Feyenoord’s Challenge After Europa League Loss: Looking Ahead to Go Ahead Eagles

Following the defeat to VfB Stuttgart in the Europa League on Thursday, Robin van Persie must return to the drawing board. Despite the absence of several key players, his team managed to display commendable performance against the Germans, albeit with a makeshift lineup. The question now is how RvP will strategize for the upcoming match against Go Ahead Eagles on Sunday.

The recent loss was particularly disheartening for Feyenoord, as they fell to VfB Stuttgart, currently ranked fourth in the Bundesliga. The Rotterdammers, fielding an improvised team, put up a solid fight but ultimately succumbed to two late goals, resulting in a 2-0 loss. Nonetheless, there were many positives to take from the match. Stuttgart’s technical director, Fabian Wohlgemuth, praised Feyenoord, stating, “They were the best team we’ve faced in this stadium since Bayern Munich in the Supercup.” With ongoing personnel challenges, can Van Persie build on this foundation against Go Ahead?

The midfield situation is particularly dire, given the absences of Sem Steijn, Oussama Targhalline, In-beom Hwang, and Jakub Moder. In the match against Stuttgart, Van Persie opted for a midfield comprising Quinten Timber and Luciano Valente, with Cyle Larin stepping in as an improvised midfielder in place of Steijn. This arrangement surprisingly functioned quite well, with Larin serving as a classic target man, albeit not in a traditional striker role.

Ayase Ueda struggled to find the net on Thursday, coming tantalizingly close with a header that missed the goal by mere meters. Had his effort found the back of the net, the outcome of the match could have been significantly different. Nevertheless, Ueda will have another opportunity to score against Go Ahead, as he is expected to return to his position at the front.

Projected lineup for Feyenoord against Go Ahead Eagles:
Wellenreuther; Read, Ahmedhodzic, Watanabe, Smal; Timber, Valente, Larin; Hadj Moussa, Ueda, Sauer.

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