Start signing Vicente Besuijen? And will Maikel Kieftenbeld get another chance? Plenty of question marks at FC Emmen heading into the match with FC Eindhoven.
FC Emmen will not have any fond memories of the previous meeting with FC Eindhoven at the beginning of December. Fred Grim’s team did not give away a lead for the first time this season and were left empty-handed after the final whistle. Desley Ubbink remembers it all too well, even though the midfielder was not there due to an eye injury.
“FC Eindhoven is a difficult team with a difficult system,” says Ubbink. “It is up to us to win the day this time. We play at home, in front of our own audience. So it is not a matter of can, but must. If we want to stay in the footsteps of the competition, we simply have to win. It doesn’t matter how. Preferably with nice football, but those points are sacred.”
A clear message, because like his teammates, Ubbink thinks it is high time for a victory after six defeats in a row. FC Emmen has now dropped to tenth place in the rankings; not enough at the end of the season to participate in the play-offs for promotion. If something doesn’t change soon, the Drenthe season is in danger of fizzle out.
The fundament
“I can’t say we are in a good position, as we have lost six games in a row,” says Ubbink. “But in any case, it is not due to mutual relationships. We believe in each other, have confidence. That is the foundation. If you lose that, it will be a very long second half of the season. I think we can still turn it around, starting on Friday against FC Eindhoven.”
In any case, FC Emmen has an almost fit selection. However, the question is what the starting lineup will look like. Last week, Grim opted for experience in the Axis in an attempt to hold off ADO Den Haag, but that went terribly wrong: FC Emmen lost 3-0. Will Grim nevertheless opt for Maikel Kieftenbeld in midfield again, whom he ignored for weeks?
The trainer is still keeping his cards close to his chest. “Maikel could fit into the plans,” says Grim, somewhat mysteriously. That statement also applies to attacker Vicente Besuijen. The Aberdeen loanee is basically fit. “But we have to consider whether we let him start in the starting line-up. The risk is that we will have to take him out relatively early and lose a substitution moment.”
Get to work
Grim is clear about Michaël Heylen. The central defender is fully training again after a long injury, but is not yet fit enough to start. This means that the central duo will most likely again consist of Mike te Wierik and Julius Dirksen. Left back Lorenzo Burnet can try his luck again after having to tolerate Jeff Hardeveld in a number of duels.
Just like Ubbink, Grim is also impressed by FC Eindhoven. “A great team that plays opportunistically, with two good strikers,” said the coach. “They often play the long ball and use good running actions. Nevertheless, we played a good match there in December, until the 88th minute. Then you saw the qualities of FC Eindhoven. We can get back to work in that regard.”