NOS Sport•today, 2:42 PM
The fourth for Michael van Gerwen or the first for Luke Littler? The final of the Darts World Championship (PDC) will be played in London tonight at 8:30 PM.
We look ahead to the match with the Dutch darts players Gian van Veen and Dirk van Duijvenbode. What do they expect from the final and how do they view Van Gerwen and Littler’s game in London?
Van Veen was at the World Championships twice in the famous Ally Pally, last year and last December. Once he was killed in the first round, this year in the second. Van Duijvenbode was also eliminated in the second round of this World Cup. His best World Cup performance was a quarter-final place in 2021.
If you have to guess: who is the favorite tonight?
Van Veen: “I think Littler. Over the entire tournament and the entire year he has made a slightly more impression than Van Gerwen. With Littler it looks so easy and he throws a lot of hundred-eighties. And when he has to, he stands with good finishes. That can make the difference tonight.”
“Van Gerwen had a difficult season, but this is a turnaround. It is fantastic to see that he is back on his way to his best level.”
Van Duijvenbode: “I expect a win for Van Gerwen. When Littler was put under pressure this tournament, he sometimes started to miss. Van Gerwen is not afraid of him, like Stephen Bunting was in the semi-final.”
“Littler is super good. But when he is tested, he becomes less. Van Gerwen has to be able to keep the pressure on.”
“Van Gerwen did not play a bad match at this World Cup and has grown in the tournament. He delivered when he was asked.”
What kind of darts players are Van Gerwen and Littler?
Van Veen: “They have a lot in common. These are two pure talents. Many players have to work hard for it, they don’t need that as much. Once things are going well for them, things look very smooth.”
“Van Gerwen’s style has undergone some refinement recently. His friend Vincent van der Voort has started working with him to improve his throw a bit. fine-tune. Then you have to think about the position of his wrist, which causes the arrows to fly slightly differently towards the board. Now he throws with a little more flexibility and that is paying off.”
Van Gerwen full of praise for Littler: ‘But he is also vulnerable, I have to show that’
“There are also two no-nonsense darts players who play at a high tempo. They do not focus on the other person, for example to distract them or to disrupt their performance. That makes it very nice to watch.”
Van Duijvenbode: “They are indeed similar types: pace players, without fuss and fuss. Littler often goes for risky combinations and skips certain doubles, which Van Gerwen does not shy away from. This makes Van Gerwen just that little bit more complete.”
Littler is a child prodigy. How unique is his talent in the history of darts?
Van Veen: “Very unique. Only Van Gerwen was perhaps a talent of the same order. Only the sport played much more in the shadows, that is the big difference with Littler now. Furthermore, I cannot think of any darts players at that level at that age .”
Van Duijvenbode: “There’s not much difference between them, you know. When Van Gerwen was that age, he was only throwing 100+. But it is clear that there is no one who even comes close to these two.”
“Maybe only James Wade and Adrian Lewis came close to those two in terms of talent, but as young and good as Littler is now and Van Gerwen was at that age… no, not.”
What does Ally Pally bring to the table? Is Van Gerwen playing an away match tonight?
Van Veen: “I think that’s not too bad. He is also so big that he has a worldwide fan base, although there will of course be a lot of fans who would rather see Littler win.”
“It’s fantastic to be in Ally Pally, but there is a lot more pressure. But it’s great to experience: the hall is always full and the audience is always loud.”
Van Duijvenbode: “It varies very much in Ally Pally how ‘pro-English’ the atmosphere is. This year it seems to be more so, also because of the hype that Littler brings.”
