Robin van Persie’s future as coach of Feyenoord hangs in the balance. A defeat in the coming weeks could easily mean the end of a short-lived partnership, after which Feyenoord will have to quickly look for a successor. The people of Rotterdam will undoubtedly already have a list ready. Two trainers from the Eredivisie should not be missing from this list.
Dick Schreuder
Dick Schreuder is the big sensation in the Eredivisie with his NEC this season. The coach was appointed last summer as Rogier Meijer’s successor and allows NEC to play in a completely different way. With success: after eighteen games, the Nijmegen team is in a respectable fourth place in the Eredivisie, having played one game less than the competition. Third place is therefore within reach for NEC, which last finished in the top four in 1983/84.
The 54-year-old manager succeeds in getting NEC to play extremely attacking football. Schreuder regularly plays with only three men at the back, as the wing backs are on the field as disguised wingers. This way of playing has proven to be a guarantee of success. NEC has already scored 47 times in the Eredivisie and follows PSV (59) with the most goals in the competition. In addition to the fact that the performances actually yield points, NEC is showing the most attractive football in the Eredivisie this season. It is not without reason that Schreuder is on the list of Eintracht Frankfurt and Ajax, among others.
For Feyenoord, Schreuder would be an interesting, but also daring choice. His playing style is in line with the dominant football that the Rotterdam team strives for, but the question is whether that extreme attacking approach can be directly translated to De Kuip, where the pressure and expectations are much higher.
Anthony Correia
Feyenoord finds Telstar’s Anthony Correia an excellent alternative to Dick Schreuder. The coach, who played for Telstar all his life, succeeded in promoting his club to the Eredivisie last season. Initially it was expected that the club from Velsen-Zuid would have no business competing at the highest level in the Netherlands, but nothing could be further from the truth. Telstar is in an extremely good sixteenth place after nineteen matches.
Correia, 43 years old, has chosen to let Telstar play offensively this season. Where most PhD students collapse and let the opponent make the play, Telstar really dares to play football this season. Telstar and Correia have therefore proven to be real assets in the Eredivisie. Telstar has data available from FootballTransfers currently has the lowest Skill of all teams in the Eredivisie. Correia’s performance at his club is all the more impressive.
The former Telstar captain has previously been linked to FC Utrecht and Ajax, but does not seem to want to make a decision about his future until after this season. “I especially think that my family likes it (an employment contract with a big club, ed.),” said Correia. “They spend a lot of time on social media… ‘Dad, are you going to Ajax?’, they recently asked and I answered: ‘No, I’m definitely not going to Ajax’. You know… I see that these two boys are very proud of their father… I think that’s very nice.”
