Michael van Gerwen failed to qualify the Players Championship Finals last weekend for the first time in both his career and also the tournament’s history.
It’s been a difficult year for the three-time world champion, both personally and professionally.
He’s going through a divorce from wife Daphne van Gerwen and has lost a lot of ground to close rivals Luke Littler and Luke Humphries in terms of ranking money and titles won.
It’s been three years since MVG last won a PDC major ranking title (coincidentally the 2022 Players Championship Finals), however, runner-up finishes in several major tournaments have allowed the Dutchman to stay close to the top of the table in terms of Order of Merit rankings.
See also – PDC Order of Merit updates following 2025 Players Championship Finals
His last came at the start of this year when he lost in the final of the 2025 World Championship to Luke Littler.
He has won a Euro Tour title and a non-ranking major tournament at the 2025 World Series of Darts Finals.
It’s not like he’s completely declined and can’t win anymore but he isn’t winning at the rate fans (or himself) are expecting from one of the most dominant and successful darts players of all time.
While MVG is a serial major title winner, a player who has been tipped for huge success and major title success in darts is Josh Rock.
MVG believes Rock is missing ‘one thing’ though and he claims both himself and Luke Littler have it…
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What Michael van Gerwen Believes Josh Rock is Missing From His Game
Josh Rock is having his best performing year as a professional player.
The 2022 World Youth Champion has been a much hyped prospect after following up his youth title with a run to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Grand Slam of Darts, a tournament where he hit a nine-darter against non-other than Michael van Gerwen!
The Northern Irishman won a Euro Tour and ProTour title in 2024 but suffered early exits in all ranking major tournaments.
2025 has truly been a breakout year though.
Rock has been to the semi-finals of the UK Open, World Matchplay and World Series of Darts Finals. Has just been to back-to-back quarter-finals at the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals and won the PDC World Cup of Darts with teammate and fellow countryman Daryl Gurney.
Many are tipping Rocky for major title success but Michael van Gerwen believes he’s missing one thing that has held him back so far.
Speaking to talkSPORT Darts ahead of the 2026 World Championship first round draw, MVG was asked what he thinks Josh Rock is missing that would get him into the major finals.
He responded:
“It’s difficult, I don’t know him that well.
“….
“I think talent. I think he has a little less talent than Luke’s, or myself. Just in general.
“I think he has to work a lot harder to achieve what he does. But, with all due respect to Phil Taylor, if you look at the way he throws he wasn’t a born natural talent either.
“He made himself a machine, that’s different.”
To the average fan or viewer, Josh Rock WOULD appear to be a natural talent so to say he is missing the talent isn’t the response many could have predicted from MVG.
He isn’t writing Josh Rock off from future major success though.
His example of Phil Taylor winning all he did without that ‘natural talent’ was probably the best he could give to demonstrate his point.
You can see the full interview below where MVG also discusses mindset going into 2026 and why he thinks the domination from the two Luke’s won’t last much longer…
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