Bert Konterman is excited by Feyenoord's development, but the former international tells De Telegraaf he has serious doubts about one big name.
On Wednesday evening, Feyenoord lost 1-0 to Real Betis, their second defeat in the Champions League league phase. Konterman isn't particularly worried about the consequences, though, and expects the Rotterdam side to show a different side of themselves against PSV on Sunday.
"No, if you look at where Feyenoord are now, it's not a blow," Konterman tells De Telegraaf. He believes Feyenoord know they let an opportunity slip against Real Betis and failed to show their usual boldness and courage, but expects them to bounce back against PSV on Sunday.
"I think things are going so damn well. The formula they've come up with is so good," says the former defender. He also praises the partnership between Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
At right-back, Givairo Read draws particularly high praise from Konterman, who compares him to Denzel Dumfries. "Read is a potential Denzel Dumfries. A class act," he says. Konterman believes Read may have even more potential than Dumfries because he is more technically complete. "And his partnership with Hadj Moussa on the right is incredibly good; those two link up so well on that side," he says.
Konterman is less convinced by Valente, despite recognising the midfielder's qualities. "With Valente, I still ask myself a little: is he really that good? I don't know whether he's really top, top level, so to speak." He expects Valente to be capable of reaching the level of Europe's second tier if he takes the next step, but sees clear areas for improvement.
"Valente could be a bit harder on himself; for me, he's still a bit in the 'Joey Veerman category'," he says critically. "Both are very good in positional play and often pass the ball to the right colour, but in difficult matches I feel they lack the ability to play pragmatically too. A bit more mature, a bit more of a man."