Michael van Gerwen hopes to qualify for the final round of the Premier League on Thursday evening at the last minute. But that chance doesn’t seem great given the three-time world champion’s form slump. “Sometimes the puzzle pieces don’t fall into place.”
Van Gerwen knows what he has to do in Sheffield on Thursday evening. Winning three matches means a play-off ticket. Losing means exit. “There’s nothing in between. That’s nice for once,” Van Gerwen said on Wednesday during an online press moment from the players’ hotel.
In his prime, Van Gerwen wouldn’t have been able to see the positive in his precarious situation. But ahead of the crucial Premier League matchday, the Vlijmenaar is in a different mindset.
After all, it’s a small miracle that he still has a chance to reach the final round in London (next Thursday). Van Gerwen didn’t win a single Premier League matchday this year and is in a disappointing fifth place, four points behind number four Nathan Aspinall.
Only a place in the top four prevents Van Gerwen from missing the play-offs for the first time since 2020. “I’ve let it slip too often. That’s how you end up in such a position. I only deserve it if I win this matchday,” said Van Gerwen.
The sixteenth and final regular matchday of the Premier League Darts starts on Thursday evening at 8:00 PM. Michael van Gerwen starts the evening with a match against his rival Nathan Aspinall.
Van Gerwen Disagrees with Best Friend
Little suggests that will succeed. After a tough year with poor results, the place in the World Championship final – in which Luke Littler was too strong – seemed a turning point for Van Gerwen last January. But things have only gotten worse since then.
From an early elimination at the UK Open to a painful exit in the first round during the Premier League evening in Ahoy; Van Gerwen lost a lot this year and often even with averages that were unworthy of a three-time world champion.
What’s the cause? Van Gerwen shakes his head questioningly. “It’s difficult to find a cause with such a busy schedule,” he says. “There’s hardly any time to think or adjust things.”
Van Gerwen denies that he lacks the hunger to perform, as his best friend (and former darter) Vincent van der Voort recently stated in the podcast Darts runs on. “If only it were a lack of hunger. I would have turned it around like that.”
Van der Voort also said that his friend needs to train more. ‘Mighty Mike’ also disagrees with that. “Vincent knows better than anyone how difficult that is when you have a full schedule. Okay, maybe I should have approached it differently this year. But I don’t think training will change everything. People just say things.”
Slump of PSV and City
Van Gerwen compares his situation to that of his favorite football club PSV. The Eindhoven team was the master of the Eredivisie season for a long time, but suddenly collapsed completely and couldn’t turn the tide for a long time.
“The slump of PSV was also inexplicable, right?” says Van Gerwen. “And look in England, for example, at Manchester City. They won everything for years, but have totally collapsed this season. Nobody understands that either.”
“Sometimes it’s difficult to find an explanation. It’s a combination of factors. From rest and training, from nutrition and from sleep. Sometimes the puzzle pieces don’t fall into place. Darts is also a sport of minimal margins.”
The line between good and bad is thin, says Van Gerwen. “Recently I played one of my worst matches ever in Ahoy. The weekend after that I threw above 100 average in five duels during a tournament in Munich and won the cup. You tell me how that’s possible.”
Van Gerwen Not A Fan of Premier League Setup
Yet Van Gerwen is self-critical. He blames himself for sometimes feeling too little motivation for the Premier League. “Maybe I started it with the wrong attitude.” After a short silence: “It’s also because the setup of the Premier League really bothers me.”
In the old format, players played one match per night and met in a regular competition. Since 2022, mini-tournaments have been held every night in the Premier League. Players can therefore meet each other weekly.
“In the past you could look forward to Van Gerwen against Phil Taylor for weeks. You see those kinds of matches every week now. It has become too normal for the public. And maybe for me too, that’s why I’m sometimes less sharp.”
Yet Van Gerwen is bursting with motivation to reach the final round on Thursday evening. He estimates the chance of that happening at “20 to 25 percent”. “I know what I have in me. If that comes out, I can pull it off here. If not, then I don’t deserve it either and I’ll go home with my tail between my legs.”