"If it doesn’t quite come off, you could kick yourself" – Van Gerwen and Van Veen see plenty of room for improvement at the World Cup of Darts

The Netherlands booked a place in the World Cup of Darts quarterfinals on Saturday. Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen saw off Sweden 8-5 in the last 16, but despite the win both Dutchmen were critical of their own display. Van Gerwen in particular felt there was plenty to improve for the rest of the tournament.

The Dutch pair started superbly and immediately put the Swedes under pressure. According to Van Gerwen, the standard in the opening phase was exceptionally high at the World Cup.

“Absolutely, but I think we started really well. After three legs we’re averaging between 105 and 110, that’s how it felt. I don’t look at the stats of course, but I think we just started fantastically there.”

Even so, the three-time world champion saw the Netherlands make life unnecessarily difficult for themselves. Sweden grew in confidence as the match went on, helped by the strong play of Jeffrey de Graaf and Oscar Lukasiak.

“After that we also do a few things you really don’t expect. There are a couple of players out there dropping off a bit, which gives them confidence too. You can see it in Jeffrey’s game. His scoring power was very good. Then you see Oscar naturally gain confidence as well.”

A crucial moment followed when Lukasiak produced a spectacular 155 checkout. "Yes exactly, but then we make it incredibly tough on ourselves. That’s really not necessary at all. In the end you still win the match and I think that’s the most important thing.”

The evening was less smooth than hoped for Gian van Veen. The young Dutchman led off for the Netherlands last year, but this time had to throw after Van Gerwen. That required an adjustment.

“Yes, definitely. I started very well, scoring I started well. But to be honest I also had to get used to throwing second. Last year I of course threw first in every match here. Today the rhythm was just a bit different.”

According to Van Veen, the longer wait between his turns made it harder to find his game. “You’re just waiting a bit longer before you have to throw each time. That took some getting used to. At the start it was fine, but at the end it was a lot of searching.”

A missed opportunity on the doubles then proved costly. “Then you miss those three darts at a double. After that Oscar takes out 155. Then you just know it’s going to be tough today. You keep searching a bit.”

Van Veen still felt supported by his experienced teammate. “But in the end Michael does help you through it. This is a new experience for me as well. Even though I played here last year, it’s always a new experience. I’ll take this with me and tomorrow it will definitely be better.”

Van Gerwen admitted afterwards that he noticed during the match that Van Veen struggled to reach his best level, but he also pointed out that he was not fully satisfied with his own performance either. “Yes, but at a certain point I also wasn’t a hundred percent in the match. Those are things you have to evaluate after the match. How did certain things go?”

According to the Dutchman, the bar within the team is set particularly high. “You expect a lot from each other, because you always know what you’re capable of. And if it doesn’t quite come off, you could kick yourself. He has that of course, but so do I.”

Although the Netherlands reached the last eight without major problems, Van Gerwen still sees plenty of room for improvement. “Of course I pick up my trebles here and there, but we can both do much better than this. That’s something for both of us to show tomorrow.”