Roger Schmidt does not care about the criticism that arose after his substitutions in the hopeless defeat against Feyenoord (0-4). The trainer indicated on Tuesday that he has not received anything from the fuss that has arisen in the media and says that it is not an issue internally either. Schmidt caused a stir on Sunday by passing captain Marco van Ginkel and Noni Madueke and taking off Davy Pröpper, Eran Zahavi and Mario Götze at halftime.
“Journalists love this question, but to be honest I think completely different as a coach,” Schmidt replied when asked if he should have made different choices. “There’s no point in looking back. It is new to me that I am the most talked about man in the Dutch football world. Of course we were disappointed with Sunday’s result and that we didn’t reach our normal level.”
“But that’s part of it, so you have to accept that.” Schmidt thinks the zeperd could not have been prevented if he had switched differently. “It’s not that a decision is decisive for the game. There are always several factors that decide a match.” The substitution of Cody Gakpo fifteen minutes after the break encountered the most resistance. Schmidt had heard the angry reactions of the fans in the stadium and was surprised. “They should have stood behind the team, because at that time we could still win the game with a 0-1 deficit.”
“As a trainer, you make such a decision based on what you think is best for a team. Sometimes it turns out to be a good decision, sometimes a bad decision. But there is no guarantee that we would have won if I had made a different choice and left Gakpo.” According to Schmidt, no player has reported to him to discuss his substitution policy. “To be honest, no one in my coaching career has ever come up to me to talk about substitutions.”
“I didn’t ask the players either. That is not my way of working.” Schmidt will not change his exchange policy now that he is being criticized so much. “I’m a big supporter of the new rule that allows five players to be replaced. With the tough schedule of 32 games until the winter break, that’s only good. You have to be able to give players a break from time to time, because a lot is being asked of them. Of course those substitutions will have an influence on the games.”
Götze appeared to have suffered an injury and will also miss the away game against Go Ahead Eagles on Wednesday. Schmidt does not want to take any risks with the midfielder, who also missed the top match against Feyenoord last Sunday. On the other hand, Phillipp Mwene’s return.
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