Nobody should be scared of Luke Littler.. he’s not unbeatable, says Michael van Gerwen as he reveals key to beating teen
MICHAEL van Gerwen blasted Luke Littler as not “unstoppable” and players shouldn’t be “scared” of him.
The Dutchman ruthlessly dumped the 17-year-old out of the World Matchplay on his debut at the Winter Gardens on Monday night.
MVG, 35, was almost in tears on stage following the 10-6 win after being almost written-off in some quarters before the blockbuster first round clash.
Van Gerwen, who faces Joe Cullen on Wednesday, vowed: “It was a really massive win for me.
“In the Premier League we play each other so often it becomes normal, but this is different.
“The beast has to come out of you.
“Littler had the advantage of being in form. He has been good, he has been playing really well.
“We have seen he is not unstoppable, this is a sign for the rest of the players who are scared of him to face it, to do the right thing and play your own game.
“We know he is big and he has a lot of following, he did well for the sport but you still have to keep fighting.”
Van Gerwen has clearly been rocked by critics who say that he’s on the slide having not won a title since January.
He has to go for THIRD op on his teeth after the event at the Winter Gardens and will miss a month of action.
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But he added: “To win against guys in form is always nice. There were a lot of stories about this game and how I wasn’t the favourite, how I’ve been having a tough last six months.
“To win games like this does something for me of course. I honestly only see it in a positive way that I still like what I do, it still does something to me.
“If it doesn’t do something to me anymore, it’s time to retire but I’m not in that position yet and I’m not for the next five, six, seven to 10 years. I’m going to keep annoying them.
“We all know I’m not in massive form and we all know this was going to be a tough one for me.
“To actually do it gives me a lot of joy and you know how much love I’ve got for the game. That was a tough one but to win does mean a lot to me.
“It’s been a tough last six months but I’m not playing superbly bad. Tonight I think I did the right thing for myself, the focus was there, the will to win was there.
“The total package was complete tonight. I think I was by far the better player in the game.
“I’ve got a few more on my list, don’t worry about that, that’s how darts works.”