"We can talk about it forever; I don’t think they’ll change it anyway": Michael van Gerwen doesn't expect criticised Premier League Darts format to leave anytime soon

For the second year in a row, Michael van Gerwen is missing from the Premier League Darts play-offs. A scenario that for years seemed unthinkable for the seven-time winner of the prestigious tournament. In the podcast Darts Draait Door, Damian Vlottes and Vincent van der Voort looked back with Van Gerwen on a disappointing campaign, in which the Dutchman ultimately finished sixth.

Van Gerwen himself seemed barely concerned with that final placing. When asked if he had seen sixth place coming on the final night, he replied dryly: “I wasn’t really thinking about that at all. Whether you finish fifth or sixth… it’s all the same.”

Van Gerwen did not spare himself in his analysis and freely admitted he simply showed too little. “I didn’t perform well enough for many weeks,” he said. “Sometimes I sold myself short. That put unnecessary pressure on me. At some point you pay the price for that, it’s as simple as that.”

Vincent van der Voort found it difficult to accept that Van Gerwen again missed out on the top four. “That’s not worthy of Van Gerwen,” he stated firmly. “You can point to a few nights where he should have won matches. Then you drop too many points and it gets tricky. But missing the play-offs two years in a row, that’s not what we’re used to from him.” Van Gerwen could hardly deny that conclusion. “Yeah, that’s just not good enough,” he responded immediately.

The overcrowded darts calendar also came up during the conversation. According to Van Gerwen, it plays a major role in the inconsistency of his performances. “It’s a mega-long season,” he explained. “It’s intense. You have to show up every week. Of course my focus is mainly on the ranking tournaments. Those are ultimately the most important tournaments.”

With that, Van Gerwen indirectly admitted that the Premier League is no longer his absolute priority. Not because he doesn’t value the tournament, but because the ranking events determine his position on the world ranking and the major TV tournaments later in the year.

According to Van der Voort, Van Gerwen is not the only player complaining about fatigue. The current Premier League format in particular is drawing more and more criticism. “You have supporters, but I think there are more people against it than for it,” said Van der Voort. “Players are a bit done with it.”

Van Gerwen partly agreed. “Gian (van Veen) played for the first time and even he says: ‘After a few weeks you’ve seen enough.’ That says something about the format. We can talk about it forever; I don’t think they’ll change it anyway.”

Despite the criticism, Van Gerwen does not expect major changes to the Premier League format any time soon. When asked whether there are talks behind the scenes about adjustments, he remained cautious.

“If you hear something behind the scenes, I’ll probably hear it too,” he joked at first. Then a more serious answer followed: “There will always be talks, but I haven’t heard anything yet.”

Van der Voort believes commercial interests play an important role in the lack of changes. “As long as those arenas are sold out and the viewing figures are good, they won’t change it very quickly,” is his view. “The Premier League is sold out before the players are even known,” Van Gerwen then chimed in.

Now that the Premier League is over, Van Gerwen is fully focused on the second half of the season. He sees September and October as crucial months. “From September it has to happen,” he said. “If you hit your flow, you can do a lot of damage in a short time.”

According to Van Gerwen, the most important ranking tournaments then follow one another in quick succession, meaning a spell of good form can have an immediate major impact on his season.

First, though, he is looking to the World Matchplay, traditionally one of the biggest TV tournaments of the year. Van der Voort also sees opportunities there for his good friend. “From the moment you get back from holiday, you have to build towards the Matchplay,” said Van der Voort. “You can land a mega-result there too. You can see it’s still in him, so I think that’s the moment.”

That Van Gerwen is still close to top form is evident to him from several moments this season. That is precisely why it frustrates him so much that he regularly lets matches slip.

After a recent defeat to Ross Smith, he spoke openly about that frustration. “I’ve had several tournaments this year where I thought: how am I throwing this away again?” said Van Gerwen, visibly irritated. “Then you just make it incredibly difficult for yourself.”

He believes the difference from the past is mainly in confidence and rhythm. “It has to do with flow, with confidence,” he explained. “Those are small differences that can ultimately lead to something very big.”

Van Gerwen stressed that he still feels he can win tournaments. “I actually have that feeling at every tournament,” he said. “You just have to finish the job.”

After months of traveling, playing, and hustle, Van Gerwen is now looking forward to a holiday. He is deliberately choosing rest and time with his family. “I’m going on holiday with my kids,” he said. “Just a nice break together.”

He didn’t want to reveal much about the destination. Laughing, he preferred to keep the ‘juice channels’ at bay. He did make clear why this holiday matters to him. “Those kids just need the attention for a bit,” he said. “So you have to make time for that.”