Phil Taylor thrashing in Blackpool shows world number one needs to be patient
Monday 28 July 2014 13:01, UK
John Part says the World Matchplay Final proved that Michael van Gerwen is not yet ready to dominate world darts.
The Dutchman was left in tears following an 18-9 defeat to Phil Taylor at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, which means that he has still to get his hands on one of the sport’s most prestigious trophies.
Van Gerwen has enjoyed a remarkable rise over the last two years, which has seen him become both world champion and one world number one, but Part says he cannot yet be compared to The Power, who has won 16 World Championships and 15 World Matchplay titles.
“He will build off this,” said the Sky Sports pundit.
“He will look back and think ‘Phil is going to make a great performance against me here and there, but I have to make my own moments’.
“He has to be somewhat patient. He’s world number one and world champ and all that, but you still need a bit of humility and a bit of patience to make the full transition from the Taylor era to the Van Gerwen era, if there is such a thing.
“I think Phil is playing the best right now at this moment, but we have a two-year system that rewards consistency of play and I think this sets up the Grand Prix very well.”
Taylor and van Gerwen will renew their battle for the world number one position at the World Grand Prix in Dublin, live on Sky Sports in October.
And Part says it will be interesting to see how the 25-year-old reacts to being on the receiving end of the sort of thrashing that The Power has dished out to countless opponents over the years.
“I think Phil really came out determined to send a message to Michael and the darts world,” he added.
“What he did effectively was get a good start and maintain the momentum so long into the match that, really, Michael had no hope by a certain point.
“Phil is very experienced at smashing people up when he wants to and when he gets focused on it. He has had so many big margins of victory in his career that he makes it an art really.
“There was a point where Michael got a 12 and 11-dart leg and started sort-of a comeback but he couldn’t maintain the momentum and Phil managed to smother it.”
