Frimpong Dropped from Netherlands Squad: A Lesson in System Dependency

UEFA has confirmed the 23-man Netherlands squad for the March 2026 international break. Jeremie Frimpong is not in it. A small detail, but it tells the whole story of a £29.5 million deal losing value by the day, and a player caught between two completely different tactical systems.

Before this camp, head coach Xavi had only led the Netherlands for one match, a 1-1 draw with Germany. Frimpong was on the bench that night. For the upcoming Serbia game, there was no place for him in the 23-man list. Instead, Jurrien Timber returns: a versatile Arsenal defender who can play centre-back or right-back. UEFA confirmed the registration, so this is an official decision.

Frimpong entered this season carrying a heavy label: the heir to Trent Alexander-Arnold. Liverpool needed a right-back, and they activated a £29.5 million release clause to bring him from Leverkusen. There, he was Xabi Alonso's most important attacking full-back, contributing to a historic season: Bundesliga title, Europa League final, 14 goals and 10 assists. That achievement made him one of Europe's best attacking full-backs.

At Liverpool, everything changed. His first Premier League season ended with 0 goals and 1 assist. He featured in only 3 of the last 5 league matches. Not because he stopped running, but because Liverpool's pressing and ball progression no longer gave him the whole flank like at Leverkusen. Tactics are not meant to be explained; they are meant to be felt. Watching Frimpong at Leverkusen, you felt the rhythm of constant overlap. At Liverpool, that rhythm is suffocated.

In truth, the 0-goal, 1-assist stat does not capture the difference in role. At Leverkusen, every defensive build-up was designed to find him. Teammates stretched the sideline, central midfielders tucked in, and a three-man back line created the corridor for him to explode into. At Liverpool, the defence usually sets up with four, forcing Frimpong to time his own overlaps while also handling defensive transitions. Two different mentalities, two different jobs. Every player has a limit.

Analysts love heat maps to prove whether a player covers ground. Frimpong's Liverpool heat map still shows wide activity. But a heat map only describes the surface; it does not measure the quality of the attack. It will not tell you whether someone played the pass into the open space, or how many times he had to retreat before going forward. In a season when Liverpool's midfield kept changing, Frimpong had to solve too many tasks outside his strengths.

Frimpong's story is a story of system dependency, not individual decline. He is not a balanced full-back in the Kyle Walker mould. He is a speed drill, happy to cut inside and shoot, happy to receive the ball deep in the opponent's half. Xabi Alonso built an entire structure to create space behind opposition full-backs, and Frimpong ran into it. Liverpool have not shown that design.

The Netherlands are no different. Xavi brings a positional-play philosophy, prioritising solidity and build-up from the back. Timber is a far more logical choice than Frimpong for a competitive Nations League window where the Dutch need immediate results. People call the return of three-man defences tactical progress. To me, it is often a coach avoiding responsibility when a back four gets exposed. But even without a back three, Xavi needs a right-back who can defend one-v-one. Frimpong, with superior attacking talent, lacks the one guarantee a coach wants in decisive matches: safety.

Jurrien Timber's return is good news for Arsenal and bad news for Frimpong. Timber is not just a right-back; he can be a right-sided centre-back, a cover runner, and a build-up starter. If Xavi wants a controlled team, Timber offers far more than a pure wide full-back. Frimpong wants to be a forward weapon, but the Dutch team does not need a weapon from defence right now.

Frimpong's situation is made worse by competition on both fronts. At Liverpool, the right-back position no longer belongs to him alone. In the Netherlands, alongside Timber, there is a long list of experienced right-backs. To be blunt, Frimpong is the odd man out in two big competitions at the same time. He has 15 caps since 2026, but his recent club minutes make his exclusion an easy decision for a new coach.

For Xavi, this decision is not difficult. He has UEFA confirmation, form data on his side, and a valid explanation for the media. Frimpong lacks minutes, goals, assists, and confidence. In a competitive tournament, a coach cannot carry a player just for experimentation. The Nations League is where Xavi builds his tactical core, so every match matters.

I have been mocked for betting on a 19-year-old at the 2026 World Cup, and things played out as I analysed. This time, I want to slow down. We might be seeing the start of an exile, or a comeback. If you only look at 0 goals and 1 assist, it is easy to call him a failure. But football does not operate in single seasons. Frimpong is 25, at peak value, and still has room to recover.

The variable that can change everything: the fixture list. The Netherlands still face Greece and could meet Serbia again before the break ends. If Timber suffers a setback or needs workload management, Frimpong could be recalled. That is not far-fetched. He remains in the senior setup, 15 caps are not meaningless, and being on the bench against Germany shows Xavi still has him on the radar.

English media are already planting the word failure next to every Frimpong touch. I am not surprised. But that label is ahead of the evidence. One season is too small a sample, especially when he has never been given the exact role that built his name. Fans are impatient, but a tactician can never afford to be.

People say I am hot-headed, but what I ignite are truths they do not dare to say. Frimpong is a victim of the Trent-heir label. When a club spends £29.5 million to replace an icon, expectation pressure crushes every statistic. He has not started regularly, has not been given a clear tactical job, and is judged by dry numbers instead of his actual on-field role. His heat map remains pretty, but it does not show whether anyone passed the ball to him at the right moment.

I could be wrong. If Frimpong gets a chance against Greece and plays like he did at Leverkusen, all this criticism becomes praise. But I believe in football logic: an attacking full-back needs the right system, the right rhythm, and the right coach. Xabi Alonso did it. Liverpool have not. And Xavi, who must rebuild the image of the Dutch national team, has no duty to sacrifice the whole team to help one player find himself.

Looked at broadly, this is a message for every scout and fan. The transfer market is a mirror; look into it and you see the greed of an entire club. Liverpool bought Frimpong because they needed a name, not because they had a tactical system for that name. The result is a £29.5 million asset shrinking in value. If he is no longer at Liverpool by the next winter window, I will not be surprised.

My testable prediction: Frimpong will not finish this season as a forgotten reserve. He will leave, on loan or permanently, if Liverpool realise he needs a different project. A mid-tier European side will take him, give him the freedom to attack, and his numbers will revive. Then the question will no longer be how bad Frimpong is, but how badly the Netherlands and Liverpool used him. The kid who was once laughed at is now teaching people how to watch football by looking at the system, not just the table.