“We travel a lot, We play a lot”: Busy schedule behind Van Gerwen demise according to Van Barneveld

Raymond van Barneveld has given his opinion on the difficult start to 2025 for Michael van Gerwen. 'The Green Machine' is experiencing a difficult period and was eliminated early last week at the UK Open by the world number 57, Rob Owen.

Earlier this year, Van Gerwen also suffered a defeat in the second round of the World Masters against Dimitri Van den Bergh. In addition, the three-time world champion was eliminated in his first match of Players Championship 3 back in February by Irish amateur Michael Flynn.

Despite these disappointing results, compatriot Van Barneveld remains convinced that the 35-year-old Dutchman will regain his top form. “Oh, yeah. Without a doubt. Michael is still, in my eyes, one of the best players in the world. 

"Both Luke's [Humphries and Littler], they are one and two in the Premier League."

Still, the five-time world champion expressed concerns about "Mighty Mike's" recent struggles. "But what's bothering me with Mike at the moment [is], after four nights, he's minus one in leg difference.

"And that's not like Mike. He was always plus ten legs or whatever. So he's struggling basically with his form. And no one knows why."

Although Van Gerwen did not reach his usual level in recent months, he did manage to reach the World Championship final this year. Moreover, the world number three is currently in third place in the Premier League, despite him not once reaching a weekly final.

The Dutchman defeated Luke Littler in the first week of play with an average of 105.91 and a narrow 6-5 victory. Van Barneveld then stressed that Van Gerwen is still performing strongly against the big names in darts, despite his volatile form.

“But I'm pretty sure if you send him for a job, like playing Luke Littler in the first round of the Premier League, he beat him.

“Then he should have beaten Luke Humphries as well. He was missing match darts, last week he was missing match darts.

“And that's not really Michael. Michael was always a killer.

Van Barneveld suspects that the busy darts schedule contributes to Van Gerwen's volatility. "Maybe [it’s the] set up. We travel a lot. We play a lot.

“Don't get me wrong, guys, from Exeter [Night 4] last week, they played one day later. They go straight to the UK Open and play more matches. It's almost unstoppable at the moment.”