Noa Lang offered a frank assessment of his own situation after returning to the Netherlands squad. The 27-year-old Napoli forward came off the bench in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Greece and admitted he has felt stagnant in his development for about a year.
"I have far too few international caps to my name. That gnaws at me," Lang said. He stressed he has grown accustomed to the substitute role, both at his club and with the national team. The player, formerly of Club Brugge, signed for Napoli over a year ago but saw limited minutes under Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri. A loan spell at Galatasaray yielded mixed results.
Development
Lang was critical of his own progress. "Other guys have done well. And if I'm completely honest, I've just been standing still in my development for a year now," the 27-year-old reacted. He wants to bring creativity, flair and courage when he plays. He did not wish to elaborate on his situation at Napoli, as his focus is now entirely on the national team. He acknowledges he must still show his quality, regardless of the coaches' choices.
Virgil van Dijk and Tijjani Reijnders pulled the score level in the second half after goals from Fotis Ioannidis and Georgios Masouras. That draw keeps the Netherlands unbeaten in their last five matches, with a sequence of DWDDW. The team tops their World Cup qualifying group with 7 points from three games, two points clear of Japan. The upcoming standings are favourable.
The next opportunity for Lang and the Netherlands comes on Saturday 4 October, with a home fixture against Serbia. In the previous meeting last Tuesday, Oranje won 1-2 thanks to a Mexx Meerdink brace. Full preparation details and the current squad are available on our pages. The squad remains unbeaten in the qualifying campaign, having scored 10 goals and conceded 4.
Further reading: HLN Voetbal
