The performance of Luis Sinisterra in the match between Maccabi Haifa and Feyenoord (0-0) did not appeal to Pierre van Hooijdonk on Tuesday. At decisive moments, the Feyenoord attacker lacked an overview, says the analyst of ESPN after the draw. Van Hooijdonk highlights two moments in the studio when Sinisterra made a wrong choice in his eyes and a serious opportunity for Feyenoord was killed.
The left winger made the necessary meters after 65 minutes on the half of Maccabi and moved in along the sixteen-meter line. Instead of operating the detached Jens Toornstra, he opted for a shot that was blocked. Nine minutes before time, a similar situation arose. Sinisterra got the ball outside the penalty area and saw another shot blocked, while Toornstra was completely free on his right in the box. According to Van Hooijdonk, Sinisterra is currently Feyenoord’s best player, but he did not play well against Maccabi.
“Of course that is sometimes possible. But then I expect that he has the overview,” the analyst judges. “I find the second situation absolutely distressing. Toornstra is not a right back, it is Jens Toornstra, someone who can also score a goal. Then you have to threaten to shoot yourself and push the ball to the side at the last moment. Sinisterra was not very good in the game. When you can finally make the dribble, which he has been important with a few times this season, you have in your head from the moment you get the ball that you are going to shoot. Then you apparently close yourself off to everything. But very good players spread it wide.”
Trainer Arne Slot thinks that Feyenoord played sloppy in possession in the first half and played the ball too quickly to the sides. “Maccabi played in the old-fashioned Christmas tree system of Co Adriaanse: 4-2-3-1. Then the space is with the backs, but they lock you when the ball gets there. I thought we should keep the ball in the middle longer and we did that very well after a drinking break. I think we did that much better in the second half, becoming more dominant and able to keep Maccabi in their own half. Despite having to defend with so much space in the back, we We actually didn’t give away any chances.”
In addition, Sinisterra put more energy into the game after the break, says Slot. “That also helps us, of course. He was very close a number of times,” said Slot, who acknowledges that Sinisterra put too little energy into the match in the first half. “Yes, I thought so. In the first half he didn’t do enough. I thought he should help the team more, but especially on the ball he is a very important player and he can make the difference. He has to make sure he He puts a lot of energy into getting the ball and has to play much more aggressively. That went much better in the second half. Then you immediately see how threatening and dangerous he is.”