Juve’s midfielder misfit axed from Netherlands squad

The original set of 11 Juventus players set to tackle UEFA World Cup qualifiers during the international window have been reduced to 10.
Teun Koopmeiners, left, is only playing a bit-part under Juventus Igor Tudor, which could ultimately cost him his Netherlands berth
Teun Koopmeiners, left, is only playing a bit-part under Juventus Igor Tudor, which could ultimately cost him his Netherlands berth | Image Photo Agency/GettyImages

Teun Koopmeiners has been dropped by Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman for tactical reasons, after being selected in the 25-strong squad to face Poland tonight and Lithuania at the weekend.

Koemann had to trim his squad to 23 and opted to omit Juve’s Koopmeiners and Feyenoord midfielder Sam Steijn from his original selection.

Koopmeiners is a midfield misfit at Juventus since being unveiled as a marquee signing from Atalanta for €58.40 million (US$68m) by the then Juve boss Thiago Motta in August 2024.

Although he suffered a rib fracture last October, and was sidelined from April to June because of an Achilles tendon irritation, the 27-year-old has been a flop for the Turin titans.

Games or worse from Juve boss Tudor

It came as a surprise that he was not offloaded during the summer transfer window, with head coach Igor Tudor seemingly keen to utilize his versatility across midfield.

Although Tudor stated in his pre-match press conference against Genoa that the 25-capped Netherlands international would start, Koopmeiners was only implemented as a second-half substitute.

This unsubstantiated claim leaves question marks over whether Tudor is a puppet for the Juventus hierarchy, was a tactical bluff to try and derail Genoa manager Patrick Vieira or something more sinister.

Koopmeiners needs playing time

These are confusing times for Koopmeiners under both Tudor and Koeman, and if can get regular playing time with the Bianconeri should be in with a shot of being selected for the Netherlands. His obvious goal will be to compete at the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals.

The Bianconeri attacking midfielder skipped some of Juve’s pre-season friendlies following his latest injury setback. He has featured for just 61 minutes in their two Serie A wins this season, making both appearances from the bench.

Juve’s World Cup qualifying contingent comprises Vasilije Adzic (Montenegro), Andrea Cambiaso, Federico Gatti and Manuel Locatell (all Italy), Francisco Conceicao (Portugal), Filip Kostic and Dusan Vlahovic (both Serbia), Lois Openda (Belgium), Khephren Thuram (France) and Kenan Yildiz (Turkey).

Juventus players in UEFA World Cup qualifiers

4 September

Lois Openda | Liechtenstein vs BELGIUM

Kenan Yildiz | Georgia vs TURKEY

5 September

Vasilije Adzic | MONTENEGRO vs Czech Republic

Andrea Cambiaso, Federico Gatti, Manuel Locatelli | ITALY vs Estonia

Khephren Thuram | Ukraine vs FRANCE

6 September

Francisco Conceicao | Armenia vs PORTUGAL

Filip Kostic, Dusan Vlahovic | Latvia vs SERBIA

7 September

Lois Openda | BELGIUM vs Kazakhstan

Kenan Yildiz | TURKEY vs Spain

8 September

Vasilije Adzic | Croatia vs MONTENEGRO

Andrea Cambiaso, Federico Gatti, Manuel Locatelli | Israel vs ITALY

9 September

Francisco Conceicao | Hungary vs PORTUGAL

Filip Kostic, Dusan Vlahovic | SERBIA vs England

Khephren Thuram | FRANCE vs Iceland