Dutch darting juggernaut Michael van Gerwen has received a pointed and rather thought-provoking caution from former professional turned analyst Matt Edgar, who believes the three-time PDC World Champion must curate his competitive calendar with almost forensic precision this season.
For a player of Van Gerwen’s combustible intensity, the equilibrium between overexposure and under-preparation is not merely important – it is existential.
The charismatic creator and face of Edgar TV articulated the dilemma succinctly:
“For me, Van Gerwen is one of those people who has to have everything right. If he plays too much, we see his performance drop. If he doesn’t play enough, we see his performance drop. He is one of those who really has to manage his diary and calendar.”
It is a paradox familiar to the elite echelon – particularly those obligated to globe-trot on World Series assignments while also enjoying automatic Euro Tour berths. Yet after a robust commencement to 2026 – title success in Bahrain, an authoritative presence across the Players Championship double-header in Hildesheim, and a long-awaited Premier League nightly triumph – Edgar questions the wisdom of easing off the accelerator just as momentum gathers.
“What is interesting for me is that he is not going to the Pro Tours this week”, continues Edgar. “He has got this form going, he is playing well. He did well on the ProTours this previous week, and he is not going to Wigan.”
The subtext is unmistakable: strike while the iron radiates.
Last year provided a statistical anomaly bordering on the surreal. The Green Machine failed to qualify for a televised major – an omission rarer than hen’s teeth in modern darts. When November arrived, and the Players Championship Finals unfolded in Minehead, Van Gerwen was conspicuous by his absence.
“That is interesting for me, the fact that he missed out on the Players Championship Finals last year.” said Edgar. “It was 2011 the last time he didn’t make a major tournament. Now he has gone, ‘I am going to play in the same number of events as I did last year. I am not going to play any extra.’ You have just failed for the first time in 15 years and you go, ‘I am going to do the same thing.’”
The implication is stark. Van Gerwen’s 2026 blueprint appears to mirror last season’s architecture, with the Players Championships once again sacrificed at the altar of schedule management. Perhaps Somerset in winter lacks exotic allure – but should Minehead beckon again without him, questions will inevitably crescendo.
For a competitor of Van Gerwen’s voracious pedigree, balance is not merely tactical. It is the difference between resurgence and regression.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
