Michael van Gerwen heads into the European Championship seeded 19th and facing a first-round clash with compatriot Kevin Doets — and Vincent van der Voort believes Doets goes in as the favourite. Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast alongside Damian Vlottes, Van der Voort assessed the intriguing all-Dutch matchup and the current form of both players.
Van Gerwen's 19th place in the European Tour Order of Merit is a striking development for the Vlijmen native, who is by far the most successful player in European Tour history. Wessel Nijman, Jermaine Wattimena, Gian van Veen, Danny Noppert and Kevin Doets all finished higher in the rankings. "Finishing 19th in the European Championship rankings… You have to go back a long way for that, perhaps to the start of the European Tour. This is roughly where he belongs right now," Van der Voort said. "He shouldn't look too much at the others. He needs to focus on himself and get back to his best. Looking at the other players serves no purpose at the moment."
The balance of power has shifted. For years Van Gerwen was the clear favourite against almost every fellow Dutchman, but that is far from certain against Doets. "If you had told me a year ago that Doets would be the last one to walk on stage, I'd have said it would never happen," Van der Voort said. "But that's the reality now. He'll have to give Doets everything he's got. From what we've seen of Doets in recent weeks, it will be another very tough challenge."
Doets has shown in recent months that he can compete at the highest level. His results have become more inconsistent in recent weeks, but his averages remain impressive, and he demonstrated at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix that he can score heavily. Van der Voort also pointed to the difficult personal period Doets has faced following the death of someone close to him, yet the Dutchman continues to post strong averages, including in matches he loses. "If you have to name the favourite, you'd have to say Doets is a slight favourite," Van der Voort said.
Van der Voort stressed that calling Doets a slight favourite does not mean the match is decided. Van Gerwen has gone out early in tournaments in recent weeks, so he will not arrive at the European Championship full of confidence, while Doets appears to be in better form — though Van Gerwen's experience and ability to raise his game for big matches should not be underestimated. "We shouldn't just assume Doets will win this easily. I don't believe that either," Van der Voort stressed. "I don't think anyone needs to motivate Michael to play against Doets."
Should Van Gerwen get through the first round, Krzysztof Ratajski could await — and Van der Voort sees opportunities for the former world champion in a longer match. "I think it would also be good for him to play a match over a longer format," he explained. "These short matches put you under a lot of pressure. If you win the first round, you can then play a longer match. That would also be good for his development." A win over Doets would not only send Van Gerwen into the next round but give him the chance to build rhythm and confidence over a longer format. It will be no easy task, though. "There are no more gifts," Van der Voort warned. "He'll have to give it everything."
