"If he keeps playing like that, he’ll destroy you": Michael van Gerwen's World Darts Championship display provides exciting future forecast

The final day at the World Darts Championship before the brief Christmas break delivered multiple thrillers. Among others, Michael van Gerwen, Danny Noppert, and Jermaine Wattimena were in action on Tuesday, with mixed results. While Van Gerwen produced some outstanding darts and won convincingly, Noppert lost a true spectacle by the narrowest of margins to Justin Hood. In the latest episode of the Darts Draait Door podcast, Vincent van der Voort and Damien Vlottes shared their insights on the three matches featuring our compatriots.

Michael van Gerwen’s match against William O'Connor offered reassurance, even if it wasn’t perfect yet. Compared to his labored opener, this was a different Van Gerwen. Not just in numbers, but especially in demeanor. “You could see it in everything,” said Van der Voort. “There were still some sloppy patches in his game at times, but compared to the first match this was really a different Van Gerwen. His eyes and body language showed someone who was determined to win at all costs. That’s how you want to see him.”

Where Van Gerwen looked in his first match like he thought he’d just get it done, that feeling had completely disappeared. According to Van der Voort, that was the key. “Maybe going into the first round he thought: the throw feels fine, so I’ll win this. Then he was caught out and panic set in. Now he knew: O'Connor is a tricky opponent, the best of the first round. I told him every day: if he keeps playing like that, he’ll destroy you.”

Van Gerwen fell 2-0 behind in the opening set but turned it around to win it. That was crucial. “You know that with O'Connor. He was full of confidence and ready. What you must do against him is see if you can hurt him in the first set. Then he starts shaking his head, gets negative and a bit sarcastic. Michael managed that quickly. He took out some really dirty checkouts.”

Although Van Gerwen still had a few wayward darts and his second arrow didn’t always follow a good first, the upward trend was clear. “After the first match you didn’t know where he stood and this is really the improvement you want to see. Now he needs to kick on and take another step in the next round.”

Vlottes also noticed the hunger in Van Gerwen’s play. “You really felt he took this match more seriously than against Tatsunami.” Van der Voort says that’s no coincidence. “If you’re not in red-hot form, you simply have to work much harder. And fortunately he recognizes that himself.”

The most painful match of the night was undoubtedly Danny Noppert against Justin Hood. A clash of exceptional quality, with both players averaging over a ton, and with only one real conclusion: this should never have been a second-round tie. “Everything was perfect,” Vlottes summed up. “Except the winner.”

Noppert battled back superbly from behind, nailing 102, 157, and 127 checkouts under heavy pressure and showing exactly how he has progressed in recent years. “In the fourth leg of the fifth set you think: he’s going to pull this out,” said Van der Voort. “And then it just doesn’t happen.”

The numbers were mouthwatering: Hood averaged 103, Noppert 102. “You don’t lose because you fail,” Van der Voort emphasized. “You lose because you face someone who is throwing ridiculously well.” What made it even harsher was the timing. “If this happens in the last 16, it’s different,” said Van der Voort. “But now it’s just far too early.”

Yet there was admiration too. For Hood, who not only threw brilliantly but clearly enjoyed himself. “That lad really enjoys it,” said Van der Voort. “He walks in and says: I can’t wait, I love everything about this. You see that on stage.” Even Noppert’s crushing checkouts didn’t seem to faze him. “It was as if he didn’t care,” said Van der Voort. “We kept thinking: now he’ll crack. But it didn’t happen.”

That made the defeat even more galling for Noppert, especially with the Premier League in mind. “This doesn’t help,” Van der Voort admitted. “But I don’t think you should judge him on this. This wasn’t a bad defeat.”

While Noppert bowed out, Jermaine Wattimena flew the Dutch flag with a fine win over Scott Williams. After a 2-0 lead he saw the match swing, but in the deciding fifth set he stood tall again. “That’s the key area where he has made gains,” analyzed Van der Voort. “He doesn’t panic anymore. Before, he would rush and get sloppy. Now he finds his calm again.”

According to Vlottes, you still sometimes see it in his face. “You expect it to go wrong. But it doesn’t.” And that’s where the growth lies. “Mentally he’s simply become stronger,” said Van der Voort.

The reward is a mouth-watering post-Christmas tie: ‘The Machine Gun’ faces Scotland’s Gary Anderson in the third round, after Anderson averaged over 105 in his second round. “On paper that’s a real blockbuster,” said Vlottes. “I’m up for that.”

Despite everything, the overall picture isn’t bad. With Van Gerwen, Van Veen, Wattimena, Plaisier, Doets, and Zonneveld, six Dutchmen remain in the tournament after Christmas. “Twice as many as last year. We can be satisfied with that,” noted Vlottes. Van der Voort nodded. “Absolutely. Now the real work begins.”