Best start in Eredivisie for Feyenoord since 2016, but for trainer Van Persie there is a lot of work to be done

On the other hand, Feyenoord knows in the best start in almost ten years in terms of results. Only in 2016 did the club won the first two official games of the season.

The ambitious coach can still improve much in the coming period. If he had spilled points in the Eredivisie and had shown beautiful football with his team, he would not have been able to repair it in the coming weeks. Arne Slot grumbled more than once that the slippers made sure that he had to chase almost the entire season.

Live Eredivisie: Feyenoord is difficult to pay with Excelsior

Last year Feyenoord lost the first game (Johan Cruijff Scale against PSV) and played it at home against Willem II. In 2023 also losses for the Johan Cruijff scale and four loss points in the first two league matches against Fortuna and Sparta.

Chagrin under Feyenoord supporters

In 2022? A draw in the second game against SC Heerenveen at home. In the summer of 2021, Feyenoord struggled in the very first match against KF Drita (0-0), which no one had never heard of. In 2019, Feyenoord won only once in the first five official games. And so it goes further back until 2016, when (under Giovanni van Bronckhorst) there was a start with a hundred percent score in the first duels.

Feyenoord trainer Robin van Persie is disappointed despite victory: ‘I can’t be satisfied’

The elimination by Fenerbahçe has caused some Chagrin under its own supporters and a sorning party against fellow townman Excelsior with his much smaller budget and selection does not help. Van Persie knows that it must be better and understands the criticism. ,, The implementation really needs to be better. You can’t start a competition like that either. Already after one minute, in which we lose a few duels and suffer the ball loss, I knew that this was a very wrong start. In the ‘Vecht competition’ with the long ball of the home club, Feyenoord also promptly fell behind.

Van Persie issues a signal

,, Then we will recover and we looked better. Even before the break we could have taken a bigger lead than the 2-1. If you then leave the chances on a third or fourth goal, you know that Excelsior stays in the game ”, the coach of Feyenoord shook the head.

On Woudestein, Van Persie gave confidence to exactly the same players who went down in Istanbul. It was a signal that he does not just go victim to everyone who gets an insufficient. It does not alter the fact that he will adjust things in the coming period and will tinker with the right formation.

Struggle in different positions

For example, the young talent Jaden Slory and not Purchase Carlos Borges were already given the opportunity to visit Excelsior, when Van Persie brought Leo Sauer to the side in the second half. Slory is a wing spire for those who are fully interested in the Eredivisie, but who showed such good things in the training sessions that he earns minutes in the main force.

The battle for the position of left winger between the three Borges, Sauer and Slory is one of the examples that the coach and his assistants Etienne Reijnen, René Hake and John de Wolf focus on. For the spits position, Feyenoord is still looking at a chance on the market, although Ayase Ueda made sure that he belonged to the goal scorers again, just like against NAC.

With the return of Bart Nieuwkoop, who was out of it for six months and therefore had to build up his playing time (“I could now have a maximum of 45 minutes, one hour, etc. ”), a second right back will be back and after the international break in September, youth international Givairo Read will also be added.

Time to adjust things better

With Sparta and two home duels against SC Heerenveen and Fortuna Sittard (moved to September 17 because of the European calendar) as the following three parties on the program, Sem Steijn has the chance to add goals to the two that he has delivered in his first two duels.

In between there is time to adjust everything better. ,, I want to see everyone at work to get a better picture. Based on how players train, they get a chance. The best will ultimately play, but it is clear that we are still a bit searching. “