NOS Football•
“I have read pieces that are factually incorrect,” said Van Persie, who was said to have ignored advice from medical staff. “We make all choices in consultation with each other and that has been no different now. Ultimately you can look at me for it, that is part of my role as a trainer, but I am especially disappointed for Givairo.”
“If you write down such a piece, you have to have all the facts straight,” says Van Persie. “I think it’s a shame that you just write something down without asking me or the press officer.”
No smile for a moment
The normally cheerful Van Persie was a lot more serious in front of the media than usual. The trainer was aware of this: “If you look at the past period, it would be a bit out of place to sit here with a big smile. Things are not going the way we want them to go.”
Although Feyenoord is still second in the Premier League, it has only won two of the last eleven games in all competitions. Van Persie’s team was eliminated from the KNVB Cup during that period and is also almost certainly eliminated from the Europa League.
No smile from Van Persie for a while: ‘Not appropriate in this situation’
“Am I different from normal now?” Van Persie asked rhetorically. “I don’t think so either. But that this gives an unpleasant gut feeling and that we realize that things have to improve very quickly, that is certain. I realize very well when you work at Feyenoord that you have to win a lot more.”
“Hadj Moussa is in good shape so we are happy to have him back,” said Van Persie. “And Valente will also return to the starting line-up on Sunday.” The latter comes at the expense of another midfielder who started last week, but who that will be, Van Persie will keep to himself for a while.
