Feyenoord Phoenix??

blog Euro 2020 WC2018
by Jan

The Phoenix rises from the ashes. The question is: will Feyenoord? While Ajax and PSV both are facing issues, Feyenoord must be in crisis. Ajax is struggling with the exit of De Ligt and De Jong and the fact that most of the other lads who were believed to leave, aren’t leaving… It’s luxury issues, for Ten Hag. He’ll fix it.

And it might not be in time or enough, for another huge CL campaign, but Ajax will win the Dutch title with one hand tied behind their back, one foot in a cast, two fingers in the nose and a blind fold.

PSV has issues too. It needs to reshuffle and re-invent themselves with the exit of Luuk de Jong, Angelino and now also Lozano.

But Van Bommel will. Business as usual for any coach. And yes, Mark is young, but he will most certainly become a great coach. And with Gakpo, Malen, Guti, Ihattaren and others (and Schwaab returning) PSV will be able to secure the second spot (and another shot at CL football next season).

But Feyenoord. Once the pride of The Netherlands…. The first Dutch club to win the European Cup in 197o. The first club to win the World Cup for clubs. The last club to actually win a European Cup as well… Once, the Richest Club of the World (c).

Feyenoord’s biggest prospect: Kokcu (sadly decided to play international for Turkey)

Today, the club is not well. To say the least.

There are no amazing talents coming through (Kokcu is the only real talent)

The two centre backs are getting on and not getting any quicker

The main striker (Jorgensen) is injured

The newcomers are either pint sized players from the Championship (Kelly), or rejects from the Championship (Narsingh, Fer – both not match fit) or failed former stars on loan (Karsdorp).

Narsingh (right) and Leroy Fer (left)

Striker target Ricky van Wolfswinkel is injured. They discovered a brain aneurism, by chance, when they treated him for concussion. Ricky is 6 months out, at least.

But more important than all these typical football things, there are bigger problems to deal with:

There is hardly any cash (compare that to Ajax!).

The technical manager Martin van Geel left and is replaced by inexperienced part time ex-player Sjaak Troost, who engaged the services of player manager (!) Rob Janssen… The fox in the hen house?

The general manager Jan de Jong asked to be relieved form duties as he doesn’t agree with the long term vision of the board.

So, Feyenoord is facing some serious issues (financial, new stadium, new players, youth development and entrance into the football pyramid) but there is no management team (other than a commercial manager).

Jaap Stam, the coach, was surprised to hear that right back Jerry St Juste was going to be sold to Mainz,  one day before the important EL qualification game vs Dynamo Tiblisi. And yes, this meant money would come in (8 mio euros) for replacements but there was no replacement ready for that important match. Karsdorp would come in later.

Fortunately for Feyenoord, Tiblisi didn’t seem too good and Feyenoord won 4-0, but with Karsdorp the Rotterdam Pride dropped 2 more points in the competition vs Heerenveen 3 days later.

Left, AZ general manager Robert Eenhoorn (right, Max Huiberts, AZ technical manager)

Stam is scratching his head. He needs to deal with the inexperienced Troost and his agent friend Rob Janssen, while Stam prefers to work with his own manager and friend Henk van Ginkel (and former Feyenoord goalie Henk Timmer) who are both rivals of Rob Janssen. Nice one!

In their search for a new technical manager, all the usual suspects declined. Joris Matthijsen will stay with Willem II, Ferry de Haan with Excelsior, Henk van Stee with Sparta and Max Huibers at AZ. And with reason.

In search of the new general manager, AZ general manager Robert Eenhoorn is the dream candidate. Eenhoorn is from Rotterdam, and a life long Feyenoord supporter (!). He’s got experience in US pro sports (he played short stop for the New York Yankees) and has experience in leading a pro football club with success at AZ Alkmaar.

But Eenhoorn will be cautious. As Feyenoord is facing some strategic issues.

Steven Berghuis, the new talisman

One huge issue is Feyenoord’s new home. The current Kuip is still the most amazing place to watch football, but the stadium is really old and not equipped for the modern game (with sponsor boxes, restaurants, meeting spaces, toilets (!), etc). And it might not be the safest anymore… The new stadium plans are still in contention. Some people think the traditional Kuip needs to be renovated, others believe Feyenoord needs to build from scratch someplace else. The finances for this adventure are still not secured.

Another huge issue is the influx of new money (and not just for the stadium). Feyenoord is rapidly losing ground on Ajax and PSV and some people in the club want to bring in an investor. Some US based investors were/are interested but Feyenoord will have to let go of their autonomy. Rumour has it they demand a seat on the board and want to be in on the decision which coach will be appointed. Conditions most of the Feyenoord die-hards aren’t too happy with. So for now, the investors will be kept out, but for how long?

Centre, with Stam, Wouter Burger, another young talented midfielder

Another problem Feyenoord has is their position in the so-called football pyramid. The Feyenoord 2 team does not play competitive football, like Ajax 2, PSV 2, AZ 2 and most other pro clubs. Not only are Feyenoord’s talents tested less as a result, some talents have decided to leave the club for a different club where they can play on a weekly basis and some talents simply won’t consider signing for Feyenoord due to this situation. This was a massive mistake by Feyenoord’s previous management (not entering the Feyenoord 2 team) and now it’s hard for Feyenoord to enter into the pyramid.

Add to all this, the fact that Jaap Stam was selected as the head coach due to his attacking vision of football, a vision he hardly can translate to the pitch as the foundation of last year’s team is gone. Three key players are gone (Vilhena, St Juste, Van Persie) and three key players are injured (Jorgensen, Toornstra, Van Beek). This means Stam needs to work with a team that is half new, with players who have yet to learn to play together and some of these players like rhythm / match fitness (Narsingh, Fer, Karsdorp). Not a great situation for Stam to try to play his dominant style of play, with a high press and precise passing.

Sven van Beek’s comedy capers moment vs Southampton in the pre-season

But, on the bright side, PSV and Ajax dropped points as well. It seems that this season, the third spot should be Feyenoord’s, at least. And depending on how PSV fares, it might even reach the 2nd spot. Tibisli was not a tough opponent either and Feyenoord should be able to reach the Europa League group stages and give the season some more flair.

