Michael van Gerwen was critical of himself Monday night after his victory over Raymond van Barneveld at the World Matchplay. In a not very high-quality match, he won against his compatriot in Blackpool.
“It’s nice to share the stage together, but you’re no longer concerned with that when you play like that,” Van Gerwen said on stage after the victory (10-6). “I didn’t play at the level I can reach at all. I made it so difficult for myself.”
It was clear beforehand that Van Gerwen and Van Barneveld were not in their best form. It resulted in a fairly mediocre match. In it, Van Gerwen was just slightly better than Van Barneveld.
“Raymond didn’t even play his best game,” said Van Gerwen. “Yet I make it so difficult for myself. I should have won by a much larger margin. But I haven’t played that many matches in recent months. That probably has something to do with it.”
Van Gerwen recorded an average of 92.95 points per three darts against Van Barneveld, but missed no less than 22 darts on the doubles. Van Barneveld disappointed with an average of 87.78 points per three darts.
How does Van Gerwen now view the rest of the tournament? “It can’t be worse than today, that’s the good news,” he concluded. In the next round, Ross Smith or Josh Rock awaits.