Under the leadership of Alyson Annan, the hard-working midfielder Margot van Geffen was one of the regular core internationals, who did not miss a single major tournament. Under the wings of Paul van Ass, the laws of the past no longer apply. “I do everything I can to show that I belong to the selection. Like I always have.’
Van Geffen (33) is the oldest player of the current selection of the Dutch national team. Of course that doesn’t mean anything. After the Pro League block in Antwerp (July 1-4), Paul van Ass announces his selection for the European Championship in Mönchengladbach (August 18-27). Undoubtedly he selects the best eighteen players.
But with the passing of Eva de Goede, Van Ass has shown that no one can guarantee a place in the selection anymore. For Van Geffen, however, that does not mean that she wants to prove herself more than usual, she says after the 4-2 win over China . She also says that she has been wearing the shirt of the Dutch national team for twelve years now. For twelve years she has been doing her best to prove herself as much as possible. She has also experienced often enough that a new generation is knocking on the door. That doesn’t bother her, she emphasizes.
Do I have to babysit now because I’m the oldest on the team? I do everything I can to show that I belong to the selection Margot van Geffen
‘You are never sure of your place in the selection. It is, of course, top sport. So much can happen. Even when you’re on the plane, you don’t know whether you’ll be at the start’, says Van Geffen.
She has parked in her head that the twelve Pro League matches in June and early July are the last chances to impress the national coach. ‘I’m not on it. You know you have to be good anyway. You can put extra pressure on yourself, but there is no point. Do I have to babysit now because I’m the oldest on the team? I do everything I can to show that I belong to the selection. Like I’ve always done. Nothing has changed. I want to flame for another year, up to Paris. In the end I will see for myself whether it was good enough, what I showed.’
Margot van Geffen treats Pien Dicke to a hug after the SCHC striker has made it 1-1. Photo: William Vernes
Alyson also sometimes did unexpected things. Leave Matla at home, for example. Things like that happen with every coach Margot van Geffen
Van Geffen never missed a major tournament under Annan. The fact that she was fairly certain of her place in the selection under the Australian national coach must be nuanced, according to her. ‘Alyson also sometimes did unexpected things. Leave Matla at home, for example . Things like that happen with every coach. Not just with Paul. Only with him everyone is talking about it now. When I joined the Orange squad as a youngster, Wieke Dijkstra was kicked out of the selection. That already happened then. You always keep in mind that you will not make it to the selection. I did the same for the Games in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. It’s my job to keep working hard.’
Margot van Geffen with national coach Paul van Ass. Photo: Willem Vernes
Hopefully we can equal or even surpass that 7-2 result. Van Geffen on the second confrontation with Australia on Sunday
In the catacombs of the Oranje-Rood stadium, Van Geffen also looked back on the second confrontation with China (4-2). A victory that came with difficulty. “At the beginning of the game, we had to get into it. It was warm and we already have two games in our legs. We had to go through that phase for a while. In the end it worked. Maybe it’s also good that we had to fight to come back from behind. We have now shown that we can do that.’
On Sunday, the Oranje Dames close their Pro League block in Eindhoven, with their second confrontation with Australia. On Thursday, the Orange won 7-2 against the Aussies. “I hope for a good match. Hopefully we can match that high result, or maybe even surpass it. I like that they play press and keep going. But above all we have to look at ourselves. Hopefully we will close this block in Eindhoven in a good way.’
by Hockey.nl
