FC Emmen had an excellent first half against Telstar on Friday evening, but sank too far into a swamp of unrest in the second half. Despite the victory, trainer Fred Grim and his captain Jari Vlak saw much-needed improvement.
While the first half started so well for FC Emmen, which took the lead after just three minutes of play, the level plummeted considerably after the break. The play of the Drenthe team looked restless, even a bit sloppy. The victory (2-0) over Telstar was therefore no longer in danger, but afterwards the decline was certainly a topic of discussion. How could it be that the difference between the first and second half was so big?
Sitting in the dug-out, in the middle of a now almost empty De Oude Meerdijk stadium, Fred Grim wasted no time. “We have to perform better than we did today in the second half,” the 58-year-old coach said firmly. “Some players handed in too many balls too quickly and made their choices too late. In that respect, there were plenty of reasons to say that things had to be improved.”
It was not without reason that Grim changed a total of five players in the second half. Dennis Vos, Ben Scholte and Maikel Kieftenbeld came on the field after just fifteen minutes of play. Later the trainer also brought Lorenzo Burnet and Patrick Brouwer. The substitutions did not exactly benefit FC Emmen’s game. Unrest and carelessness continued to plague the Grim team. However, the substitutions were carefully thought through, as became apparent afterwards.
“Given the course of the second half, in which I got the feeling that the 3-0 was no longer possible for us, I chose to close the door. Trying to maintain that 2-0 lead by bringing more stability to the team. You don’t want Telstar to score the tying goal in that phase, because then it could easily become a difficult match. We managed to prevent that with hard work.”
Rest is the key word
According to Grim, his team must try to find calm when it comes under pressure. An opinion that is also shared by his captain, Jari Vlak. “I think we should have been 3-0 or 4-0 ahead at halftime. but we missed a number of 100 percent chances,” said the Volendammer. “Then you fail to reward yourself and kill the competition. We suddenly stop in the second half. Then we shoot away all the balls, we lose possession and you come under pressure.”
“How exactly does that happen? I’m not sure,” Vlak continued. “It has happened to us more than once this season. Fortunately, we defend like real men, but we can make it so much easier for ourselves if we keep the ball in the team for longer. If you don’t do that, the opponent will play more opportunistically and keep faith. But if you manage to miss that two or three times, your faith fades away and you basically walk through it.”
“Somehow we sometimes get a little confused when we come under pressure. Then we get a bit sloppier. It is then important for us to remain calmer on the ball, which makes it easier for you to find the right solution. For example, by luring the opponent and then playing underneath it. In short: finding the right solution from that calmness instead of just ramming the ball forward when you don’t know what to do anymore.”