Questions are being raised over Michael van Gerwen’s time at the top of darts, and former pro Colin Lloyd has told talkSPORT why.
The Green Machine is undoubtedly one of the sport’s greatest ever competitors, but 2025 has so far been a year from hell.
Van Gerwen started the year with defeat to Littler and hasn’t been at his best sinceGettyVan Gerwen was beaten 7-3 in the World Darts Championship final by teen sensation Luke Littler.
Things have only got worse moving into the spring with his form sporadic.
Yet to win a Premier League night this season, MvG was beaten by world No.96 Dominik Gruellich on Monday night at the Players Championship.
That was his sixth first round exit of the PDC season.
Explaining what’s changed for the second-most successful darts player of all time, former world No.1 Lloyd said: “There are just far too many inconsistencies that have crept into his game over a period of time and unfortunately for him it’s getting a little bit more too often now.
“I’m going to say it like this, he’s lost that fear factor now. He’s not the dominant player he once was.
“I’m certainly not putting him down because he’s a class act and a class fella, but you’ve got the likes of Littler, [Luke] Humphries, [Nathan] Aspinal, [Gerwyn] Price, people away from the Premier League at the moment, Jonny Clayton, people like that all want a piece of the action.”
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen has won a staggering 47 PDC majors throughout his career which started as a teenager 19 years ago.
World No.1 from 2014 to 2021, the recent arrival of Littler and Humphries has taken the sport to a whole new level when it comes to viewing figures.
And Lloyd believes that the increased competition may have also taken its toll on the 36-year-old Dutchman.
Van Gerwen has been on the tour winning it all for almost two decadesGetty“It gets tougher and tougher and tougher when you’ve got so many people taking chunks out of you,” he explained.
“Is it catching up with Michael a bit? I personally think it is a little bit, he’s got nothing to feel bad about, he shouldn’t feel ashamed about anything, it happens to all of us at some point or another.
“He’s been around playing since he was 16 or 17 years old, he won the Winmau World Masters at 17, he’s been on tour now 19 years and it takes a lot out of you.
“He’s achieved an awful lot in those 19 years, it sounds like I’m talking like he’s done, I’m not whatsoever, but this year in the Premier League has been a real battle for him.”
Van Gerwen is currently fourth in the 2025 Premier League darts table, but is one of only two players yet to win a night along with Rob Cross.
He has, however, won 11 matches, putting him in the frame to still qualify for the Play-Offs in London along with Littler, Humphries and Price who have already booked their spots.
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