Theo Janssen fired up De Treffers for their Eurojackpot KNVB Cup first-round clash with Heracles Almelo. The winning coach sensed an upset when he saw the visitors' starting line-up.
"When I saw that line-up, I knew this match might be winnable," Janssen told ESPN. "If they make eight changes, Heracles aren't taking us seriously. That fired up my players."
On Heracles' selection, Janssen said, "The lads who were on the pitch aren't used to playing together. They sometimes play together in 11-a-side games in training, but never in a match." Fabian de Keijzer, Sem Scheperman, Djevencio van der Kust and Jean-Paul N'Djoli were among those on the Heracles bench.
"You mustn't underestimate us," the amateur coach continued. "We have a great team, and we showed that again tonight. The tactics are clear, the lads know what's expected of them. And we simply have some good players, as we saw today."
Heracles coach Vincent Heilmann insisted his side had travelled to Groesbeek with serious intentions. "They are indeed lads who have played fewer minutes recently. But we didn't gamble here. If I were to play this match again, I would start these players again."
"That is the classic Dutch way of looking at this," Heilmann said in response to the criticism directed at him. "I understand that Theo uses this. He does so well and cleverly. But I don't think it has anything to do with the result. The players I picked are good enough to win this match."
Heilmann rejected the term "B team". "Because that would be unfair to the players. If the red card (for Mario Borac, ed.) hadn't happened, I really think we would have been physically strong enough to see it through. We should have scored a goal in the first 55 minutes. I am critical of our attacking play in that respect."