Where the criticism in recent matches at FC Volendam was mainly aimed at the defense, the club presented Xavier Mbuyamba at the last minute. The 20-year-old central defender came over from Chelsea and needs to bring back the fighter’s mentality in the back.
At the very last minute, Xavier Mbuyamba – NH Sport / Stephan Brandhorst transferred
A striking statistic in the match against Sparta Rotterdam (4-0 loss) was that FC Volendam did not commit any fouls. That didn’t exactly show merciless football. “That is simply not possible,” says Mbuyamba, who made the switch from MVV Maastricht to FC Barcelona in 2018.
International experience
In Spain, the 1.95 meter long defender learned about ‘tiki-taka football’. “There it is a lot of football and at Chelsea hard work and a lot of walking. In Spain the quality is also high.” The youth international of the Dutch national team has therefore already experienced quite a bit at international level, but it has not come to a real breakthrough in Spain and England.
Xavier Mbuyamba has learned a lot at Barcelona and Chelsea – NH Sport / Stephan Brandhorst
As a result, he settles down in Volendam and opts for playing minutes. In the fishing village, Mbuyamba seems to be able to immediately prepare for a base place. In final training, he was often stationed with Benaissa Benamar at the heart of the defense. Damon Mirani seems to be sliding a line as an extra lock on the door.
extra options
Trainer Wim Jonk is delighted with the arrival of Mbuyamba. With this, the coach has his wanted reinforcement in the back and FC Volendam has strengthened itself in every line in the past transfer period. That was a great wish from Jonk. “The competition is good now and that gives us extra options. If something falls off, it becomes brittle and then we can get into trouble.”
With Mbuyamba, Jonk has his desired reinforcement in the back – NH Sport / Stephan Brandhorst
This Friday FC Volendam will play at home against Go Ahead Eagles. Volendam currently occupies sixteenth place in the Eredivisie with four points. This puts it one spot higher than the people of Deventer, who are still scoreless.
The kick-off at the Dijk is at 8 p.m. and the match can be followed live during the radio broadcast of NH Sport.
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