Can Anybody Stop Van Gerwen Claiming a Third PDC World Darts Championship Title?

On Thursday 14^th December, the 2018 PDC World Darts Championship gets underway in what is going to be one of the biggest sporting events that takes place over the Christmas and New Year period in the UK. It is also one of the biggest sports betting events not just of Christmas, but the entire year and you can enjoy all the top betting on the event at Coral Sports.

However, the question on many punters minds at the moment is not so much who is going to win the event, but rather can anybody stop the current World Number 1 and current World Champion Michael Van Gerwen earning his third World Title? The Dutchman has been in exceptional form over the past two years and is by some distance the World Number One and a massive odds-on favourite to win the title on January 1^st 2018. Coral have him as 8/11 to win the event and even those odds are somewhat generous compared to other bookmakers.

So the question is, who can stop Michael van Gerwen in 2018? And before we look at the contenders, let’s now take a look the current World Rankings for the event:

Current PDC World Rankings

Van Gerwen’s Favourable Draw

The other thing that Van Gerwen has in his favour is that his half of the draw is considerably more favourable than that faced by his most dangerous opponents. Indeed, van Gerwen has managed to avoid facing any of Peter Wright, Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor or Adrian Lewis before the final and that is good news for the Dutchman as they are the four most likely players who could, if they play to their very best, beat him.

Indeed, a likely semifinal against the likes of Daryl Gurney or Mensur Suljovic should not be of too much of a concern for the Dutchman even if these two players, who do not have much of a pedigree at the World Championships, make it that far into the event.

Who could upset Van Gerwen and why?

Finding players that have the game to genuinely give Van Gerwen a few problems isn’t easy. In most cases, the Dutchman has routinely demolished even his closest rivals at times this season. However, in World Championships of the past, he has looked vulnerable at times and we have outlined five players below who could, if things go right for them, defeat the Dutchman in the tournament.

Christian Kist

Who is Christian Kist you may ask, given that the Dutchman is not even listed in the top 32 ranked players in the PDC? Well the answer is that he is Michael Van Gerwen’s first round opponent and in truth he is arguably the most difficult player that Van Gerwen could have faced in the draw.

Kist is a former BDO World Champion himself having won at Lakeside a few years ago and while he has not risen to the heights he would have hoped for in the PDC, he is still a very solid darts player on his day.

Kist also faces Van Gerwen in the First Round which is also a factor in his favour. First Round matches are short games with players playing the Best of Five sets. That means if Van Gerwen stutters, he does not have the time to pull things around as he does in the subsequent rounds. It is also why several top players have not made it past the First Round in previous tournaments.

If Van Gerwen does not start well and Kist takes an early lead, then the top seed could face a tough task against his compatriot, as he did when John Henderson knocked Van Gerwen out of the World Grand Prix in Dublin in October.

Peter Wright

The flamboyant Wright may get plenty of press for his wacky outfits and crazy hairdos, but the Scotsman is one of the most consistent players on the circuit. His problem is that while consistent, he does not seem to elevate his game to the elite level that a Taylor, Van Gerwen or Anderson can reach at times.

Wright’s form over the season has seen him move to second in the World Rankings but he is almost a million points behind Van Gerwen for the top spot. However, Wright has the game to match anybody on their day and he will likely win this title one day, I just don’t feel that this is quite his year.

Gary Anderson

At present, in terms of pure darts talent and consistency, the only player who could realistically rank on a par with Van Gerwen at his best is the two-time World Champion Gary Anderson. When firing on all cylinders, Anderson can match Van Gerwen’s scoring power and finishing ability, but Anderson’s issue is that he is not as consistent as Van Gerwen and at times, his double finishing can desert him at key moments.

In terms of scoring power though Anderson even has Van Gerwen beat as he notched up a record 71 180s in the 2017 tournament alone. He’ll need to produce that kind of scoring power, allied to some outstanding finishing, to stand a good chance of beating Van Gerwen in the final.

Phil Taylor

Can Phil Taylor produce a fairy-tale finale to what has been a career that has not just confirmed him as the best player ever to play the game, but a darts legend and one of the greatest British sports personalities of all time.

At his very best, Taylor against Van Gerwen would have been a Clash of the Titans and my money would still have been on Taylor to win it. However Taylor is not now at his best anywhere near as often and he will need a stellar performance to reach the final, let alone get the better of Van Gerwen should he get there.

However, Phil Taylor has been written off time and time again and if there is one tournament he would want to win in his last year as a professional on the circuit, it would be this one. So something tells me that while a Taylor win may be unlikely, you should not completely rule it out.

Rob Cross

Rob Cross may be ranked 20^th in the World Rankings at present, but that belies the stellar year he has enjoyed on the tour, his first as a PDC Professional. He has showed in recent televised events that at his best he can mix it with the likes of Anderson, Wright and Van Gerwen and perhaps on his day, beat them.

A lack of experience though in the World Championships could count against Cross here, but if he plays well, then I think he is a very solid bet to reach the quarter finals at least and once he reaches the semi-finals, then anything could happen.