VAN GERWEN UNDER FIRE AFTER NIGHTMARE WEEK
08/04/2026 By Aaron Nijjar
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has been told he delivered “absolutely nothing” during his latest nightmare run.
“Mighty Mike” endured a tough week on the oche, beaten in the Premier League quarter-finals on Night Nine by Stephen Bunting before a disappointing second-round exit at the German Grand Prix, where he was ousted by Niko Springer.
The world No.4 also struggled on the ProTour circuit in Leicester, failing to progress beyond the fourth round during the recent double-header.
Former pro and close friend Vincent van der Voort did not hold back in his assessment of MVG’s performances.
He told the Darts Draait Door podcast: “He has to be critical of himself and say that it was absolutely nothing last week.
“It was three times nothing. But the fact is he’s rebuilding, and one week will go worse than another.”
Van der Voort also pointed to the intense scrutiny back home.
He added: “In the Netherlands we’re good at lifting people up, but also at tearing them down.
“Maybe it’s not going fast enough for a lot of people, but this is part of it. Sometimes it just doesn’t click.”
Van der Voort believes a lack of consistency is the issue in the three-time world champion’s game.
He continued: “What you see now, is that when he’s in the match, it’s simply good. He still hits an incredibly high level.
“But when it doesn’t flow, he can’t turn it around. At the moment he doesn’t have the resilience to come back in a match.
“Something wasn’t right this week. And then you just keep going. It kind of drifts on without you really being able to reset.
“You can’t play below par for two years and then think you’ll be all the way back in two or three months.
“As much as everyone wants that.”
Van Gerwen returns to action this Thursday in the Premier League, where he faces fellow Dutchman Gian van Veen in Brighton.
MVG currently sits fourth in the table, just one point ahead of his rival, as he looks to tighten his grip on a play-off place at the O2.
Image by Taylor Lanning.
