Robin van Persie saw Anis Hadj Moussa, Leo Sauer and Anel Ahmedhodzic added to Feyenoord’s injury list this week. The long list of injuries at De Kuip has left Kees Kwakman in disbelief ahead of the away match against FC Volendam.
“There are certainly phases in a season when things can go against you,” Kwakman begins his analysis on ESPN. “Then a manager can still make a choice at first. But you see during the season that there are moments when there’s simply no choice to be made.”
The analyst from Volendam continues: “During pre-season, we wondered how Van Persie would fare in Feyenoord’s midfield. But now they’re just glad to have three players there. It’s unbelievable. And today, too, a few are missing again – unbelievable. It’s been like this all season at Feyenoord.”
Van Persie and technical director Dennis te Kloese were furious about the muscle tear Sauer sustained whilst on international duty for Slovakia. Feyenoord wanted the left winger to play for just a few minutes as a substitute, but national coach Francesco Calzone simply fielded Sauer. The Rotterdam club is now demanding financial compensation.
Karim El Ahmadi shares his thoughts on the sensitive issue surrounding Sauer. “If that match is so important and the whole country is behind you because you’re a key player, then I’d go all out too. Sauer had the chance to go to the World Cup and wanted to do this for his country. I do think he played the leading role in this himself.”
Kwakman adds to his fellow analyst’s comments: “Put yourself in Sauer’s shoes. Slovakia could still have reached the play-off final, and then you could have put him in the starting line-up for that match. There are many scenarios they could have handled better. But in hindsight, it’s particularly bitter for Sauer and Feyenoord. They could have done with his spark today,” he says, referring to the match in Volendam.
Slovakia lost 3-4 to Kosovo in the semi-finals of the World Cup play-offs. This effectively ruled them out of this summer’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.