It squeaks and creaks in De Kuip. While Feyenoord started the season hopefully under coach Robin van Persie, the mood in South Rotterdam is gloomy shortly after the winter transfer window closed. The away match with FC Utrecht is therefore one must-win for the people of Rotterdam. Not only for the battle for second place, but especially for some breathing space for both the trainer and the policy makers.
Last Sunday’s top match against PSV is exemplary of the current state of Feyenoord. After just seventeen minutes, the Rotterdam team is already 3-0 behind and in Eindhoven, coach Van Persie’s team can count themselves lucky that PSV is taking their foot off the accelerator.
Although Van Persie appears combative afterwards, the gist of his analysis is telling. “Ultimately, every match you try to find common ground that you can build on. But I hardly saw that today. It was very poor in all respects. The cooperation was very poor and that is my fault. I understand that the supporters are disappointed.”
A trainer who sees no common ground or starting points, supporters who openly turn against the club and a selection that, on balance, has not become stronger this winter. It feels like five to twelve at Feyenoord.
World of difference
Feyenoord starts the season as a serious challenger to PSV, but now the championship – with a deficit of seventeen points – is completely out of sight. The attractive Feyenoord of August and September can hardly be recognized in the team that has been on the field since the autumn. This is also supported by the data.
While the Rotterdam team played convincingly up to and including match round 9 – in which they won 7-0 against Heracles in Almelo – they completely collapsed after the 2-3 home defeat against PSV. The figures clearly reveal the cause.
It is particularly loose defensively at Feyenoord. While the attacking plan A often proves sufficient in the first months, Van Persie is forced to build in more certainty from November. That has hardly worked so far: Feyenoord is conceding more chances, structurally conceding too many goals and looks defensively vulnerable with every transition.
From matchday 10 until last weekend’s top match with PSV, Feyenoord conceded an average of 2.2 goals per match in the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie, where it conceded an average of 0.7 goals per match in the first nine rounds. An increase of no less than 214 (!) percent. Feyenoord also conceded an average of 13.7 shots in the same period, of which 5.8 were on target. Clearly too much for a team with title aspirations.
Injuries
It is a well-known story: the sporting decline is almost impossible to separate from the injury problem. The infirmary is often fuller than the training field this season and the times that Van Persie can field his strongest eleven can be counted on one hand.
“I have not yet experienced it as extreme as tomorrow’s puzzle,” sighed Van Persie at the end of January, prior to the Europa League match against Real Betis. A match where strongmen Anel Ahmedhodzic, Tsuyoshi Watanabe, Sem Steijn, Ayase Ueda, Givairo Read are missing due to injuries. That is apart from the players who have been out of circulation all season, such as Thomas Beelen and Gernot Trauner.
To make matters worse, Van Persie also loses his son and second striker, Shaqueel van Persie, in that match against Betis, who will have to miss most of the season due to a knee injury.
Although bad luck is a major factor in the high number of injuries, Feyenoord’s technical and medical staff are not entirely free. The selection of 19-year-old Read in the home game against SC Heerenveen last month, for example.
At that time, the young right back had not played for two months due to a hamstring injury – an injury that often occurs due to overuse – and had to immediately play for ninety minutes. The result? Another hamstring injury, of unknown duration.
A logical consequence of a full infirmary is that rotation is difficult and therefore physically doubtful cases still have to show up, but it is the responsibility of the staff to protect players who are ‘in the red’.
Shape dips
Luciano Valente may be such a player. The summer acquisition is one of the bright spots of this Feyenoord season, but the creative midfielder also looks a bit tired and is struggling with his form. The 22-year-old right-hander is not the type to hide behind excuses, but has stated several times that he is ‘on his final stretch’.
Of all Feyenoord midfielders, Valente has also played by far the most this season with 31 matches. For comparison: fellow midfielders Sem Steijn and Oussama Targhalline have played the most games of the current midfielders so far this season with 24 and 22 matches respectively after Valente.
Another Feyenoord player who has not managed to approach his form from earlier this season – with many games under his belt – is Ayase Ueda. Although the Japanese striker has an impressive total of 18 goals in 20 FriendsLoterij Eredivisie matches, Feyenoord’s attack leader has been dry in the competition since the beginning of December – after his four goals in the home match against PEC Zwolle.
Captaincy issue
Things are also going on behind the scenes at Feyenoord. The recent departure of Quinten Timber – arising from the conflict with Van Persie surrounding the captain’s armband and the fact that the midfielder did not want to extend his expiring contract – is a major blemish on the season.
Enough has already been said and written about it, but in retrospect the captaincy issue is even more striking. At the beginning of January, the club announced that Timber’s successor Sem Steijn will not wear the band, but that goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther will be the Feyenoord captain for the remainder of the season. There does not seem to be a really clear leader and that is precisely what is needed in a team that is searching.
Boardroom
The sporting adversity also forces a critical look at the boardroom. A room that is mainly filled by Dennis te Kloese, who still plays a striking double role. While adding more and more directors – many clubs even split the position of technical director into several positions – is the trend in global top football, the two most important managerial positions at Feyenoord are filled by just one person.
Two functions that are also difficult to combine. Te Kloese is responsible for the general and operational matters that come with a top club like Feyenoord, but also for the performance of the trainer and the purchasing and sales policy.
Mark Ruijl was appointed as technical manager in the autumn of 2024 to take on some of Te Kloese’s tasks, but at the time of writing he still does not have signing authority.
The latest reports are that Feyenoord will be looking for a new technical man to relieve Te Kloese, which would be at the expense of technical manager Ruijl. Until then, Te Kloese, who often works with in-house lawyer Joris van Benthem, has almost all the reins.
The past winter transfer period raises the question to what extent there is still good cooperation between the technical management and scouting at the Rotterdam club. Jeremiah St. Juste is an old acquaintance of Van Persie and Feyenoord, and Mats Deijl of assistant coach René Hake. In addition, before the window closes, another attempt is made for former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, also a former teammate of the Feyenoord coach.
In the meantime, dissatisfaction is growing among Rotterdam’s supporters about the policy being pursued. Since the 3-0 defeat at PSV last Sunday, Te Kloese – who has always expressed his support for Van Persie – has even had to deal with serious threats against him. It once again underlines how tense the situation is at Feyenoord.
The moment has now come for Feyenoord, Van Persie and Te Kloese when common ground and starting points must find each other. The Stadium Club is still in the race for second place, so the season can certainly still be saved. A victory in the away match against FC Utrecht is therefore necessary in several respects for a Feyenoord under pressure.
FC Utrecht – Feyenoord can be seen LIVE on ESPN2 on Sunday afternoon at 12.15 pm.
