According to VoetbalPrimeur, Kieft believes that Dutch clubs have been structurally short of quality in Europe for some time. He attributes this to the level of the Eredivisie, the top division in the Netherlands. Kieft suggests that Dutch top clubs often lack challenging opponents in the Eredivisie, which can hinder their development. He points to AZ's matches against Sunderland as an example, stating that these games are more valuable than their domestic matches against teams like Telstar. Kieft also expressed surprise at NEC's approach in their match against Juventus, saying that starting with a defensive mindset can make it difficult to win.