NEC maintains fifth place thanks to beautiful goals from Chery against Excelsior | NEC

The selection at NEC was sharpened this week. After the downer in the cup final against Feyenoord (1-0 defeat) and the subsequent blow against AZ (0-3, defeat), players and staff insisted that the team should not let it happen that after a number of wonderful months the season ends with a big hangover.

Meijer called the mediocre performance against AZ logical in the sense that the match was played a week after the cup final and therefore the energy was less. Against Excelsior, however, NEC initially continued the trend of recent weeks, in which the football was difficult, but ultimately a resounding victory was achieved. In terms of mental toughness, there is little to criticize about this team.

The victory was thanks to Tjaronn Chery, of all people. The midfielder, who had not scored for months after a great entrance, scored both goals after the break. One even more beautiful than the other. First he shot the ball into the intersection after a clever switch from Dirk Proper from about 25 meters and a few minutes later he volleyed in a cross from Youri Baas.

Meijer’s choices ultimately turned out well, although some questions could be raised. Sylla Sow was surprisingly preferred to Koki Ogawa. Just before kick-off, Meijer indicated that he found Ogawa ‘less so in all facets’ in recent weeks. That is true, but the Japanese is the club’s top scorer with ten competition goals and one of the few players with scoring ability.

Meijer’s choices in the wing positions also give food for thought. Left back Baas was once again used as a left winger. A defensive attitude, which regularly worked perfectly against the top clubs, but should not be necessary against a relegation candidate. It is also a strong signal to Sontje Hansen, who has consistently started on the bench in recent weeks.

NEC therefore lacked momentum against Excelsior. Because before Chery’s double, the visitors were only dangerous from standard situations. Only after Chery broke the spell did NEC’s game gain some momentum and it became 0-3 via substitute Rober Gonzalez. Excelsior had been playing for a long time with one man less due to a red card for Siebe Horemans.

NEC’s defensive work was positive. Mathias Ross replaced Philippe Sandler well, although the latter’s constructive qualities were sorely missed on the smallest (artificial grass) field in the Premier League. And Brayann Pereira bounced back after a number of lousy performances. Robin Roefs had to replace the sick Jasper Cillessen under the bar and again proved to be an excellent stand-in.

NEC can therefore continue to hope for fifth place, which is good for a ticket for the preliminary rounds of the Europa League. With two rounds to go, the club is only two points behind Ajax, but given the schedule of both, that place is still far away. NEC still plays against Feyenoord (home) and Almere City (away), while Ajax also plays against Almere City (home) and Vitesse (away).

NEC must therefore seriously take into account participation in the play-offs, in which they compete for a ticket for the preliminary rounds of the Conference League. And so sixth place is also very important, because that place offers a home advantage in the semi-finals and possibly the final. NEC feels the hot breath of FC Utrecht for that place. It promises to be an exciting few weeks ahead.

Eredivisie season 2023-2024 schedule
View the complete Premier League program for the 2023-2024 season here, including all results. View the rankings here.

Live blog

Statistics

Line-up

Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!

Log in or create an account and never miss anything from the stars.

Yes, I want free unlimited access