Van Gerwen diminishes importance of Van Barneveld clash: “He did so much for the sport but that was ten years ago”

Michael van Gerwen saw off his compatriot Kevin Doets 6-3 to kick off the defence of his Players Championship Finals crown and set up a clash with Raymond van Barneveld and as always for the Dutchman, he believes there’s still room for improvement.

“Over the line, I think my finishing was quite good. A couple of really good finishes, one on the bullseye. The 92 two double 18’s, the 113 last leg was good but I think overall the scoring power wasn’t what it was supposed to be but you can only blame yourself,” said Van Gerwen to Online Darts.

“I think the conditions are a massive part towards this game, you can see Gerwyn Price early doors wasn’t 100%, he was feeling the cold a little bit. I had exactly the same. You have to deal with it but you have to stand up for yourself and do the right thing and that’s not that easy but you have to do it.”

“Kevin is an ok player, he’s not even close to the top 32 yet. He’s a guy with potential, you’ve got to keep the pressure on as you don’t want to give him confidence. I’ve lost to him before on the ProTour.”

Next up is the doyen of Dutch darts, Raymond van Barneveld but he diminished the potential of a classic saying he believes he wore himself out on Friday night.

“I have to play Raymond (van Barneveld) next round and you have to play good against him. He’s a class player, I need to put the pressure on. I know I’m going to be the favourite in that game and we will see what happens.”

“He’s not going to play any better than he did today, he threw all his energy today. I’ve got to make sure I do the right thing for myself and if I play my game, he’s not capable of beating me. I still have to do it myself. He did so much for the sport but that was ten years ago.”

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