The international break looks to have given several Netherlands players a real lift. Ruben van Bommel is making a big impression and Mexx Meerdink is looking excellent too. Now he has to show that quality every week for AZ as well, according to Kenneth Perez and Marciano Vink on ESPN's Voetbalpraat.
Meerdink came on early in Thursday's match against Germany (1-1) after Brian Brobbey went off injured. Against Serbia (a 2-1 win), he made his first start for the Netherlands and immediately scored two important goals. Marciano Vink now hopes the striker can take that form back to AZ.
"At AZ, he has had too much of an urge to prove himself in order to get into the Netherlands squad, to be selected, to be seen," he begins. "At AZ, he is trying to show Meerdink, but he just has to play football. Have a good focus."
"Now you can see what he has brought to the Netherlands. If he brings that at AZ... Now he has achieved what he worked for over a very long time, so I think things should also become easier for him at AZ now. He has had a boost. He is through something now."
Perez then joins in: "Give the lad some time as well. For a long time he did not play full matches, because Troy Parrott was simply a good first-choice striker. But he has certain things, not everyone can do that. The way he strikes the ball, the way he lays balls off. Maybe it is still too sporadic, but give him a moment."
Vink responds: "I'm really not going to hype Meerdink up here. Because last season people were still saying that he does not press as much as Parrott, and now he is being praised because he presses brilliantly with the Netherlands. So with him, an extra focus has also come with the Dutch national team, and he has to take that to AZ."
Then Perez makes a striking point: "Actually, he has to leave there. He really has to leave there! He has to be triggered!" says the analyst, who feels Meerdink is not sharp enough in Alkmaar. "Some players need stimuli, he has to be triggered all the time."