"We need players who genuinely want to beat him": Luke Littler wins before games begin amid streak of complimentary comments says Van der Voort

A second consecutive UK Open title for Luke Littler has impressed again, but not everyone looks on with pure admiration at the young world champion’s dominance. In the podcast Darts Draait Door, former professional Vincent van der Voort spoke at length about the tournament in Minehead, focusing his criticism on the level of resistance from the absolute elite. According to the Dutchman, the issue does not lie with Littler himself, but with players failing to put him under real pressure.

Van der Voort watched as Littler was the best again, but noted that it surprises him less and less. “Yeah, nice, isn’t it? I’m getting a bit fed up with it now,” he said. “But it’s not his fault. I find it more worrying that the top players don’t show up against him. That bothers me more.”

According to the former UK Open finalist, it is striking that many established names dip below their usual level once they face Littler. “I don’t know if it’s that they’re already lying on their backs thinking: you’ve won. But none of them play their best match against him. That is worrying. You should at least feel he’s being pushed to the limit. And if he’s still better, fine. But he doesn’t even have to play that well to win.”

During the UK Open there were, in Van der Voort’s view, several examples of players who looked in form but could not produce what was needed against Littler. Gary Anderson was cited as one of the clearest cases. The Scot played a strong tournament, but according to Van der Voort he faltered at the key moment.

“He really wasn’t at his best. They didn’t show up. And when I hear the interviews, Littler gets so many compliments again. Then I think: we need players who genuinely want to beat him.”

In his view, Gerwyn Price is one of the few who does have that mentality. “Then you end up with Price. He’s got it. He wants to win at all costs. Shame he didn’t reach the final. We need more players like that. Players who can bring their best level against him. Otherwise it’s made far too easy for him.”

The Dutch contingent came closest to an upset, according to Van der Voort, but he still saw missed opportunities. Kevin Doets and Danny Noppert managed to keep pace with Littler in patches, yet failed to press on at key moments. “Doets, that would have been great if he’d nicked it. But he also should have pulled further ahead early on. That’s the pressure. He sat around a 90 average for a long time and ended on 97. Littler was only around 93, but even then he couldn’t pull away. They can hold themselves accountable for that.”

Van der Voort saw a similar story with Noppert. The Frisian played strongly in earlier rounds but did not reach that level against the world champion. He also took a heavy blow at a crucial moment. “Noppert gets hit with that 161 while he’s sat on 25. Then it’s suddenly over. Those are the moments when Littler is brilliant. There’s not much you can do about it. But it’s frustrating to play against him.”

Strikingly, Van der Voort felt Littler did not even hit his top level at this tournament. That, he says, makes his dominance all the more concerning for the chasing pack. “He wasn’t even brilliant this tournament. You had the sense he was there for the taking. But if everyone fails to play the game they want against him, he still wins. Then you see he’s so far ahead of the rest.”

Van der Voort sees a key difference from other top players in the way Littler handles rough patches. Where others start forcing it, the Englishman stays remarkably calm. “At one point he was on eight percent on the doubles. But you don’t see him force it. He keeps doing the same thing. His throw stays the same. He doesn’t throw harder or pile on extra pressure. He keeps doing the same thing and eventually it clicks. That’s a textbook example for anyone who plays darts. Don’t force it, keep doing the same thing. Only that’s so hard.”

Josh Rock also had chances to knock out Littler, according to Van der Voort, but let them slip again. The Northern Irishman moved in front but could not hold it. “He goes 9-7 up and has the throw. Then he produces a combined 105 points in two visits and Littler kicks on. From that moment it turns again. That’s typical Rock. When the chances are there, he doesn’t take them.”

Besides Littler, James Wade’s performance also stood out. The Englishman reached the final with strong play and impressed with his scoring power. According to Van der Voort, that was no coincidence. “Wade had a fantastic tournament. If you leave the final aside, he was really good. Just impressive what he’s showing again. In that semi-final he was averaging 116. Then it gets tough for anyone.”

Gerwyn Price had to accept second best in that match, despite an average that is usually enough to win. “Price averaged around 104 and thought that would do it. It often is against Wade. But not now. Wade was simply dominant in the scoring. At some point you feel: whatever I do, he’s better. Then it becomes very difficult.”

Luke Humphries also drew criticism from Van der Voort. The Englishman fell early again and seems to be in a difficult spell. “He misses a couple of doubles and he’s gone. He can’t recover from it. He’s got a serious problem now. Noppert was simply better and took his chances.”

The balance on the world rankings is slowly shifting. Wade climbed again, Price recovered after a dip, and players like Jonny Clayton are edging closer to Michael van Gerwen. Van der Voort sees that as a logical consequence of recent results. “They’re all getting closer to Van Gerwen. He knew that when he started the year. It shouldn’t be a surprise. If he doesn’t perform, he drops.”

According to the former professional, Van Gerwen faces an important period with a lot of prize money to defend. “We know that next year he could easily be around twentieth if he does nothing. So this year he really has to perform to climb again. It’s as simple as that.”