Tossing and waking up a lot, a tear here and there. This is how the night would go after the Conference League final lost 1-0 against AS Roma, in sweltering Tirana, players and trainers expected the game to end shortly. Carefully bubbling pride over the long route to it? That was ‘far away’, said captain Justin Bijlow.
Of course, they never thought they would make it to a European final when they started their adventure in the preliminaries of the brand new tournament eleven months ago. But if anything made it clear what the win of a big prize brings, it was the deluge of former Feyenoord players who had won a European Cup in the media in recent weeks.
At the expense of broadcasters Veronica and ESPN, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Jon Dahl Tomasson and Bert van Marwijk were also flown to Albania after all the interviews in the Netherlands, twenty years after their memorable Uefa Cup win. Captain Paul Bosvelt was also there. Everywhere they went in the final city they were sung to. European Cup I winner Rinus Israel was able to give a hundred interviews.
Champagne and Mourinho
‘Finals are only fun if you win them’, coach Arne Slot said beforehand. Because then you’ll be a hero forever, he probably thought. Rubbing his eyes, the 43-year-old Feyenoord coach entered the press conference room on Wednesday night, accompanied by the sound of boisterous Roma players, who later even entered the press room to spray Roma coach Mourinho with champagne, sing to them and then leave. to lead the press.
Slot had to come up with an explanation for the 1-0 loss for that bizarre scene and logically did that without his characteristic spirit. Like Bijlow didn’t feel like talking about his successful race against the clock to be fit in time. All secondary. Just like the impressive campaign itself passed nine stadiums, all with completely different challenges.
Feyenoord, which hadn’t even wintered in Europe for so long, passed every test, usually with flying colors, with just as neat as aggressive football, a game type that was long thought to be impossible at the Rotterdam club. ‘We have put Rotterdam and Feyenoord back on the map’, said Bijlow. But pain prevailed.
Feyenoord was not itself before the break. ‘While there were spaces,’ Slot analyzed. He liked his team afterwards, but with due regard for the defensive class of Roma, coached by the super sloper Mourinho. Feyenoord didn’t give many opportunities away, but the only one for the break was immediately used by Roma by the bold attacker Zaniolo. It was preceded by a gross error of judgment by Trauner, the rock in the surf this season.
Roma defended collectively and passionately, also liked a lot from the arbitration. But Feyenoord did too little with the often weak play of Roma at the ball. Eye-catchers this season such as Til, Dessers and Kökcü made the wrong choices too often. Right winger Nelson was very disappointing, but he was often against a force majeure, just like left winger Sinisterra and Dessers. Connection of the midfielders was lacking.
Crossbar, post and Patricio
Only after the break did the brake go off and Feyenoord came close to equalizing twice. The crossbar, post and the excellent Roma goalkeeper Patricio prevented that. It was forgotten afterwards in the Feyenoord camp that Roma also became dangerous. Reference was made to the last chance of substitute Linssen in injury time, who, however, missed the ball hopelessly.
A lack of quality, usually nicely hidden last season thanks to Slot’s clear instructions, surfaced against the catenaccio structure carefully plastered by Mourinho, with the inimitable, ball-resistant midfielder Pellegrini, by far the best player on the field.
On holiday, Slot will only realize that his first season at Feyenoord was miracles. Mourinho hoisted Feyenoord on the shield (also to increase his own success). Feyenoord had ‘made’ the Conference League, was a superpower. But the 59-year-old Portuguese, who has already won five European cups, knows better than anyone that finalists do not match winners. Hence his immense, almost childlike joy afterwards, dancing alone in the deserted center circle, tears in his eyes.
Feyenoord counts again in Europe, that’s for sure. On Thursday morning, the pride already dominated the fans over the chagrin. The word ‘unforgettable’ was often heard in Albanian breakfast rooms and at Tirana airport. For the ambitious Slot it will not be enough. He will insist even more on expanding the quality core at the management in order to still gain something tangible. It sometimes went well last season, opponents were often surprised by the pressure with which that group of relatively unknown Feyenoord players played.
Feyenoord must have more weapons than Sinisterra, the only one who can force something with an individual action. The current playing style takes a lot of power. Director Arnesen already expressed his wish to keep Sinisterra. With the transfer proceeds of others, he must invest wisely, taking advantage of the current hype surrounding the club. So that the next highlight doesn’t take another twenty years.