Pro ShotsTimon Wellenreuther
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 09:00
Jorrit Hansen
follows Feyenoord on behalf of NOS Sport
Jorrit Hansen
follows Feyenoord on behalf of NOS Sport
Goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther (28) always does well at Feyenoord as a replacement for the injured Justin Bijlow. Yet the German always has to sit on the bench when Bijlow is fit and is labeled as ‘ideal reserve’. “But as I know him, he wants to be the first goalkeeper,” says Adrie Koster, who, as coach of Willem II, managed the goalkeeper for several seasons.
One finger turned out to be enough
Feyenoord rented Wellenreuther from Anderlecht last season. Due to Bijlow’s wrist injury, he was in charge for fourteen official matches. Wellenreuther had a few difficult weeks during that period before he started to distinguish himself.
The highlight was his save in the away match against Ajax. Just before the end, with the score level, Wellenreuther made a good save from a bet by Mohammed Kudus. He did that on instinct, he said afterwards. “One finger turned out to be enough to get the ball out.”
Until that moment, Wellenreuther had not been caught making any major mistakes, but he did not score points either. “I was not in my best phase, but I could finally make a difference and help the team,” he said the day after the match against Ajax.
Because Lutsharel Geertruida headed in the 3-2 shortly after Wellenreuther’s save, Feyenoord put pursuer Ajax on six points. The Rotterdam team won the national title a month and a half later and the rescue was given a prominent place in Feyenoord’s history books.
Gives rest to defense
But it can happen quickly. Eight days after the rescue in Amsterdam, Wellenreuther was back on the bench. Bijlow had recovered and was given his place in goal back. However, Wellenreuther had shown enough. Feyenoord took him over permanently from Anderlecht in the summer.
“That didn’t surprise me,” says Adrie Koster, coach of Wellenreuther at Willem II from mid-2018 to mid-2020. “He is a good goalkeeper who gives the defense peace of mind. He has also done very well for us.”
“Outwardly he appears modest, but Timon is a driven person. He wants to get the most out of himself and the group,” Koster continues. “His qualities are mainly in playing football. He anticipates well, does not panic easily and always looks for the footballing solution.”
Goalkeeper you don’t have to doubt
At the start of the season, Wellenreuther was allowed to show that again at Feyenoord. Bijlow suffered another wrist injury and Wellenreuther kept nine games, including two Champions League matches. This time he made an impression from the start.
ANPWellenreuther in the Champions League against Atlético Madrid
After Wellenreuther gave up his place to the fit Bijlow, he was given a new chance this month. Bijlow injured his calf in the away match against AZ. Wellenreuther has now played 5.5 games in goal again, in which only AS Roma managed to score against him.
Wellenreuther excelled especially in the double encounter with the Italians. He came home strong after a dangerous break from Lorenzo Pellegrini and tapped the ball onto the crossbar after a long shot from Leandro Paredes.
Last minute extra time
In the away match, he kept Feyenoord alive in the last minute of extra time with a great save on a shot by Romelu Lukaku. In the penalty series, in which he stopped Lukaku from scoring again, things still went wrong for the Rotterdam team.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Wellenreuther is doing so well. He has done well every time he replaced Bijlow,” says former Feyenoord goalkeeper Joop Hiele. Koster agrees: “He is a goalkeeper that you do not have to doubt. That gives a trainer peace of mind.”
ANPTimon Wellenreuther
Wellenreuther receives quite a few compliments. Isn’t it time for a permanent role as Feyenoord’s first goalkeeper? “That is difficult, because Bijlow is the best goalkeeper in the Netherlands. He has proven that in the past,” says Koster. “It makes sense that he is Feyenoord’s number one.”
“Wellenreuther may be slightly better at football than Bijlow, but it is not that Bijlow is not good at that,” said Hiele. “I think Bijlow is stronger in the air and in 1-on-1 situations. They don’t differ much from each other, but Bijlow is a slightly more complete goalkeeper.”
It’s about quality
However, Hiele and Koster do not rule out that Slot will still (temporarily) choose Wellenreuther after Bijlow’s return. “If Bijlow’s recovery takes a little longer, you are already heading towards the end of the season,” said Hiele. “Then you can choose to let Wellenreuther finish the season.”
Koster adds: “When Feyenoord is in a flow, there is a chance that the trainer will say: I will leave him alone for now. But in my opinion it is about quality. Who is your best goalkeeper in your opinion? just play. Slot knows how to make the right choice…”
Almere City FC-Feyenoord at NOS
The match between Almere City FC and Feyenoord can be followed on Sunday from 2:30 PM via a live blog in the NOS app and on NOS.nl, NOS Teletekst and via flashes on NPO Radio 1.
Shortly after the match, a summary of the match can be viewed online. An extensive summary will follow from 7 p.m. on NPO 1 in Studio Sport Eredivisie.
If Slot chooses Bijlow, the trainer should not expect Wellenreuther to accept a role as second goalkeeper without complaint. “As I know him, he just wants to be the first goalkeeper,” says Koster. “Let there be no misunderstanding about that.”
Long term solution
Hiele believes that Feyenoord should also think about the long term. “From a business point of view. Do they want to continue this way? Wellenreuther is a solution for now, but in the long term you want a fit, permanent first goalkeeper.”
Hiele would like to conclude with the comment that he finds it “terrible from a human point of view what keeps happening to Bijlow. These injuries are also not good for his development. But if you look purely at personality, presence in the match and qualities, Bijlow is better then Wellenreuther.”
2024-02-25 08:00:44
#Ideal #reserve #Wellenreuther #Feyenoord #rest #goalkeeper