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163 comments

  1. There could be suprises as well.AZ, Vitesse and Utrecht seems to have got the artillery this time around to compete with top 3. Especially AZ who have a good contingent and a ambitious coach.also it will be hectic season if all 4 qualify for CL and EL respectively.this can allow other teams to take the advantage.

  2. Personally im not following feyenoord at all this season. firstly there is nobody to follow plus what they did with Joel Zwarts was sad. He was such a talent and now like others he will have to go the long road. I hope he follows the same path as danjuma.

  4. Alkmaar looks really exciting. The front 3 is fast and dynamic. The midfielder is solid. The back 4 are yet to concede a goal.

    I hope they can have an Ajax-esque run in the Europa League

    1. Vitesse too looking sharp with slutskiy deploying 4-4-2. Another clean sheet for Obispo and im starting to wonder now if him and van bommel had a burst up. He will now even be a front runner for the u21s.

  5. Depay looking in good form as well. 2 goals and a assist as lyon thrashed angers 6-0.he has being featuring on the wing and even though he slows the peace of the game down, him and Dembele have good understanding.they really complement each other well.this is something that will be missing if depay starts on the wing for NT. The good thing though is when dembele is subbed, depay moves to the strikers position. I think he needs to make a big impression on CL stage to catch the eye of big teams. Inter could be good destination for him under conte who deploys 3-5-2. Imagine him and lukaku up front

  7. Phillipe sandler again played full 90 for anderlecht but they are somewhat struggling at the moment with no wins in 3 matches. Sandler in my books will go on to become a good defender and probably surpass Ake.you can just tell from his composure that he is in the making. Im hoping koeman calls him and start making some string of changes in the NT to increase the game.this will also supplement him in breaking into city starting 11 as well.

    https://youtu.be/OIx3NsluhZI

    0.04

    Wijnaldum has been in spot light for last two weeks for his average performance in the midfield and it kind of looks his form has taken a dip. No surprises here as I did mention previously the arrival of Ox will make the midfield crowded and hence competition as well.

  8. https://youtu.be/v4pJBZzU4lY

    Found this video and was thinking can there be another squad like this. Im leaning towards when Redan and Brobbery will take the centre stage. I think it will build up to next rivalry like to that of huntelaar and Van Persie. Bakker,Reis,Gravenberch,Ihattaren,Lang, chong,Stengs.if this guys fulfill their potentials and hit the ground rolling then I can see it happening.throw in de ligt and frenkie as well there.

      1. I always say think thing about wingers / strikers , if you don’t score, then it means you are just not doing your job

        Chong played in almost every singe pre-seasons games but failed to score a since goal ; whilst all the other ( Greenwood , Gomez , James etc) did

        I think ole had given him enough chances
        And it would be a big surprise if he’ll ever made a premier league appearance soon again

        Stupid chong keeps dreaming and waste his time which will destroy his career. He should have followed redan , dilrosun etc and go to a team where He can get regular first team minutes

        No hope for this lad sorry

  9. Dolberg sold to Nice.

    I think it’s a good move for all parties involved. Ajax profits $25million, Dolberg gets to play for a relatively strong team where he’ll get minutes. He was always going to be 3rd string striker in a team which only uses 1 in their line-up.

    His move makes room for Sierhuis to slide back in when he returns from Groningen in the winter.

  11. Ajax is not looking good so far against APOEL. The midfield again is the weak link. Marin is nowhere while Blind is getting beat very easily and his pace is always going to be a problem playing in midfield. I expect Ten Hag to use Dest on the right, Mazraoui in midfield and Marin to come out for the second half.

  12. Absolute worst Ajax performance under Ten Hag who seems clueless. As I have stated before if the duo in midfield stays the same the team will struggle massively. Marin couldn’t get a pass right tonight while Blind was getting beat left and right and surprisingly was struggling with his passing as well. I no longer want to see Veltman playing as a CB again. He reminds me of the dark days under De Boer in European football that were totally embarrassing. Apart from De Jong and De Ligt Ten Hag is desperately missing Mr Schreuder next to him as well.

        1. Wilson if the midfield is corrected Ajax can perform in the same standards as last year. The team has a lot of talent and managed to keep most of the players. The only matter is figuring out who will play in midfield. Ajax should have gotten Propper but failed to do so. As I have said many times Blind is too slow of a defensive midfielder to play that position especially for a team that prefers the haigh pressing game.

  13. No question, Ajax looked awful last night. But it all makes sense when you consider that last year they had two CD’s who could play the ball out of the back, and then had Frenkie was in the mf to constantly keep the ball circulating. Last night, the holding mids and the defense lacked movement and imagination in pushing the ball forward, and vulnerability to speed in defense. They have to fix this—hopefully Alvarez will be better than Veltman and Martinez, and that Blind can drop back a line. The MF is a problem. Marin was disappointing and doesn;t look ready; Mazraoui is not very good when he has moved to MF (both he and Blind are better in the back 4). Perhaps Eiting will make a difference when he returns from injury; perhaps DeWitt, Ekkelenkamp, Gravenberch, or one of the other younger players breaks through; perhaps Van De Beek can drop back a line (though I wouldn’t like to see that), perhaps a transfer…don’t know, but it needs to be fixed. Ten Haag has time—they should still win at home against APOEL, but the bigger question is whether he has (or can get) the players.

    1. a lot depends on the sucess of the transfer window and I think this time around ajax have bottled it compared to last season. frenkie’s depature should have been addressed carefully and critically.it will be very hard Ajax to replicate the same in intensity in the midfield like last season. I can see eiting replacing Schone but as far as frenkie goes they should have splashed it on someone more experienced like what they did with Tadic.

      there was this guy (Midfielder) at Hannover who got relegated from bundasliga last season, Walace Silva. im surprised why no top team moved for him. he is very good midfielder who has also been capped at National level for Brazil team . after the relegation Udinese in serie A picked him up just for 6million.

