“Doesn’t belong in the top 16 right now” – Vincent van der Voort sees problems mounting for Michael van Gerwen

Vincent van der Voort has delivered a blunt assessment of Michael van Gerwen’s worrying decline in form, insisting that his close friend needs to rediscover his hunger and aggression to get his career back on track.

The three-time world champion suffered another disappointing result at the European Darts Championship in Dortmund, losing 6-3 to fellow Dutchman Kevin Doets in the opening round.

The defeat continued a difficult period for Van Gerwen, who has slipped to 13th in the PDC world rankings after spending years among the sport’s elite.

Speaking on the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort expressed concern about his friend’s performances, arguing that the problem extends beyond a few disappointing results.

According to the former professional, Van Gerwen is struggling to turn matches around when his opponents produce their best darts.

Van Gerwen Struggling to Respond Under Pressure

Van Gerwen entered the European Championship hoping to make a strong impression, but Doets quickly took control of their encounter.

The younger Dutchman produced impressive finishes, including a 106 checkout and a spectacular 132 finish, leaving Van Gerwen unable to respond.

Van der Voort believes those moments highlighted one of the biggest problems affecting the former world No. 1.

“Doets took out 106 and 132 early on, and that was already where he made the difference. You can see that Michael currently isn’t able to turn a match like that around,” he explained.

The Dutchman also suggested that Van Gerwen has lost some of the ability to produce decisive moments that once made him such a feared opponent.

“Van Gerwen isn’t doing anything special, but Doets did, with a brilliant 132 finish. Michael isn’t the kind of player who takes out a scrappy finish to hurt his opponent.

“The legs he wins, he almost always wins on merit. But he isn’t nicking any legs.”

For a player who built his reputation on relentless scoring and ruthless finishing, the inability to seize crucial opportunities is becoming an increasingly serious concern.

“When You Look at His Numbers, They’re Shocking”

Van der Voort believes Van Gerwen’s latest defeat is part of a much bigger problem that has developed over several months.

The 37-year-old has struggled to maintain the consistency expected of a player with his achievements, and his performances have raised questions about when he might return to his best.

“Van Gerwen is struggling against everyone at the moment. He has to find a way to turn things around,” Van der Voort said.

“Hopefully he can win a few rounds on the ProTour, because losing all the time won’t make him any better.”

He also highlighted the alarming statistics behind Van Gerwen’s recent performances, suggesting that his current level is far removed from what fans have come to expect.

“When you look at his numbers over the last ten or twelve tournaments, they’re shocking. You think: that isn’t him.

“You can’t turn that around overnight. It’s going to take a lot of hard work.”

Van der Voort went further, describing the current campaign as the worst year of Van Gerwen’s career.

“This is the worst year he’s had, and it’s the year when things were supposed to happen. The year when he was going to play more and achieve more.

“You keep thinking he’s hit rock bottom, but he’s still down there. At some point, he has to get back up.”

The comments underline the growing frustration surrounding Van Gerwen’s struggles, particularly after expectations were high for a season in which he intended to compete more regularly.

Van der Voort Questions Van Gerwen’s Hunger and Aggression

Beyond the statistics and results, Van der Voort has noticed something else missing from Van Gerwen’s performances: the intensity that helped him dominate the sport for so many years.

Although he believes his friend remains desperate to win, he feels that determination is not always translating into convincing performances on stage.

“I am disappointed by that. You can see that he really wants it, but I think he sometimes lacks hunger and aggression.

“It all looks a bit flat. You want to see him get genuinely angry during a match. You want to see on his face that he really wants it.”

Van der Voort also suggested that Van Gerwen is struggling to motivate himself, with the drive that once came naturally appearing harder to find.

“He really wants it, but you can tell he finds it hard to motivate himself. It seems to have to come from the people around him, rather than from within. That’s worrying.

“He needs to get that hunger back. He should be thinking about it days in advance.”

However, Van der Voort acknowledged that there may be deeper reasons behind the slump, pointing to difficulties in Van Gerwen’s personal life.

“A lot is happening in his personal life as well. Things that have been weighing on him for longer than he may want to admit. That’s how you end up here.”

His comments suggest that rebuilding Van Gerwen’s confidence and consistency may require more than simply spending additional hours practising.

“He Doesn’t Belong in the Top 16”

Van Gerwen’s disappointing results have also affected his position in the world rankings.

Following his early exit in Dortmund, he dropped from 10th to 13th in the PDC Order of Merit.

But Van der Voort believes his current ranking may not accurately reflect the level of his performances.

“If you’re completely honest, he doesn’t belong there either. He should be lower,” he said.

“He’s my best friend, so I genuinely want what’s best for him. But when you look at it, he doesn’t belong in the top 16 right now. You have to be honest about that.”

Van der Voort pointed out that several players ranked below Van Gerwen have recently been producing better performances.

Rather than worrying about his position in the rankings, he believes the Dutch star must concentrate on improving his own game.

“There are players below him who are performing better. You shouldn’t focus on that. You have to make sure your own level is where it needs to be.”

A further decline could also create additional difficulties for Van Gerwen, potentially affecting his seeding at tournaments and forcing him to enter certain competitions through qualifying rounds.

“You have to seriously consider that now. You might have to play qualifying tournaments or start your Euro Tour campaign on Friday,” Van der Voort warned.

For a player accustomed to competing directly in the biggest tournaments, such a situation would represent a significant change.

Should Van Gerwen Take a Break From Premier League Darts?

Van Gerwen’s participation in next year’s Premier League Darts was another topic discussed by Van der Voort.

The Dutchman has been a regular fixture in the prestigious competition for years, but his current struggles have prompted questions about whether continuing to play such a demanding schedule would be beneficial.

Van der Voort believes stepping away for a season could give his friend the opportunity to rebuild his game.

“For his career, I think the best thing would be to take a year off. Definitely,” he said.

However, he stressed that such a decision would only make sense if Van Gerwen used the extra time productively.

“But only if he really gives it everything. He can’t think: no Premier League, so I’ve got more time off.”

The former professional also acknowledged that commercial commitments could make it difficult for Van Gerwen to turn down an invitation.

“I don’t think he can turn it down commercially, because of sponsor commitments and things like that. I think he’ll play in the Premier League.”

The Premier League involves regular Thursday-night matches alongside an already busy darts calendar, meaning missing a season could potentially allow Van Gerwen to concentrate more heavily on practice and other tournaments.

Nevertheless, Van der Voort appears to believe that any break would only be worthwhile if it helped restore the competitive edge that has been missing.

“The Worst Thing You Can Do Is Feel Sorry for Yourself”

Despite his criticism, Van der Voort believes Van Gerwen still has the opportunity to turn his situation around.

However, he insists that the three-time world champion must respond to his latest setback with hard work rather than allowing frustration to take over.

“The worst thing you can do now is feel sorry for yourself. Then you start feeling sorry for yourself, and that’s the stupidest thing you can do.

“You have to get angry with yourself. You’re out on Friday, so you should be practising on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.”

Van der Voort did clarify that he had not actually seen Van Gerwen feeling sorry for himself following the defeat to Doets.

“He didn’t, by the way. But if you start feeling that way, you’re in an even worse position.”

The message from Van Gerwen’s close friend is clear: the Dutch star needs to rediscover his confidence, sharpen his competitive instincts and start winning matches again.

With his world ranking under pressure and questions mounting about his performances, the coming months could prove crucial in determining whether one of darts’ most successful players can rediscover his best form.