Wim Kieft is worried about Robin van Persie and Arne Slot. Both coaches are experiencing a turbulent spell at Feyenoord and Liverpool respectively, and the former striker sees no immediate prospect of improvement.
Slot switched to a five-man defence against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, a move that still ended in a 2-0 defeat, with Jeremie Frimpong at right wing-back. “Before half-time, the Dutch international had a few decent moments, but in the second half he was invisible in the five-man defence system,” sighs Kieft in his column for De Telegraaf.
“Slot’s tactics did not suit Liverpool; they hindered more than helped. The result and performance were dismal, proving that five at the back is no guarantee of solid defence,” Kieft added, concluding that the Reds’ game plan against PSG simply did not work.
Kieft draws a parallel with Feyenoord, where Van Persie also struggles. “Feyenoord lacks quality, their play is flat, and confidence is low. Not a promising outlook for the Eredivisie clash with third-placed NEC.”
The absence of Luciano Valente and Anis Had Moussa only adds to Feyenoord’s woes. “The fact that Van Persie had to slot himself into the starting eleven during training says enough about the personnel problems. At the same time, that’s not the solution for Feyenoord either.”
Kieft is equally downbeat about Feyenoord’s chances at De Goffert. “In Rotterdam, they can only hope for a sudden surge from Japanese striker Ayase Ueda, or that NEC will choke under the pressure to secure second spot. But given this season’s NEC, I don’t see that happening any time soon.”
Feyenoord hold a slender one-point advantage as they prepare for the top-of-the-table clash with NEC. Earlier this season, Van Persie’s side suffered a 4–2 defeat to their Nijmegen rivals in a thrilling encounter.