Fit and happy, NEC defender Sandler is suddenly showered with praise again

NOS Football•today, 08:14

NEC has had a week to wash away the hangover from the lost cup final against Feyenoord (0-1). But Philippe Sandler hasn’t quite succeeded yet. “I’m standing here with a shitty feeling, to be honest,” he admits while the NOS camera is rolling. “When you play such a final, you just want to win it. And that didn’t happen.”

From Ajax training and City bank to permanent employee at NEC: ‘It’s nice when people are positive’

However, distraction is at hand. The focus can now be on the competition, in which fifth place – and with it the certainty of European football – beckons. After Ajax’s 2-2 against Excelsior last Wednesday, the people of Nijmegen even have the matter in their own hands.

Although the loot has not yet been won – on the contrary, there are still some difficult obstacles ahead, starting this afternoon with AZ – NEC can already look back on an excellent season. And that also applies to 27-year-old Sandler, who signed for Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie for three years in the summer of 2022.

The defender finally felt the wind in the sails again with coach Rogier Meijer’s team. And that had been lacking for some time. This did not lead to a breakthrough at Ajax, where he went through the youth academy but the first team turned out to be unattainable.

“When I was younger I was not one of the best in our class,” the born Amsterdammer looks back with a sense of reality. “It was also a good group with Nouri, Van de Beek, Bergwijn, Cerny. They were better than I was at the time. I think I was rightly sent away from Ajax.”

The then 19-year-old Sandler was drawn by PEC Zwolle, where he quickly made his debut in the Premier League and won a starting place in his second season. And then the great Manchester City came forward. An opportunity that the youngster obviously couldn’t pass up.

However, from a sporting point of view, it was not a great success, partly due to injuries. In the four years that he was under contract with the ‘Citizens’, he was allowed to appear in the first team exactly twice. Once in the FA Cup and once in the League Cup.

He was rented out twice, to the Belgian Anderlecht and to the French Troyes. But those periods also did not yield very many playing minutes. Yet he says he has learned a lot in City service. “A lot. The way of playing, defending, and also on the ball. But also being on my own, abroad without friends and family.”

He claims not to be proud easily and needs to be reminded by his father to enjoy the moments. Yet Sandler looks back on his English time with satisfaction. “It’s always nice when such clubs are interested in you. And I can be proud that I made my debut at Manchester City.”

Feyenoord took him over on a free transfer more than two years ago, but physical setbacks again affected Sandler. The center defender only wore the shirt of the Rotterdam team twice and experienced the final of the Conference League in 2022 in Tirana from the bench.

A longer stay in De Kuip was not an option. But NEC offered a solution. There, his development took off again, especially because a lot of attention was paid to his fitness. “That was also the plan when I signed here. Getting fit and playing matches. And that’s going pretty well. I’m really enjoying it. We have a nice team, nice fans. I’m really enjoying it here.”

And he plays well. Although some comments were made here and there – especially about his defensive qualities – Sandler was showered with praise after the cup final. Notably, Feyenoord icon Willem van Hanegem called him the best player on the field in the AD.

The 1.90 meter tall Sandler is praised for his calmness, overview and courage, for his heading power and sturdy tackles, for his dribbling from behind and looking ahead, for his passes that often reach their destination.

It doesn’t matter much to the footballer in question. “I don’t read much. People can write whatever they want. But I’m not really concerned with that. It’s nice when people are positive and think you’re playing well. But I’m more concerned with the people around me, people whom I know well.”