The defense renovated this summer is as leaky as a basket of twelve goals against in three matches. That is an average of one goal every 22.5 minutes. In the hypothetical case that Vitesse would maintain this average for a whole season, the Arnhem team would have conceded no less than 136 goals after 34 matches. And then the damage could have been even greater, because SC Heerenveen, which booked the first win of the season after two draws, wasted a number of opportunities. That’s how Mats Köhlert hit the post.
Repair needed
The hope in Arnhem is that some repairs can still be made before the transfer deadline closes. ,,I am confident that once the new owner is on board, there will be room for new players. And that it will be completed before the end of the transfer window,” technical director Benjamin Schmedes told ESPN in advance about his hopes for a speedy breakthrough in the acquisition process. The window has only been open for 11 days, so time is running out. It is to be hoped that Schmedes will come up with better players than the six he has now attracted, because the newcomers are not yet making a convincing impression, with Portuguese defender Ferro standing out in a negative way.
Deception at Vitesse. The team is currently drifting through the Eredivisie.
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The name of the American John Textor is currently circulating as a takeover candidate, who owns the Brazilian Botafogo and the French Olympique Lyonnais and has minority interests in the Belgian RWDM and the English Crystal Palace. Previously, the American Platek brothers, owners of Spezia Calcio, the Danish SonderjyskE and Casa Pia from Portugal were linked with the acquisition.
Vulnerable
The need to strengthen the selection was once again underlined on the field by the Letsch team. Vitesse was again extremely vulnerable defensively and created hardly any chances. Goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, who was hired from Brighton last week, was directly in the starting line-up, but did not have a convincing debut. The absence due to a suspension of Sondre Tronstad was made up by Letsch by bringing Melle Meulensteen to midfield, making Tomas Hajek one of three central defenders in the 5-3-2 system.
That did not work out well, because within five minutes SC Heerenveen, which had not scored this season until Saturday, was ahead 1-0 in Arnhem. Hajek and Enzo Cornelisse gave away too much space against the Frisian attack duo Amin Sarr and Sydney van Hooijdonk, after which the Brabant goal thief coolly rounded off (0-1).
A big blow for Vitesse after the 5-2 defeat against Feyenoord and the 3-1 defeat against Excelsior in the previous two rounds. Letsch’s side then went on the hunt for the equalizer, but created very little. The closest to the equalizer was Meulensteen, who initially encountered 2.03 meter long goalkeeper Andries Noppert, who is therefore exactly one centimeter longer than the new Vitesse goalkeeper Scherpen. Meulensteen couldn’t get the rebound either. The son of former Manchester United assistant René Meulensteen pushed the ball just wide.
early change
Letsch intervened after half an hour. With Stuttgart mercenary Mohamed Sankoh in place of Hajek, he brought in an extra striker, leaving the 5-3-2 system overboard and Vitesse going 4-3-3 with Ferro and the youthful Cornelisse as centre-backs. The home side gained more control over the game without creating many chances, but just before half-time, the Letsch team’s defensive vulnerability reared its head again. Sarr was well tucked away by Anas Tahiri in the back of the little moving Ferro. Goalkeeper Scherpen was not convincing and the Swedish striker easily passed the Vitesse goalie (0-2).
Van Hooijdonk was well on target in Arnhem.
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After the break Vitesse went looking for the connecting goal but created absolutely nothing, while SC Heerenveen was life-threatening on the counter against the fragile Arnhem defense. Van Hooijdonk pushed the Letsch team extra hard with the nose on the facts by increasing the score to 0-4 by two goals. First he tapped a shot from Sarr, which came in front of his feet, against the net. A little later Sarr prepared another goal from Van Hooijdonk, a very nicely executed goal. Due to the convincing victory, SC Heerenveen reports with five points from three matches in the sub-top, where Vitesse has also stayed in recent years, but is now far away as the last player.