Van Persie & Hadj Moussa: A Cruijff-Van Basten Echo?

It is one of the big challenges for Robin van Persie as trainer of Feyenoord: getting the most out of the qualities of Anis Hadj Moussa. Van Persie does not yet have Hadj Moussa where he wants him.

Just as Johan Cruijff, as coach of Ajax, was harshest on his great talents Marco van Basten and Frank Rijkaard, starting coach Van Persie is often critical of his Algerian trendsetter.

Not for the first time this season, Robin van Persie was hard on Hadj Moussa. According to the Feyenoord coach, the Algerian trendsetter did not perform his defensive duties against NEC (2-4 loss) and was therefore taken off in the 76th minute when the score was 2-2.

“It wasn’t up,” Van Persie responded. “There were a few moments where I expected more defensively. You have to be able to do that at all times. If for some reason you can’t do that, you’re out. For everyone, you have to continue to perform your duties, always.”

The fact that Hadj Moussa was the star before half-time with several eye-catching actions, that he drove opponent Ahmetcan Kaplan crazy, was also responsible for Bart Nieuwkoop’s 2-2 after half-time and can always decide a match, was equally less important for Van Persie.

Hadj Moussa alternated these actions with carelessness and/or loss of ball. Yesterday against NEC he had the most shots of all Feyenoord players (four), but none of these attempts went between the posts. His passing accuracy was also poor, with only ten of eighteen passes arriving (56 percent).

“The nuance is that as an attacker you are given the freedom to lose the ball and make mistakes, no problem,” said Van Persie. “If he would carry out his duties, I’ll take it. He let it go a few times, then I’ll change you.”

Last Friday, Van Persie was positive: “For me, and all of Feyenoord, Moussa is an important player. He must always remain creative, but you see him making more and more logical choices. He is very busy trying to have even more impact for the team.”

The Algerian had just returned from a memorable international week. In the practice match against Saudi Arabia (0-2 win), he was given his first starting spot for the national team and Algerian media gave him favorable nicknames: ‘Hadj Messi’ and ‘Hadjy Potter’.

Yet it remains a recurring theme in Van Persie’s reactions to Hadj Moussa’s game. The coach is happy with the creative person, but there remains a but. He hopes to see development. “I’m really a fan of his, but I think he can do even better,” Van Persie said in March.

Wim Kieft made in SVoetbal studio the comparison with former international Tscheu La Ling, with whom the former striker played at Ajax. “Public players can do very stupid things. He did that too. As a striker you get a bit tired of that. Then you expect a cross at the first post, but he cuts again.”

Last month, Van Persie was also harsh in his assessment of Hadj Moussa after the match against Panathinaikos: “He played poorly. Very sloppy. That is the challenge you have as a coach. Do you leave him in, or do you take him off?”

Unlike yesterday, Van Persie opted for the former and that turned out well in the Europa League match. The Algerian was responsible for the 2-1 against the Greeks with a beautiful goal.

“Hadj Moussa always has it in him to create moments like this out of nothing and to really score a fantastic goal,” Van Persie said at the time. “But I thought he was bad in the field game. I also told him that. In general, I think he is making very big steps, in a positive way.”

Hadj Moussa’s return is also not yet optimal. He scored six goals and two assists in eighteen official matches for Feyenoord this season. Last season he scored eleven goals and five assists in 43 games.

“If he could do those things he sometimes shows for an entire match, he would be playing for Real Madrid,” Kieft states matter-of-factly. In short: still plenty of challenges for Hadj Moussa and Van Persie.