Pressure Remains Despite Feyenoord’s Victory Under Van Persie

Robin van Persie finally celebrated a victory with Feyenoord on Thursday evening, leading the team to a 3-0 win against Sturm Graz in the Europa League. However, the pressure on the coach remains significant, and sport marketer Chris Woerts anticipates that Van Persie could still be dismissed from his position.

Woerts commented on the situation during a segment on Vandaag Inside, indicating that there is ongoing discontent within the Feyenoord organization regarding Van Persie’s management. “The issues are far from resolved. While Van Persie is currently receiving support from the media, those within Feyenoord are still unhappy. For instance, Read wasn’t substituted against Heerenveen, and the agent texted after sixty minutes, ‘He needs to come off!’ It’s unacceptable for a player to be on the field for that long after an injury,” he remarked.

In the press conference leading up to the Europa League match, Van Persie addressed his coaching style and the expectations placed on his players. He acknowledged that he may be too demanding at times. “Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. I understand that I cannot please everyone, and that is not my goal. I operate largely on instinct. There are times when I feel I should say more, and other times when I think I should have said less. It’s a bit of a cat-and-mouse game,” Van Persie explained, as quoted by RTV Rijnmond.

Reflecting on his experiences with the national team, Van Persie noted that perceptions can often be misleading. “For instance, with the national team, there were always players who consistently received ratings of 7.5, regardless of their performance. I often wondered how it was possible for the lineup to be leaked a day before the match. Meanwhile, I would receive a score of five, even when I played reasonably well. I never participated in that charade, and as a result, I faced additional scrutiny over the years.”