Schreuder's frustration: NEC still cannot structure itself

Schreuder's frustration: NEC still cannot structure itself

According to Vi.

Context

Dick Schreuder, as NEC coach, faces a significant challenge in pre-season, especially with the departure of players like Basar Önal and Kodai Sano's transfer complications. The current situation highlights the importance of developing young players, such as Merijn van de Wiel, who have been forced to play in unusual positions due to a lack of squad options.

Why this matters

The current situation at NEC is worrying, as the lack of structure and reinforcements could compromise the team's development under the direction of Dick Schreuder. The absence of key players and injuries affect not only performance on the field, but also the implementation of the style of play desired by the coach. This could negatively impact the team's confidence and prospects heading into the season.

Main conclusions

• Schreuder's frustration: NEC still cannot structure itself.
• NEC's preseason is not going as expected, and coach Dick Schreuder is expressing his frustration with the team's situation.
• Dick Schreuder remains central to NEC plans.

The NEC pre-season is far from ideal. With the departure of players, injuries and the lack of new reinforcements, coach Dick Schreuder has found it difficult to implement his style of play. In a recent interview with the team's channel, he didn't hide his frustration, stating: “That way, we won't be able to develop our way of playing.” On Wednesday, it was supposed to be a festive day for Schreuder, who after the warm-up match against MSV Duisburg, headed to Papendal to receive the Rinus Michels award as coach of the year, beating competitors such as Peter Bosz and Anthony Correia. However, as he got into the car, he admitted he was upset. The reason for this dissatisfaction is due to the team's second preparatory match. Against De Treffers, NEC already entered the field with a missing team, and the situation did not improve in the match against Duisburg. Players like Basar Önal were on their way to Lille, while Kodai Sano was left out due to transfer complications. Additionally, Bram Nuytinck, Philippe Sandler and Sami Ouaissa were injured. New reinforcement Adam Tahaui, in turn, has not yet participated in the activities. Consequently, NEC had to play a fairly young team, culminating in a 3-2 defeat to the 3. Liga club. The defense started with Tobias Storm, young Merijn van de Wiel and Brayann Pereira, who had to play in a position that is not his usual one, on the left flank. Önal's departure and the expiration of Virgil Misidjan's contract left the team without options for this position. In attack, Noé Lebreton and Vito van Crooij were chosen, as Schreuder has to adapt with what he has at his disposal. After the game, he commented: "These preparation games are good for fitness, but they are complicated for implementing our style of play. We need to see if we can change that in the coming days and weeks. Last year,we also face similar problems. When Sandler wasn't there, Sano had to play defense. We need good depth, especially in the way we want to play.” NEC is facing a challenging start to the season, and the expectation is that the situation will improve with the arrival of new players and the recovery of injured players.

What happens next

With the summer transfer window approaching, the NEC needs to act quickly to reinforce its squad and deal with departures and injuries. The search for a new midfielder could be a priority, considering the difficulties faced in the pre-season. The expectation is that the club will find solutions to stabilize the team and allow Schreuder to implement his playing philosophy.