Euro 2020: In orange, Memphis Depay relives Lyon life

There were two pivotal moments in the Holland-Austria game and on both occasions, Memphis Depay was at the centre of it. And, mind you, this wasn’t Depay at his best.

The first was when he calmly slotted home the early penalty. The second started the move by which the Dutch doubled the lead. Surrounded by Austrian players at the centre of the pitch, the 27-year-old lobbed the ball over them to release Donyell Malen who squared it to Denzel Dumfries to kill the game as a contest.

Also read | A failed dope test and a career revived, Maarten Stekelenburg’s story

On Thursday, Depay, who likes to hang around the left side of the pitch, covered a much wider area and constantly troubled the Austrian backline. He also linked with the midfield and fell back to defend. Between all that, he popped up unmarked in a centre-forward’s position and was fed a perfect pass by Wout Weghorst. Depay put that over the crossbar.

The miss didn’t come back to haunt Holland as the 2-0 win secured a passage to the round of 16 from group C. If the Dutch are to go deep in Euro 2020, a lot will hinge on Depay.

Netherlands coach Frank De Boer is sure that Depay will grow in confidence as the tournament progresses. “Let’s consider that Memphis can make some more steps during the tournament and in the following matches where it’s really getting important then he will be the big man. I am full of confidence that he will do so. At the end of the day, he scored the penalty and also gave a pre-assist,” said De Boer.

Also read | Euro 2020: Emil Forsberg fires Sweden to 1-0 victory over Slovakia

What De Boer, like his predecessor Roland Koeman and former Lyon managers Bruno Genesio and Rudi Garcia, has done is allow Depay a free role and give him more responsibility. It has worked wonders as in the Euro qualifiers, Depay scored six goals and had eight assists. The penalty against Austria was his sixth goals in the last five internationals. For Lyon last season, he scored 21 times in Ligue 1 to finish second to Kylian Mbappe in the top scorers’ list. He also had 12 assists.

The first to recognise what worked for Depay was PSV Eindhoven coach and former Dutch international Phillip Cocu. In 2014-15, under Cocu, Depay finished top scorer in the Dutch league with 22 goals, was named the ‘Best Young Player’ of 2015 by France Football and earned a dream move to Manchester United.

“Memphis is someone who needs to be constantly challenged and stimulated. He always needs new goals to pursue,” Cocu said then.

He got anything but at Manchester United, first under Louis Van Gaal and then Jose Mourinho. The club was transitioning — some would say it still is — from the Alex Ferguson era and instant gratification was prioritised over grooming a bright prospect. The decision to give Depay the club’s No 7 shirt, worn by the legends such as George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo, only added to the pressure.

Also read | Not even Guardiola or Mourinho could do more in these circumstances: Stimac

Depay started well, scoring twice during a 2015-16 Champions League qualifying tie against Club Brugge. But soon the goals and appearances dried up and he was sold in January 2017 to Lyon. He played 29 games in his first season in the Premier League and had scored just twice. Under Mourinho, he made only four appearances.

Depay didn’t help his case either as is evident from this story by Wayne Rooney. In 2015, after Depay had a horrific match against Stoke City, a furious Van Gaal told him to play a reserve game few days later. Over to Rooney now. “So, after the game (against Stoke), I just said: ‘Look, it’s going to be a bit difficult for you. Just don’t come in with all your fancy stuff.’ The reserve game was at Altrincham’s ground and he turned up for it in his Rolls Royce, wearing a red leather jacket and a cowboy hat. And I just thought: ‘What’s the point?’,” Rooney was quoted as saying by goal.com.

That’s Depay for you. The expensive car and outrageous attire gave the impression that being out of the team didn’t matter much.

When Depay left Manchester United, he said: “I had been bought because of the specific qualities I displayed in the Netherlands but then I was expected to play in a way that sees those qualities vanish from my game. I couldn’t make sense of it.”

What he was referring to was being was asked to track back more. Depay felt it stifled his creativity and led to a drop in form.

Rebuilding started at Lyon and Depay grew as a player after Genesio changed his role in 2017-18. While he played as a winger after his arrival, the Dutchman was used as a second striker in his first full season in France. And the goals flowed. Depay netted 19, only Edinson Cavani and Florian Thauvin scored more in Ligue 1. He also topped the assists’ chart with Neymar at 13.

The creativity he has shown at Lyon has brought him on the verge of signing for Barcelona where Depay can reunite with his former national coach Koeman.

Depay still enjoys a flashy lifestyle and isn’t afraid to speak out. But of late, he has managed to turn the attention on what he is achieving on the pitch than off it.