“NOONE IS AFRAID” OF VAN GERWEN ANYMORE

By Phil Lanning

MICHAEL Van Gerwen has been told that “noone is afraid” of him anymore.

The three-times World Champion suffered a shock early exit in the European Darts Trophy to fellow countryman Niels Zonneveld at the weekend. 

MVG, 36, is also struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League table despite a promising start. 

Former pro Vincent van der Voort delivered a brutal assessment of his best pal on the oche. 

He told the Darts Draait Door podcast: “Van Gerwen averages 107, but still misses key moments. Those are the moments that decide a match.

“I also told him: no one is afraid of you anymore. In the past, players thought: if Van Gerwen hits his best form, I lose. But that feeling is gone now.

“Everyone now thinks: if he has an off day, he’s there for the taking. And that happens regularly. It’s no longer a one-off.

“He has to force it himself again. He’ll have to work hard for it. That’s the challenge he faces now.”

Van Gerwen next faces Gian van Veen in the Premier League in Dublin on Thursday night. 

Van der Voort was delighted to see so much Dutch success in Gottingen at the weekend with Wessel Nijman also winning his first senior title. 

He added: “It was a truly fantastic weekend for the Netherlands. Unbelievable how many players went deep.

“It’s great to see the new generation taking over now. Especially when you look at Zonneveld and Nijman, they really had a fantastic weekend.

On Nijman, he added: “No one really came close. Not even a little. He just blew everyone away. Hats off.

“What you used to see was him just missing tops in tight moments. But now it was so clinical, so good. His whole presence exuded confidence. I don’t think he missed many darts by much at all.

“He’s already very close to the top 16 and he’ll get in there. At this level, anything is possible.”

Image by Taylor Lanning.