Never heard a sweeter sounding word than Feyenoord part 2

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Feyenoord has to improvise due to wave of injuries: 'It's a domino effect'

Against Excelsior, two players dropped out with an injury at Feyenoord, a repetitive story. Coach Robin van Persie is missing at least eleven players against Ajax. "I'm happy if I can start eleven in their own position."

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom limps off the field after a hefty knock on his ankle, but his replacement Bart Nieuwkoop doesn't make it to the end of the match against Excelsior either. Just like against FC Twente, his substitution is cut short prematurely due to an injury. And Van Persie had to puzzle for The Classic anyway. Players who are injured; it's a repetitive story at Feyenoord. Hardly a week goes by without Van Persie having to change. "We have to make substitutions almost every game and the injuries are often isolated."
Van Persie moved his players like pieces on a chessboard against Excelsior. Jakub Moder is pretty much the joker. The Pole has played in almost every position at Feyenoord. From striker to central defender: Moder was the last option for van Persie at the back on Sunday. The already much plagued coach simply had no (central) defenders left. The suspended Anel Ahmedhodzic and the injured Tsuyoshi Watanabe were not available against Excelsior. Gernot Trauner and Thomas Beelen have been out of circulation for a long time. Jeremiah St. Juste has rarely been fit since his return to Feyenoord. Malcolm Jeng, Givairo Read and Gijs Smal are also still on the sidelines. And then Van Persie also has to miss attackers like his son Shaqueel and Sem Steijn.
The wave of injuries is not an isolated one: chronic injuries have haunted Feyenoord's selection for almost two years. In January, Van Persie denied that he had ignored an advice from the medical staff during the duel with sc Heerenveen by letting Read play longer than was responsible, as some media had suggested. Read would then be able to play for an hour at most after a hamstring injury and was injured again in the final phase. Van Persie repeated on Sunday that he evaluates daily with the medical staff. "We have too many injuries, that's clear. We really look critically at how we train, at the load capacity of the players. We want to better interpret their physical guidance in the near future."
The injuries have an unpleasant side effect for Van Persie. It is a challenge every week to get his players to play in their best position. "Moder played against Excelsior in three positions: right and left central back and as a shadow striker. That's worth a big compliment." "He is the example of a team player who makes the difference. But actually we are asking too much of Moder because of the challenging period we are in now. Because of all those injuries, players are too often in other positions and that is at the expense of fixed patterns in our game."
After Bart Nieuwkoop dropped out, Mats Deijl moved from the right back position to the heart of the defense. "I've played centrally at Go Ahead and before that at FC Den Bosch," said Deijl, who after his yellow card against Excelsior misses out on his first Classic against Ajax. "In the corridors it was discussed that I would be an alternative, because there were no central defenders left.
"Van Persie sees a "domino effect" due to all the injuries at Feyenoord. Players have to force themselves when they return to the field. And they are physically extra burdened by playing football in different positions.
"For Nieuwkoop, it would have been better from a physical point of view if he had played half an hour against Excelsior," Van Persie acknowledged. "He had to go on just a little longer and unfortunately got injured again. It may not be the cause of his injury, but it does occur." "And so we are constantly behind the facts when one or two links fall away and players end up in other positions. It also demands a lot from them physically. It makes quite a difference whether you play left back or central back. It's a different world from a physical point of view." Is Van Persie longing for a fit game changer who can decide the duel with arch-rival Ajax? "I'm happy if I can start eleven players in their normal position against Ajax. We will have to be creative because of all the injuries. We will have to deal with it."

 

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I've been very critical about Lotomba, but in the match against Ajax he finally showed his potential.
For Feyenoord it would be the best outcome if Ajax and FC Twente draw after the nat. team break.
I don't think we will win away against NEC, but a draw would take away the last chance for NEC to have things in their own hands in regards to overtaking Feyenoord.
NEC though has the advantage of the easiest rest program.

 

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So, we now can add Leo Sauer to the injury list, while we have Slow Train Sterling jogging along in that spot.

 

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FC Volendam - Feyenoord

 

Boy, the national team break didnot help much.
Didnot see much improvement in the level of energy put on the pitch.
Things are getting very tight now.

A draw against NEC now would mean FC Twente comes in striking distance too.
With this energy level, we're going to be overwhelmed by NEC's relentless press.
A win against NEC is a must, but in the current state almost impossible.

 

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After a few matches this season Zechiël got high praise for his play, so I watched him and I didnot get the praise showered upon him. I saw an extraordinary active supercharged bunny, but with not much effect from it.
Against PSV I saw a completely transformed guy, still with all that extraordinary energy, but now with a purpose. He was intercepting/closing lanes, won duels to conquer the ball, made good passes, defending etc. In other words, if it wasnot for Saibari singlehanded pulling PSV out of the quicksand, he would have been man of the match.
I'm pretty sure he will be back in the "Kuip" next season.

 

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Feyenoord battered to cracker against NEC, even Robin van Persie trains out of necessity in the starting eleven

Feyenoord travels to Nijmegen with serious doubts for the cracker against NEC. Robin van Persie said of 'six to seven players not yet know whether they are available'. Out of necessity, the coach set himself up in a game game. "With the starting team," said Van Persie.
Robin van Persie eventually participated himself during a game at training. In the starting eleven. Out of necessity, because two days before the cracker in Nijmegen against NEC, the Feyenoord coach once again had to deal with a laundry list of absentees. "I don't mention the names, that will probably become a meme," said Van Persie. But I'm honest: I don't know if six to seven players will be available on Sunday." And that in a direct confrontation with NEC, which can take over place 2 from Feyenoord in its own Goffert.

Dick Schreuder's team has no injuries, everyone at the Nijmegen team is fit. Van Persie refused to say that his ailing formation – not only on a physical level but also in terms of performance – is the underdog in Nijmegen. "I can't get that out of my throat," said Van Persie.

Valente and Moder doubtful
But in Nijmegen, his team will have to arm itself against a formation that can continue to increase the pace in a match. Among the doubtful cases are Luciano Valente and Jakub Moder, the internationals were missing from the training field on Friday. Anel Ahmedhodzic was not there either, but with Thijs Kraaijeveld as an alternative, that absence for Van Persie can still be absorbed.

The homegrown talent was one of the few bright spots last week in and against Volendam. "He is doing very well, he is very stoic to get better. That mental toughness, that's great for a 19-year-old boy. I expect that he can become really fantastic as a right central defender in the future. Against FC Volendam he played on the left side of the axis and he did that very well." Anis Hadj Moussa did not seem to have fully recovered from his groin injury, although he did appear on the training field. "NEC has qualities", Van Persie said. "But their way of playing also offers opportunities. Whether we adapt? You can always add nuances, I saw that this week at Paris Saint-Germain against Liverpool and Real Madrid against Bayern Munich. Real even did more than add nuances."

 

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Feyenoord has switched to 'Project NEC' and that has to succeed in anyway.

 

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A draw in that match would be the best result for Feyenoord.

 

I wonder what the refs in the ref forum would think about the yellow card for Sandler, given by Gözübüyük.

 

350299

Well, for the final 4 matches run finally some good news:
Givairo Read makes a comeback in the first team Feyenoord after months of injury.
Givairo Read has made match minutes in the first team of Feyenoord for the first time since January 11. The right back has recovered from the hamstring injury he sustained against Heerenveen. Feyenoord is trying to get the youth international ready for the last four games of the season. The friendly match against fellow city rival Excelsior ended in 1-1.

Hopefully the Cup Final Break gives other injured players the needed time to return too.