  14. NT Preliminary squad

    Keepers:
    Marco Bizot (AZ)
    Jasper Cillessen (Valencia)
    Jeroen Zoet (PSV)
    Kenneth Vermeer (Feyenoord)

    Verdedigers:

    Denzel Dumfries (PSV)
    Hans Hateboer (Atalanta Bergamo)
    Stefan de Vrij (Internazionale)
    Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus)
    Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
    Daley Blind (Ajax)
    Nathan Aké (Bournemouth)
    Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace)
    Terence Kongolo (Huddersfield Town)
    Joël Veltman (Ajax)

    Middenvelders:

    Marten de Roon (Atalanta Bergamo)
    Frenkie de Jong (FC Barcelona)
    Donny van de Beek (Ajax)
    Tonny Vilhena (FK Krasnodar)
    Georginio Wijnaldum (Liverpool)
    Davy Pröpper (Brighton & Hove Albion)
    Kevin Strootman (Olympique Marseille)

    Aanvallers:

    Quincy Promes (Ajax)
    Steven Bergwijn (PSV)
    Memphis Depay (Olympique Lyon)
    Luuk de Jong (Sevilla)
    Wout Weghorst (VfL Wolfsburg)
    Ryan Babel (Galatasaray)
    Donyell Malen (PSV)
    Steven Berghuis (Feyenoord)

    As usually half of them are there to make numbers.

    1. The only thing to cheer up with is the inclusion with Malen

      Apart from that , boring and nothing to be excited with

      I don’t see this team can beat Germany but I hope I’m wrong

      It’s time to bring in more new faces in if not when ?

    2. Too many bad calls..Dumfries,Hateboer,stoortman,Joel veltman,should not be there..
      Not happy about Berjwin,promes,wijnaldumluuk,babel …
      horrendous mistakes
      Boadu
      Stengs
      Owen wjindal
      Ki jana hoover

  15. Jong Orange sqaud. poweful squad I would say.

    Goalkeepers: Kjell Scherpen (Ajax), Jan Hoekstra (FC Groningen), Thijmen Nijhuis (FC Utrecht), Maarten Paes (FC Utrecht)

    Defenders: Perr Schuurs (Ajax), Kik Pierie (Ajax), Owen Wijndal (AZ), Deyovaisio Zeefuik (FC Groningen), Justin Hoogma (FC Utrecht), Tyrell Malacia (Feyenoord), Rick van Drongelen (Hamburg), Jordan Teze (PSV), Sherel Floranus (SC Heerenveen), Armando Obispo (Vitesse), Danilho Doekhi (Vitesse)

    Midfielders: Dani de Wit (Ajax), Noa Lang (Ajax), Teun Koopmeiners (AZ), Ludovit Reis (Barcelona), Azor Matusiwa (FC Groningen), Ferdi Kadioglu (Fenerbahçe), Mo Ihattaren (PSV), Abdou Harroui (Sparta Rotterdam), Deroy Duarte (Sparta Rotterdam)

    Attackers: Justin Kluivert (AS Roma), Calvin Stengs (AZ), Myron Boadu (AZ), Kaj Sierhuis (FC Groningen), Tahith Chong (Manchester United), Cody Gakpo (PSV), Mitchell van Bergen (SC Heerenveen), Jay-Roy Grot (Vitesse)

  16. Quite disappointed to see this provisional squad..was expecting Calvin Stengs and Myron Boadu to be in the squad. Our attack needs more movement and threat which I feel both players can provide.

  17. Watched today AZ versus Antwerp. The game ended 1:1 and I think Antwerp will win in Brussels. Overall AZ did well. Under Arne Slot AZ is much more organized defensively and Arne does not do those strange substitutions that John van den Brom used to do. In his interview Slot said that AZ were physically and technically better than Antwerp and he was surprised how his team did not win. I certainly disagree. Physically, AZ was inferior to Antwerp and it was very visible. AZ had higher speed than the opponent but still failed to materialized it into goals. Only after red card, AZ were able to tie the game. However, I did not see any sign that AZ could have won this game. AZ trio of forwards is very impressive. Idrissi, Boadu and Stengs were instrumental. However, midfield lacks creativity. Not sure why after the sale of Til, AZ management did not purchase an experienced creative midfielder. Instead, they loaned another youngster from Portugal. All midfield is composed of central and defensive midfielders. Also, I do not like the fact that Slot uses Ouwejan in the midfield while he is great at his usual position of a left back. Instead, he prefers Wijndal as a left back with Ouwejan in the midfield. We will see, but I do not share Slot’s optimism regarding the return game. Hope I am wrong. I am very happy for Feyenoord and PSV for the strong performance.

    1. Suprised you dont rate wijndal above Ouwejan. The fact that ouwejan couldnt take the next step after comprehensively featuring for jong orange just shows where his capabilities ly.wijndals explosiveness is what caught my attention, somethig which I havnt seen in ouwejan. Ouwejan is more Erick pieters typo.

      1. Owen wijndal is deal it seems,superball control and acurate passes.Speed energy as additional bonus…He is a candidate for our LB…
        Danjuma—Depay—-Stengs
        ——–Van de beek——-
        —Dejong——-Ake———–
        Wijndal–Virgil–Deligt–Hoover
        ———Bizot—————-
        Mallen—–Boadu—-Redan
        ———Propper———-
        —-Eting—–koopermiers——
        kongolo–Reikik–De vrij—Kardop-
        ————Cillessen————

    2. Suprised you dont rate wijndal above Ouwejan. The fact that ouwejan couldnt take the next step after comprehensively featuring for jong orange just shows where his capabilities ly.wijndals explosiveness is what caught my attention, somethig which I havnt seen in ouwejan. Ouwejan is more Erick pieters typo.

      1. I do not know Wilson. When it comes to defenders, I always prefer physically stronger player over explosive ones. It is just a personal preferences and I always like Eric Peters.

  18. Can some body tell me why PSV loaned Mitroglou?

    Piroe to sparta was good move but Mitroglou I dont understand. I hope when Lammers returns, he get to start at his usually position.

    By the way it was a good outings for PSV vs Apollon limassol. Gakpo,Malen and Ihattaren.

    1. If Mitroglou adjusts quickly to the PSV game and Van Bommel uses him correctly then it’s a good signing for them. He is the type of player that knows how to put the ball in the net. As an Ajax fan I hope he doesn’t though!

  19. anybody notice to Mohamed Ihattaren? morroco want him and we it can be really bad for us.
    really f…king morocco. dutch federation have to think about that and find the best way.

