“I think I could have a few more points" – Michael van Gerwen rueing missed opportunities in current Premier League campaign

After a few quieter weeks, Michael van Gerwen reached a nightly final again last week in the Premier League Darts. Mighty Mike beat Luke Humphries (6-3) and Josh Rock (6-3) in Berlin before losing 6-4 in the final to a strong-performing Luke Littler.

It was Van Gerwen’s third final in the first eight nights of the Premier League season. The Vlijmen native won the opening night in Newcastle and was runner-up on Night Two.

After eight nights, Van Gerwen, who had to miss one night due to illness, sits fourth with thirteen points. The three-time world champion is on the right side of the line halfway through the league phase but will need to keep collecting points to make the Play-Offs.

Thursday night in Manchester presents a good chance to pick up points, with Stephen Bunting awaiting. The Bullet is seventh in the standings and, with seven points, already has a considerable gap to the top four.

With number three Gerwyn Price and number five Luke Humphries facing each other on Thursday night, a win over Bunting would benefit Van Gerwen regardless. He would either pull away from fifth place or overtake Price in the table.

According to Van Gerwen, he could actually have been a bit higher already. “I think I could have a few more points, but that’s how the Premier League is,” he told PDC.TV in a preview.

“The feeling of winning is amazing, and the feeling of losing is always tough. I am always critical of myself, but to beat Luke Humphries in a direct contest last week gave me a lot of joy and a good feeling. I feel there’s more in the tank, and now I need to show it," said van Gerwen.