NEC’s 0-3 win over Excelsior may have felt like relief to many supporters. After the lost cup final against Feyenoord (1-0) and the home defeat against AZ (0-3), a three-pointer was necessary. Rogier Meijer is particularly pleased with the great goals his team scored, but also with the stability in his team.
“As a NEC, we can lose to AZ and Feyenoord. Then I don’t think the results are disappointing. We scored three very nice goals and were very stable,” Meijer begins after the match in Rotterdam.
The coach refers to his position against the Kralingers. “There were a number of boys in there who hadn’t played that much. It was not a top match, but it was more than sufficient in terms of energy. You can see that we have the quality to win such a match.” While the first hour at Woudestein was difficult for the Nijmegen residents. “You have to compliment Excelsior for that. They have been playing very good football in the last few weeks. In addition, you also have to get used to the artificial grass. You also saw a lot of sloppiness in the passing. In the second half you saw some of us lose weight after a wonderful goal. That helps you get over a certain point.”
Tjaronn Chery was the celebrated man on the Nijmegen side with two beautiful goals. The midfielder had to wait a long time for that. “He just has to play good football and show his qualities. Then he always helps us. I always have confidence in that and that is why I leave it alone. It’s great that he is now paying for himself.” On Tuesday it became clear that Chery will no longer return to the Israeli Maccabi Haifa, but will remain in the Netherlands. It is still unclear whether this also applies to NEC.
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Changes in the base
Koki Ogawa was just passed against the Rotterdam team. “In recent weeks I have found his energy to be a little less. In this phase of the competition you see that the team that wants the most often wins the match. I talked to Koki about that. Plus with the speed and strength of Sylla (Sow, ed.) we had an extra weapon.” The same also applies to Sontje Hansen, where Youri Baas was again preferred. “That also has to do with fitness, energy, reliability. If I start with Sontje I don’t know how long he can play. He has suffered a setback since he was ill with the Dutch Juniors. It would be better for him to come in.”
The defense was also not forgotten by the coach afterwards, as the clean sheet was kept. “I think we had a great time. We didn’t give away many chances. That’s a good sign, because they haven’t played many games together. You just saw some stability and the lines were also a bit more compact. That is good for the future,” concludes Meijer. With two more rounds of matches remaining, the question remains what the future will bring. In any case, the red-green-black are still fully participating in the battle for fifth place. The place that gives the right to direct participation in European football.
Photo: Orange Pictures