  20. also i think psv is best dutch team now. as an ajax fan i want really psv win eredivise the year.
    i call psv a dutch team and ajax a international team. anybody notice?? ajax has just 3 dutch player in their starting 11. veltman and blind are two of them, i really hate this ajax.
    in many countries u can not have more than 4 or 5 foreign player in ur line up. why dutch federation dont apply something like this??
    really bad ajax

    1. Ajax needs to do what’s best for the club, if buying foreign players strengthens the team then so be it. We lost De Jong and De Ligt who were both Dutch. Find me two Dutch players who are good enough to replace them. Also Mazraoui and Ziyech are Dutch by birth, its unfortunate that they play for Morocco.

  21. El Ghazi scored his first epl goal clincing villas first victory in three years as well in epl. He will be key man for villans with few others and as expected there is still more to come from him.definitely a contender for euros.

  24. Vincent Janssen scored his first goal for Monterrey! He came on as a substitute. Although Monterrey lost the game, I am happy that he started to score. It so important for him to re-gain the confidence.

  25. De ligt did not start, nor did he play for Juventus (he was on the bench, though).

    Nice for Janssen. The NT didn’ work out so well for him, but he was always a hardworker, and did his best. Hope he gets himself going and has a good career.

        1. I think it’s just because Sarri couldn’t coach, as he has pneumonia. With a caretaker on the pitch, they decided it would be best to go with a formation all the players had played before and would require less coaching.

          He should be starting once Sarri is back.

  29. Nathan Ake had a solid outings in defense for bournemouth but was helpless in keeping city forwards from scoring. If de ligt situation gets worsen I think koeman should start van dijk and him at CBs.

  30. Kevin Diks has gone awol at empoli. From playing CL (feyenoord) to serie B where he is not even starting. He didnt play a single match last season whem empoli were in serie A and after being relegated the story is same in serie B. I nit sure why fiorentina loaned him out for two season when he could have returned to eredivisie. This guy must be going through hell.

  33. I am not sure why the Hell Deligt moved to Juventus???
    Ronald koeman said if Deligt wont start he wont start for NT..Fair enough…
    But i think koeman should give him chance over dumfries in RB spot..De ligt is well capable of doing better than Dumfries..
    Really tough time..
    Stengs,Danjuma and Boadu has the cass to take us to any where…But none of them is there..Danjuma is injured thats okay..But???
    Why dutch coaches are so stubborn to change?????

  34. @Emmanualt

    Regarding de Ligt, Koeman said that he would not give a spot in a lineup to de Ligt if the latter continues to warm the bench up. His fear is the lack of playing time. I believe, de Ligt will play against Germany. I think de Ligt will re-gain his spot in Juventus and this team is the best option for him to further develop as a central defender. I am a bit concerned about Frenkie de Jong. In contrast to de Ligt, he has given a spot in the lineup but he has been failing to make a difference. If it continues to be this way he will be sidelined too.

  35. Ajax lined up in a 4-2-3-1, with Huntelaar flanked by Tadic and Neres, Ziyech playing behind, the two Mexicans in midfield and then the regular back 4.

    Ziyech’s quality is so good, he could play at any club that he wants.

    1. Oh yikes, haha you’re right. Yes they were both brought in to be Centre Backs, but Blind is best there, and I think ten Haag realizes that.

      Veltman in my opinion shouldn’t make the line-up.

  37. Agree that Blind is best suited for CB. Hopefully they’ll settle on a combination of Blind with either Alvarez or Martinez there…now what to do with the MF? How are Alvarez and Martinez playing there? (If you are watching.)

    Following it on line from work; it is about the 75th min. 1-0 lead at home makes me more than a little nervous.

  39. Alvarez looking very good, Martinez a little bit more anonymous. Even the commentators are saying how good Alvarez has been looking. Ziyech thriving as a number 10, so maybe we could shift into a formation like so:

    –Tadic—-Huntelaar—-Neres
    –
    ———–Ziyech————
    –
    —–Alvarez—-de Beek——-
    –
    -Tagliafico-Blind-Martinez-Dest

    I don’t personally like Tadic out wide, I’d prefer him in the middle and Promes out wide, but Promes hasn’t been performing.

    1. It may be their best lineup at the moment (with perhaps Maz. in for Dest.) Wouldn’t worry too much about Tadic being wide; he and Ziyech have would freelance all game anyway. Don’t love the idea of dropping Van De Beek a line, not bcause he couldn’t play there, but because he is so good up top in the close spaces.

      And thank you for the response about the how Martinez and Alvarez played in mf.

      1. As i have said numerous times Blind and Marin playing in midfield was the problem. Dropping Blind in the CB position and having Alvarez and Martinez play in midfield was great for our team. With time Martinez can become a good DM. Once Donny comes back he has to take Alvarez’s position and Alvarez needs to take Veltman’s spot. Veltman needs to be a sub and nothing more. Against better opposition he will get exposed.

        @ derekvdberg Ajax cannot have two left footed CB’s like Martinez and Blind start together at the back. Ajax always preferred a right footed and left footed center back that is why Alvarez and Blind needs to be the duo in the back.

  40. I very disappointed with Van den Brom. Nick Venenma has been sent out on loan to almere city in eerste divisie. he (JVB) doesnt have the iron fist like Dick Advocaat under whom Utrecht raised to new heights and whom also gave Venema his break. I also think they shouldnt have bombed out of Europa with the contingent they had. This is not a good sign for them. with Ramselaar also returning back, lets see what he can do this season.

  41. Arnaut Groeneveld is set to miss up to six weeks and looks he has aggravated the same injury which he picked while playing for NT last year when at club brugge.

  42. I have given it a long thought and must say it isnt looking good from NTs perspective of ajax being dominated by foregin players. I think Ten Hag has finally put the pieces together and if not for any injuries, this will be his starting 11 hrough out the season with VDBeek as somebody said. Or hunterlaar used mainly in eredivisie and tadic shifting upfront in CL to accommodate VDbeek.

    What Im seeing is break in the cycyle where in the past ajax players used to dominate the NT and also the fact that they were always frontrumners for receiving benefit of doubt factor come selection time.

    Now the question is what does this mean for NT and koeman? If Koeman doesnt realize that the tide is changing, most of top teams will be two steps in front compared to NT when they will taking tne first step. I mean you look at english contingent sancho,Mount,Hudson-odi,Willock,james,Rasford,Abraham,Foden.they will always be ahead of chongs,Stengs,Malens,Gakpos. You name them and others who are further down in the pipeline.

