Giovanni van Bronckhorst has angered Feyenoord supporters by backing goalkeeper Tjark Ernst after their 0-3 defeat by Internazionale. Despite conceding three goals, the German still has his coach's faith, with Van Bronckhorst insisting he needs time to develop. Supporters have voiced their dismay in large numbers on FR12.
Speaking to Ziggo Sport after Tuesday evening's match, Van Bronckhorst again faced questions about how he was handling Ernst's situation. "He is a talented goalkeeper from the 2. Bundesliga. He will have to make progress with us, and that is a big step, but we have several players who need to make that step," the coach said in defence of his goalkeeper. "It is also our policy to bring in talented players and give them the chance to develop. It is up to us to help them."
That explanation has frustrated supporters, who believe Feyenoord should not be a training ground for a goalkeeper expected to perform at the highest level. "He can make progress with the reserves," one wrote on FR12, while another supporter said: "I can understand quite a lot of what Gio is saying here, but as far as Ernst is concerned, it really has to stop now." Others want Feyenoord to give second-choice goalkeeper Florian Kastenmeier a chance, sign a new goalkeeper in the winter and send Ernst out on loan.
"The step up to us has simply proved far too big. Completely misjudged," said another supporter, who now feels chiefly sorry for the goalkeeper. Another stressed that the other ten players also fell short and that the defence were beaten far too easily for the third goal.
Van Bronckhorst told Ziggo Sport he had seen positives despite the clear defeat. "I did see a team that wanted to give it a go. We had expected it to be a match in which we could play our game, but in which they could become dangerous out of nowhere," the coach said. "You need a bit of luck to grow into the match, but we conceded the 0-1 fairly quickly. That does not help, and the second is really a killer."
After the break, Feyenoord still could not make the match competitive. "At half-time, I said we could grow into the match if we scored. Then you concede the third and see how difficult it is to play," Van Bronckhorst said. "Inter are very experienced and are not afraid to stay compact and pose a threat. You could see the difference in experience there."
The coach also saw a clear difference from the earlier Champions League match against FC Barcelona. "Against Barcelona, we were good on the ball in the second half and created chances. Today, they were not really clear-cut chances, because you can see that Inter drop back very quickly," he explained. "They sprint back to make it compact, and then you have to be very good. In the first half, the ball did not quite fall for us in the box a few times, and those are moments we have to capitalise on."