The average age of Feyenoord’s line-up fell sharply on Thursday evening against Maccabi Haifa. In the second half, trainer Arne Slot brought in five teenagers, making the players an average of 22.8 years old. Of the eleven players who completed the match, eight were self-trained. Slot considers the match a highlight for Feyenoord’s youth academy.
Mimeirhel Benita (18 years old), Lennard Hartjes (18), debutant Sem Valk (19), Antoni Milambo (16) and Aliou Baldé (18) came in succession in the second half. Of the substitutes, only Valk was born after Feyenoord’s 2002 UEFA Cup win. Marcus Pedersen (21), Fredrik Aursnes (26), Marcos Senesi (24), João Teixeira (28) and Reiss Nelson (22), all players who were not trained at Varkenoord, came off the field.
‘I just quickly sent my parents a message’
Sem Valk was overjoyed with his debut in Feyenoord’s first team.
“’There are some very beautiful things today. The boys who are close to a basic place have presented themselves well,” Slot said to ESPN. “’In the end we are on the field with eight youth players, which is fantastic for the youth academy. Especially if you take into account that, even when it really matters and we come up with the best line-up, we have three or four youth players in the base with Orkun Kökcü, Tyrell Malacia, Justin Bijlow and Lutsharel Geertruida.”
“So this was not only a great evening for the players, but also for the people who have worked in Feyenoord’s youth academy in recent years”, concluded Slot. According to captain Justin Bijlow, back from a corona infection, Feyenoord has proven to be ‘more than eleven players’. “For me it was nice to play again. I’ve been out for quite a while and it took some getting used to, but soon I got the rhythm back. That mistake at the end where Maccabi’s goal comes out should never happen. A matter of no concentration for a while.”