    The only way to fasttrack their progress and I mean the dutch contingent would be inject them in NT to boost their confidence level. On top of this ajax will be the only team playing at the highest level and as mentioned earlier are being dominated by foregin players. Another example is promes, he is now a bench player at Ajax, what can you expect from him?

    The next option would be to look elsewhere and bring in competition in position which can be further improved.mitchell dijks is a very underrated player and if you follow bologna in serie A, then you will know all about him. They call him the tractor there. I still cant understand why the dutch selectors are not open minded towards players playing in average clubs.

    I waiting to see what position blinds gets to play. If he is deployed by koeman at LB then it will be a big sin not starting Ake. This is the time to give ake his biggest break. Midfield.

    1. i Dont care Blind Plays or Not ..But in N he is not goingto play as DM,that will cost us deeply..As LB i dont like Ake wasting there..We HAVE no pure good holding mid with good tackles an vision,De roon is just make shift time player..We need Ake there..its same like Kuyt plays for Vaart..Vaart should have been our false striker with RVP and Roben on left and right with sneijder coming from midfeild to play maker..
      Ake is quality player ,he cannot be dropped THATS A SIN..
      Owen Winjdal is really bombing than Blind at LB,Then comes terence kongolo who has better physique and i trust hm over Blind against fast and trikery strong players.
      We must use ranking system for the spots
      For DM it should be
      Ake>De Roon>Wijnaldum>st Juste
      for LB
      Owen winjdal>kongolo>Annholt>Blind

    2. The only way to give players who aren’t getting opportunities at their club a chance is to start them for the National team?

      Coaches play the best players to win games in the present.

        1. you vision is weak and thinking is shallow. Moise kean was a bench player at Juventus.what happened when he was unleashed by Mancini in IT. I not sure what will happen to him now though after his ill fated move to everton but the call up to the internationals definitely boosted him up and even juventus had to to realize his potential after returning to club duties.

          I was thinking along these lines.also I dont think Baodu and stengs alone can transform AZ into a winning team that could compete at elite level like Europa level..

  43. Ajax got a decent draw in the Champions League.

    Chelsea were one of the weakest teams in the Top pot, and Ajax could easily sneak a win or a draw in one of the two fixtures.

    Valencia and Lille are both good teams, which probably plays more into Ajax’s hands. We saw how they struggled against APOEL who just sat behind the ball, but Lille and Valencia will both think they can win and give Ajax plenty of room to counter.

    I would say that Ajax can definitely progress from this group, but it’s going to be one of those messy ones where are the teams finish with very similar amount of points.

  44. Psv is only team which we have to follow them. I really want kieman talk and talk and talk with ihattern. Psv is dutch team. I hate ajax this year. New psv fan here

    1. I agree
      What is found in with Ajax this year ? Why buying all those foreign players aren’t we suppose to promotr the young Dutch players like how we used to?

      And yes I cannot take it if we let ihattaren go to play for Morocco . Obviously he is waiting for koemans call and he wants to see how much we respect him

      On the other side , it seems we will have 3 Dutch teams in the europa league . That has cheer me up a bit today as I can’t remember the last time we had 3 Dutch teams into the group stages.

      Hope this will bring some positive contribution to Dutch football!

      1. Well it’s a long term game, whether people see it or not.

        So the structure in the Eredivisie is a bit different than in other leagues, because the money that Ajax wins from the Champions League doesn’t go entirely to them, it’s distributed to other Eredivisie teams as well. The ideology is that with this, the league can get stronger and it will snowball a bit.

        So Ajax, and the league, need the players to do well in the Champions League. If Ajax looks down they see that they don’t have a left-winger good enough to player against Real Madrid in their academy, they’ll sign Neres. If they don’t have a striker good enough to play against Juventus, they sign Tadic.

        The idea that Ajax will consistenly play 18 and 19 year olds regardless of their level is a fallacy. Their first objective for the 2019-20 season is to win the league, and they need to find the players who will put them in the best position. They’re not gonna start a bunch of 15 year olds and finish 10th, because maybe it will be better down the road.

  45. Wow, finally it ended! AZ Alkmaar overcame Antwerp 1:4 and will play in the group stage of EL. For those who did not watch it, it was very tough game. Antwerp would have won this game if they were disciplined like AZ. In my view this victory will go for Arne Slot whose pragmatism played a crucial role. That is where difference between Slot and Brom lies: the ability to play disciplined football. Antwerp was physically much stronger and the first 30 minutes of the game were all about physical fights. Twice Bizot helped the team from almost 100% goals, defense also played well. In contrast, Belgians played with a swagger, Mbokane was making silly faults one after another until he got two yellows in a row. But even with 11 players against 10, AZ did not stupidly rushed for a goal like they would have done with Brom. I think this was due to the fact that even with 11 players against 10 Belgians, AZ still still did not have full physical advantage and Slot crearly understood that. That was proved by Belgians when they scored the first goal. And immediately a crucial stupid mistake of the Belgian player who scored a goal. He had a yellow card but he celebrated too joyfully and took his shirt off which resulted in the second yellow card followed by red. After this AZ increased the speed. Heavy Belgians got tired and finally Idrissi x Stengs combination led to an equalizer. Things did not change during an extra time. AZ pushed forward and Belgians were making mistakes after the mistakes. One problem is that AZ got also many yellow cards and I do not know whether they will be annulled after the knock out stage. Otherwise, Boadu and Stengs will miss the first game of the group stage. Overall, fantastic two days for the Dutch football: four wins!

    1. I could be a hectic season for AZ and if they continue to use the same line up in both eredivsie and EL, they need some more reinforcement especially in that midfield. Zakaria aboukhlal and Felix Correia was good catch for them and are both talented wingers and could relieve both idrissi and stengs but Boadu im not sure. plus they need til’s replacement.

      1. they should move Yassin Ayoub.another underrated player whose move to Feyenoord has seen his development stall. he has made it clear he is not happy with the reserve role to stam. with Vilhnea departing, he was suppose to be next in line but O. Kökçü has leap frogged ahead of him.

          1. Yep, just wanted to reply to your previous posts, but you got it :). I believe, this was the last signing. I agree AZ bench is quite shallow. I hope Clasie will get up to speed which will help midfield to take a breath. Ferdi Drujjf is quite an adequate replacement for Boadu. I really like his power and ability to be at right place at right time. He lacks Myron;s speed but overall he is very good forward. So far, three main positive things that I see in Slot’s AZ are:
            1. Quite powerfull attack
            2. Fantastic Bizot. I feel he is now at the same level as Cillissen
            3. Very Very organized and disciplined way of play.

