VAN GERWEN FACES MUST-WIN PREMIER LEAGUE NIGHT

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN says this year’s Premier League campaign has been one of the toughest of his career.

‘The Green Machine’ has slipped to fifth in the table after a stuttering run of form and a crushing loss to Nathan Aspinall in Aberdeen last week. 

World No. 10 Aspinall went on to win the night in Scotland and extend his lead to FOUR points over MVG with one week of action remaining in the tournament. 

Three-time World Champion Van Gerwen MUST beat ‘The Asp’ in Sheffield and secure nightly triumph to snatch a playoff spot — and keep his title hopes alive. 

But the Dutchman has failed to achieve a nightly victory after 15 weeks of play. 

Van Gerwen admitted “it hurts” to be in the position he is in the Premier League. 

He said: “I still love the game, I still like what I do. Of course it hurts, it always hurts.  

“I’m a winner, not a loser, and when you’re not performing to your capability then of course you need to be hurt, otherwise that’s not a good sign. 

“It’s a must-win situation. I can’t afford any mistakes anymore. 

“We also need to be realistic. I’m not going to lose it on the last day, I already made too many mistakes early doors.  

“Then you’re putting yourself in a very tough position. An incredibly difficult position. I could have made it a little bit more easy for myself. 

“To change things in the Premier League is really tough. I always keep fighting and I never give up, but when things are hard, it’s a battle constantly. 

“Even if I qualify tomorrow, I’ll still be disappointed with the way I played in most weeks. That’s what it is. 

“I need to make sure I focus myself 100 per cent. It’s going to be a massive night for me and I can’t fail again, simple as that. Otherwise, I’m out of the tournament.” 

‘Mighty Mike’ hit back at critics who questioned whether his time at the top had come to an end.  

He added: “You need to make sure you believe in yourself, and that’s why I’m still doing it. It’s obviously going to be a difficult task, not many people will bet on me on Thursday. 

“When I was coming up in the PDC and knocked Phil Taylor off his No 1 spot and he was No 2 or 3 in the world, people wouldn’t say that about him. 

“The sport never stands still for anyone, whoever you are. Not Phil Taylor, not Michael van Gerwen, no one. So, you need to make sure you keep performing. 

“I’m still young, I’m only 36 years old and still have, in my opinion, a long career ahead of me. 

“I also have to say it’s probably been one of the hardest Premier Leagues I have played in. Not in the way of players-wise, but for myself as a battle. 

“If you don’t believe in yourself anymore then there’s a problem. That’s not the case at the moment. Of course, things are not going well and are far from perfect, but my mental aspect is there and will be there. As long as you keep grafting, anything is possible” 

47-time major winner Van Gerwen revealed he never imagined being in this position. 

He admitted: “My expectations were to reach the top four and then you never know what’s possible. This [struggling to make the playoffs] never crossed my mind. Never. 

“Of course, we all know I can play a lot better, but it’s a thin line. Darts is a really thin line between playing great and playing poorly.” 

Image by Taylor Lanning.