Daniëlle van de Donk Scout Report At Netherlands WNT & Arsenal Women 2019/20: One Of The Best Midfielders In The World – Player Analysis

With the WSL resuming for a new season today, it promises to be bigger and better than ever.

After a successful Women’s World Cup, many fans were excited to watch the World Cup stars return to their respective clubs.

While the NWSL stars returned almost immediately, the WSL stars had some time off and are now preparing for another year of football.

The USWNT stars stole the show, but many European-based players stood out and caught the attention of many onlookers.

Kosovare Asllani, Nikita Parris, Amandine Henry, and Lucy Bronze all made significant contributions to their countries success.

While some made big transfers to top European clubs, one player hoping to stake her claim as one of the world’s best is the Netherlands’ Daniëlle van de Donk.

This Daniëlle van de Donk scout report will use tactical analysis to elaborate on the Dutch midfielder’s strengths and weaknesses and provide an in-depth profile.

Daniëlle van de Donk Player Profile

Daniëlle van de Donk is a 28-year-old Dutch central attacking midfielder who plays in the WSL for Arsenal Football Club.

The midfielder moved to Arsenal from Göteborg in 2015 making 60 appearances scoring 21 goals in the process.

Her career has taken a nomadic path, having played for clubs such as Willem II, VVV-Venlo, and PSV Eindhoven.

Van de Donk can be typified as a hard-working attacking midfielder who prefers playing in the number 10 role but is equally comfortable as a central midfielder or out wide on the right.

She played in multiple positions for the Netherlands at the World Cup, having been deployed in the aforementioned positions, making her very tactically flexible.

Daniëlle also possesses a wide range of passing, making her a creative force that unlocks compact defences as well as contributes with a good goal return.

Daniëlle van de Donk Intelligent Movement & Vision 

From an attacking perspective, van de Donk has been outstanding for club and country.

While she has scored a multitude of goals for Arsenal, her overall influence for the Netherlands cannot be understated.

The 28-year-old is their main creative instigator and passer.

Van de Donk’s ability to create space through her movement, positioning, and passing comes from her exceptional vision.

The Arsenal number 7 identifies gaps in opposition defences that put her teammates in behind.

The Dutch international attempted 4.09 dribbles per 90 with a 52.4% success rate, proving her credentials as a proficient dribbler.

This, combined with her interceptions and recoveries, makes her a well-rounded attacking midfielder.

Van de Donk looks to station herself between the lines of midfield in order to commit defenders towards her position, opening up gaps in behind for her to drive into and play her teammates through.

Playing with a centre-forward like Vivianne Miedema, who looks to play across the front line, allows van de Donk the opportunity to play line-breaking passes by attracting players towards her and passing into the newly formed gaps in behind.

For Joe Montemurros tactics, this could be extremely useful as it opens up space for Jordan Nobbs, Miedema, and Beth Mead.

As the graphic above illustrates, van de Donk picks up possession in midfield and drives towards the opposition defence.

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