            In general, I am very pleased with AZ performance and particularly with Arne Slot’s leadership.

          2. not sure about Ferdy Druijf. he could be sub for Boadu but if he is not clinical enough then all the pressure will be on boadu and if by chance he gets injured, it will be like last season.

          3. on the other hand looking at both Venema and Vente whom both have been sent out loan, its hard to think Ferdy Druijf will do any better.

  47. I follow both kids (Boadu and Druijf) very closely. Their style is quite different. It is hard to compare them. Boadu is more preferred due to his playing style as it fits more AZ’s style. Please, note that Boadu also wastes a lot of moments and his playing time is much higher than Ferdi’s. I would not call Boadu clinical yet. I believe, if Ferdi gets enough playing time he will get better and better. Loaning him out is not an option due to the reason that you mentioned above. It is a luxury for Arne to have two promising forwards but somehow a drawback for Ferdi whom I like a lot! Last but not least, he is not injury-prone as Myron is. I wish Myron never ever get any injuries as he is fantastic talent and can bring Oranje so much needed power in the attack in the near future.

  48. Bizot is on another level..Amazing..No words..i think Boadu and stengs will do beter in NT than Berjwin,berghuis,luuk,promes…So feel that we have committed a SIN HERE…Sins will be punished…
    Then its
    Annholt Vs owen winjdal Vs blind vs Kongolo realy confusing whom to go with..
    Annholt-kongolo for LB…for me
    then its
    Ki jan hoover Vs karsdorp VS dumfries vs Tete vs hateboer
    Ki jan hoover –karsdorp for me

  50. Ristu Doan will light up PSV imo.perfect replacement for chucky lozano. Its a shame this PSV squad is not in Champions league. Their aim this year should be to win eredvisie and qualify directly for CL next season. Ajax vs PSV will be so tense this season. Also injury up date on lammers. Should be back after the internationals or early in october.

    As I predicted december is when it will start to get clear who should be on the plane to euros.

    Again I feel that 2022 will set the stage for block buster “return of the dutch” and most probable the euros will set the platform for it.

  51. Jan are you going to write an article about Ajax and all the other three Dutch teams who have entered the group stages of the europa league ?

    Would be nice to hear your opinion how this is gonna do good to Dutch football

  52. Ajax have confirmed to signing juan castillo familia on loan from chelsea. Most probably will replace Bakker in jong ajax other wise cant see him getting minutes ahead of tagliafico and Blind.

    1. I agree

      Koeman is too conservative in using new players

      There is no point to have strootman, vilhena or even luuk de Jong in the squad anymore

      Bring in the likes such as stengs , ahattaren or Even kluivert just to let them taste the atmosphere

      1. Agree with you, guys. Luuk de Jong has been again preferred over Weghorst. He believes that they are the type of players but Luuk better fits the Oranje. Why? I guess only he knows why.

        1. I agree with you guys about the selections, but you never know the reasoning. I get the feeling that Strootman could be the type of guy who’s good in the locker room, and that in itself is something.

          Luuk de Jong baffles me when Weghorst is so on form right now. Vilhena’s had a good start in Russia, so I could see him getting a call up.

  55. Vilhena has energy he has done well whenever he is played..i have nothing against him.
    Babel is getting old hardly can play 20 min with energy..Memphis first touch is poor..Berjwin or Promes both are not better either..
    i understand exluding kluivert he no way near NT..
    But Boadu,stengs are capable guys to score…
    Veltman over karsdorp and ki jana hovver is joke of decision…
    While joachim low is revoltioizing Germany ,when sane is injured he called eqaully good another player..
    Player selections are the basic materials of team..if choose wring ones u are going to suffer…F$%%k offf

          2. i dont know lots of injuries in italian league…De vrij had i as well,strootman and many more..

          4. During the time italian football has declined..pitches doesn have the quality of EPL..Icons are are icons it has nothing to do with pitch even if they get injured in dirty pitch…it includes raining grounds as well..

  57. Netherlands squad:

    Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen, Kenneth Vermeer, Jeroen Zoet

    Defenders: Patrick van Aanholt, Nathan Aké, Daley Blind, Virgil van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries, Matthijs de Ligt, Joel Veltman, Stefan de Vrij

    Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Davy Propper, Marten de Roon, Kevin Strootman, Tonny Vilhena, Georginio Wijnaldum

    Forwards: Steven Berghuis, Steven Bergwijn, Donyell Malen, Luuk de Jong, Memphis Depay, Quincy Promes

    Myron Boadu for Luuk
    kongolo for Blind
    Ake to DM
    stengs for strootman
    Bizot forZoet this is really Joke and bias
    Ki jan hoover for Veltman
    these 6 horrendous mistakes done by koeman…

  58. One major injury and Koeman will be back paddling like Danny Blind who was pretty much also persistent with the same starting 11. You look at patrick van annholt who is a coverup for Blind. He hasnt had minutes for how long. What the f*ck will you expect from if Blind picks up a knoch. Look at that tete incident where NT had to play with 10 players.rotation is very important and I cant understand why the hell dutch coaches are so pussy about it.

      1. Van Aanholt is in good form, I would expect him to play just fine as a replacement for Blind. He’s been playing for several years in the EPL. He’s playing regularly at a good level right now. I don’t think his minutes in the NT—which plays sporadically every few months—are nearly as important as his performance on a day in/day out basis with his club team.

  59. German squad
    Goalkeepers: Bernd Leno (Arsenal), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)

    Defenders: Matthias Ginter (Borussia Monchengladbach), Marcel Halstenberg (Leipzig), Lukas Klostermann (Leipzig), Nico Schulz (Borussia Dortmund), Niklas Stark (Hertha Berlin), Niklas Sule (Bayern Munich), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

    Midfielders: Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), Emre Can (Juventus), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Ilkay Gundogan (Manchester City), Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen), Jonas Hector (Cologne), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund)

    Forwards: Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich), Luca Waldschmidt (Freiburg), Timo Werner (Leipzig)

    Jonas Hector (cologne) and Luca Waldschmidt (Freiburg) selections shows its not just about where you play but how you play.

