Johan Derksen and René van der Gijp made a damning judgment about Robin van Persie on Monday evening during the broadcast of Today Inside. The reason is the way in which the under-fire Feyenoord coach deals with his players.
The bomb exploded at Feyenoord on Sunday, when Quinten Timber faced off afterwards ESPN reacted visibly frustrated to statements by Van Persie prior to the match against Sparta Rotterdam (3-4). After Van Persie subsequently responded to Timber’s words, he indicated that he saw no way back for the midfielder.
‘Van Persie destroyed three best players’
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“I think Van Persie suffers from a form of overestimation,” Van der Gijp begins Today Inside. “The most important people at your club are the players. They have to do that. As a coach you must protect your players at all times. You should never do what he (Van Persie, ed.) does with Timber. Then you have to become an analyst. Or sit here at the table. You have to protect your players and give them a good feeling. But never have the idea that you are more important than the players,” continues the ex-pro, who receives support from Derksen.
“As a coach you have the task of getting the most out of your players, but he has managed to make his three best players no longer function,” says Derksen. By this he refers to Quilindschy Hartman (“he chased him away”), Sem Steijn (“he destroyed it and is sitting on the couch”) and Timber (“leaves dissatisfied”). “How can you attract someone who immediately made a mess in his first season at Heerenveen?” asks The Mustache wonders out loud.
The 76-year-old ex-professional continues: “Van Persie criticizes everyone and always says that he is the right man in the right place. But there is only one person in the Netherlands who thinks so, and that is himself.”
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