netherlands. The finishing, the runs, the technique… That was amazing: dropping, hitting once, finishing. That was truly of the highest level. In the Netherlands he was one of the strongest or perhaps the strongest of all. That will probably translate well in the Premier League, I thought. But if you see the effort they put into him and how he knocks down big guys at many clubs. They are totally hopeless.”
The Netherlands start on 24 September with a Nations‑League match against Germany, followed by games against Serbia on 27 September, Greece on 1 October and Serbia again on 4 October.
With his hat trick Brobbey became the fourth player in Premier League history to score three goals against a club that was top of the table that day, after Robbie Fowler (1998), Dirk Kuyt (2011) and Romelu Lukaku (2013).