Guus Til has made six international appearances for the Netherlands so far, and there could be more to come this summer. In an interview with the Algemeen Dagblad, Til explains how he sees his chances of securing a place in the World Cup squad.
For the third time in a row, PSV have been crowned champions of the Netherlands. Til saw this coming early on. “The Champions League confirmed to me this season that we should be the best in the Netherlands.” The 28-year-old does, however, admit that the defeats against Union Saint-Gilles (1-3) and Telstar (0-2) were blemishes.
The midfielder-cum-striker wants nothing to do with the discussion that the pace is occasionally too high for him. “Was that a discussion? Then that hits exactly the point I was making: I do things I believe I’m selected to do. Otherwise, the manager would have chosen someone else.”
“If everyone did whatever they fancied, the team shape would fall apart, and I’ve always hated that. There has to be structure in a team, because that increases your chances of winning,” Til shares his footballing philosophy.
The Zambian-born player believes that PSV have players who are a joy to watch stylistically and acknowledges that he isn’t the most elegant footballer in the world. “I’m quite tall and lanky, but I think it’s nonsense when people say I’m not good on the ball.”
There’s a lot going on around the PSV players and the Dutch national team. Jerdy Schouten tore his cruciate ligament against FC Utrecht (4-3) and will definitely miss the World Cup. Ronald Koeman had previously seemed to indicate that Joey Veerman isn’t the first choice if someone drops out due to injury. And Til is on a list of potential number tens and could possibly be going to the World Cup.
“It’s nice when your name comes up. But it shouldn’t seem as though I’m just tagging along as a tourist,” says Til. “If it does happen, I hope it’s because they see me as a good footballer and not just for the fun of it. I would, of course, consider it a great honour and will continue to give it my all,” concludes the three-time Dutch champion.