    1. This is what I was saying by the time NT will take its first, other teams will already be two steps in front. Its surprising how they have regrouped after that 3-0 loss in nations league.

  60. I am most concern with our Attack. Our front players of Depay, Bergwijn, Babel, Promes, Luuk De Jong aren’t really prolific.
    Can Robben come out of retirement to just get the team over the qual campaign? He is still ahead of the current crop of players.

  61. Kik pierie must be regretting his move to Ajax. Should have stayed at heerenveen till 20 or 21 before making the move. Its frustating tp see how Ajax sent sven botman on loan to Heerenveen when he was playing for jong ajax and then relegated pierie who was playing in eredivisie to jong Ajax. What a waste of talent.

    1. Ten haag has become naive and thats the results behind this..i feel sorry for kik pierei,shuurs,gravenberch,eiting..all four is pretty good players to drop..

      1. Who do you take out for Kik though? He’s not better than Blind, Tagliafico or Martinez yet? At least at young Ajax he’s getting playing time. I would start Schuurs ahead of Veltman but Alvarez is the best option for Ajax as a CB next to Blind. You cannot be serious about Graveberch while Eiting did get another injury to set him back.

  62. De Ligt struggling in his first league game for Juve. Was probably responsible for Napoli’s second goal, and has just looked a bit tentative throughout.

  63. Juve won and the kid can’t catch a break, give me a break! I hope de ligt learns and understands his new reality. Its not his skills that he needs to improve but its his mental state.

    1. yes he doesnt seems confident,that takes time,also depends on adaptation.i hope he finds some one who supports him..He played as left LCB..He is Depay type they must give him little freedom,he is farway from his natural game,i blame for their stupid coach..Doesnt know how to utilize him..stupid C$%%nt coach..

      1. Agreed, the bulguria game should be kept at the back of the mind. Maybe the internationals will boost his confidence level. Also language can be another barrier as what Bergkamp described during his stay at Inter. In eredivisie he was in familiar territory and he was some what a leader but now he must become one. To think about his flanked by two Italians on both his sides and a bosian in front of him. How the f*ck he is suppose to tell them what to do or vice versa.this will be real challenge for him and the faster as can overcome this the better for him. Also remember Sari is a coach who wont entertain player making mistake alot. Remember what he did to David Luiz at Chelsea.

      2. I like De ligt a lot. I hope it works out for him. I watched the whole 2nd half of that game. It was a very entertaining match. On the second goal, he clearly missed Lozano running behind him.

        Yes, it will take some time to get adjusted but he knew exactly what he signed up for. It’s not like they told him one thing and now they want him to do something else. I’m sure he had enough discussions about their system and what they want from him, and vice versa. He had all the top clubs fighting over him. He took his time and chose Juve. They invested a lot of money in him so I hope they’ll do what needs to be done to help him transition and get settled in.

        He wasn’t initially supposed to start. I’m sure they felt he needed more time to learn their system and gradually get more minutes but the horrible injury to Chiellini rushed his debut.

        This is just one game versus a tough opponent and they still won. Even experienced defenders like Koulibaly make mistakes which cost his team and let Juve win that game.

  64. De ligt was responsible for two of tottenham goals. He was responsible for juventus goal in turin. He was responsible for england goal. He did wrong on portugal goal and responsible for that. He really olay bad in juventus pre season game. And now he is responsible for two of napoli goals.
    What he think??

  65. Also frenkie shows nothing in 3 barcelona game. And i think it is really bad for eredivise. Our star in eredivise are failure in big leagues.
    I know it is too early to say about these two kids.

    1. Frenkie had good games ..considering the isolation u feel at big clubs its quiet an achievement..the language,unknown coach who has no clue about your ability…
      These are young lads when u support them u get the result..
      De ligt is no mistake free yes agreed..He is Top class defender in th world champions league semifinalist,Europa league finalist..not just and eredivise player..get ur facts right Faraz..
      De ligt and Dejong are Ueaa best 11 players..so SHU%^^& up …
      i feel empathy for both lads they must play week in week out 90 minutes for their club to show what they have got..They are not getting it…when Deligt got chance he was rushed after chillliani injury…

  66. AZ lost unnecessarily to Vitesse. Two very silly mistakes let the team down. I saw a lot of positive moves in the midfield with arrival of de Wit but attack was not adequate today. Idrissi was invisible and Stengs had a game out. The latter was unwilling to return back to defend and his passes lacked accuracy. His moves with the ball were very slow and awkward.I think he is getting too spoiled at AZ and inadequately praised in media. Honestly, I have not seen him playing consistently well two games in a row. Boadu was better but he rushed too much. Overall, despite the loss I still think AZ is much better team than Vitesse and eventually it will be shown.

    1. Like I said they need a good finisher up front and maybe somebody who can push boadu as well.also as expected zakaria Aboukhlal had a good debut game
      Showed glimpses of what is more to come from him. I rate both him and Gakpo the same and he made the right decision switching to AZ. Dont think he would have received much game timeat PSV.AZ looked vunerable on counters though and this is where vitesse 4-4-2 formation looked dangerous especially with Jay Roy Grot. Overall was a good game.

  67. Ok kluivert over stengs? I just dont know whether its the selectors or the daddys pulling the strings or simply kNVB is becoming a family affair show.I just cant understand this? Can somebody ask koeman and explain this to me.

    1. Stengs could not be used as a replacement for Steven Bergwijn. However, in general, I agree with Koeman’s decision not to include Stengs. I personally feel that he has not reached his pre-injury level and it has been a due.

    2. Kluivert is playing week-in week-out at the Serie A, and playing well, regardless of the number of goals he’s scoring.

      Stengs is playing in the Eredivisie, and has scored a couple of goals.

      1. stengs vs estonia could have been possible especially on that right side which is his strong hold compared to kluivert and also in place of declining Babel. the argument point of kluivert playing in Serie A and stengs in eredivisie is just rubbish given stengs has much more to offer than kluivert. I have nothing against kluivert but he is too plain of winger compared to stengs.

        bergwijn also is playing in eredivisie, if it was case of playing in the better league, then why was kluivert was not selected in the first place.

      2. Stengs is better quality player than Kluivert.like Deligt is better than majority of spanish league or italian league defenders..So no point in taking leagues..May be stengs is young and lacks confidence,fr that you have koeman and he has to mold him in NT.thats koeman Job..
        kluivert selection is biased and S@##$$ked up selection..

  68. I think I agree that kluivert and stengs are very close

    But stengs is still not up to his best level whilst kluivert is improving also

    Since stengs was already called up by Oranje under 21 ( correct me if I’m wrong ), then this chance was left for kluivert

    It is good either ways , in a way of motivating the new players . So that they know there is always a chance if you work hard

    1. So hard to know about Stengs at this point. On the one hand, I’ve only seen him in his highlights. He looks like a brilliant young talent…but I’ve never seen him over a full game. And right now, he has only played a handful of games against lesser opponents since coming back from his injury. Is that enough to give him a regular spot on the NT? AZ Forever who watches him regularly doesn’t sound convinced.

      Re: Kluvert, I saw Roma-Lazio, and Roma-Genoa…he played well, though not spectacular. He was often directed toward the middle third of the pitch, and, especially against Lazio, was given no room. Big difference between playing Lazio and Vitesse.

      1. again my question is if its the club they are playing at the argument point. then shouldn’t kluivert be ahead of bergwijn. this is exactly what I was saying earlier they weigh it on the paper especially when there is injuries without realizing whats the long term goal

        1. Well, its never one thing, is it?

          Stengs and Kluivert are young players, neither of which who have broken into the NT set up. Guys in their position get in when they have shown enough on a consistent basis to be considered for inclusion by the NT manager (Koeman). Given Stengs’ age, given how much time he missed last year, given how early it is in the season, why wouldn’t Koeman consider the relative quality of Stengs’ competition in evaluating whether he has shown enough?

          1. This is exactly like kuyt preferred over vaart..some times this happens and u pay the penalty..

          2. @Andrew

            I just dont see it happening for the dutch if this continues.koeman will again hit the stumbling blocks like Danny Blind. 30 minutes vs Estonia at least and consistency is what they are looking at club level. Im not even sure if kluivert will get any minutes. I mean what about berghuis.he has been consistent at feyenoord. If kluivert jumps ahead of him and gets the minutes then definitely its all A-Y,isnt it.

          3. It would be intresting though to here from stengs himself on what he has to say about his current form and whether he agrees with what koeman said about him being not ready or otherwise.

    1. Thats a bad a negative attitude by koeman..But technically he was right all he said was we should get better result vs Northern ireland games in both legs…and also we should win 12/12 from estonia and other team..WTF is that he thinks Germany will ireland both games…what the F@@##ck is that?????

  71. Kevin Diks pops up in danish league.could have just returned to vitesse after the departure of Vyacheslav Karavaev to zenit.

    PSV techinical chief john de jong also announced marco van ginkel will always be wrlicome at PSV and a January loan could be on the cards. His comtract also expires at the end of next season 2020.

    Anderlecht finally won their first game in the absence of vincent company. Sandler with another good outings filling in his shoes.his ratings

    6.5 Philippe Sandler: The boss of the defense Anderlecht. Brought to take on the role of Vincent Kompany whether in the aerial duels with Emond or in a defense leader posture, the Dutchman often played just right and was able to get out the leather cleanly even when Standard’s pressing was intense. Always comfortable when in contact with the ball in any situation. Long game, short game, it is always in the ease.

    He will definitely wear the city jersey one day unless for some major injury.

  72. @Tiju, sorry, I don’t see this as a comparison to Van Der Vaart/Kuyt in any way shape or form. Both of those guys were proven NT players. (And before you respond, remember, the NT defeated Brazil in their best performance of the 2010 WC with Kuyt playing ahead of VDV.) Stengs and Kluivert are just beginning to develop.

    @Wilson, I understand what you are saying. Agreed that younger players should get playing time against Estonia is the game is in hand. I think that will happen. (Not sure what “its all A-Y” means.) Re hearing from Stengs: I think any young player would say that he’d like the chance and he’d feel that he could contribute.

    2. 2010Wc was criticized by JC for our lay style..kuyt was up there with his back pass and zero dribbles…We would have beaten Brazil with vaart with better marjinas starter as Roben and RVP was strting together after group games..
      Stengs has qaulity ,he is better player than kluivert…thas how comaparison goes..kuyt had best time under LVG,he should have never played as our striker/winger for us..

  73. We again are facing a critical moment. A loss to Germany will put us on the brink to elimination. I am bit skeptical about Koeman’s ability to make the team win. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if we have a hard time against Estonia too. Our attack is the weakest since maybe mid 80s.
    Let’s hope for the best.

    1. lets also hope there will no major causalities as well in the Germany game. estonia is a stubborn side and only break down, if you take the game to them and open the flood gates.

  75. lets shift our attention to Donyell Malen. the best thing about this selection. Im expecting him to be the impact player of the bench vs Germany and probably start vs Estonia if he kicks start his debut on a high note.

    1. i didnt see
      Babel in squad..
      Netherlands squad:

      Goalkeepers: Jasper Cillessen, Kenneth Vermeer, Jeroen Zoet

      Defenders: Patrick van Aanholt, Nathan Aké, Daley Blind, Virgil van Dijk, Denzel Dumfries, Matthijs de Ligt, Joel Veltman, Stefan de Vrij

      Midfielders: Frenkie de Jong, Davy Propper, Marten de Roon, Kevin Strootman, Tonny Vilhena, Georginio Wijnaldum

      Forwards: Steven Berghuis, Steven Bergwijn, Donyell Malen, Luuk de Jong, Memphis Depay, Quincy Promes…
      i dont want to see Gini as no 10…i want propper to be no 10..he has amazing ball control and a nice finisher of goals..exactly opposite to klassen crap..
      i want Gini on Babel spot…Doesnt want to see Dumfires and Blind as wingbacks either…

    1. 0-0…little conservative boring game..may be u willl curse or forward line…Deligt,Vandijk,Dejong,Depay carry the team others bandwagoners…Exactly like Nijel-Roben-RVp-Vaart ,sneijder carried team in the past..

  78. The biggest concern if we lose this game with Germany is that even if we win the rest of the games it may be out of our hands as Germany may take it easy against N Ireland and let them win the last game. I doubt we can beat N Ireland twice. I will be pleased even if we draw 0-0 with Germany but when I see Babel on the field I get chills down my spine. We will need luck.

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