Jens Toornstra believes that the Conference League is sometimes spoken too contemptuously. National coach Louis van Gaal repeatedly denigrated UEFA’s third European tournament, which he described as a ‘jut-and-jul competition’. “I think that’s a rather dramatic description,” said Toornstra.
“We didn’t really know what to expect from it. The field of participants was filled with clubs that we hadn’t actually seen before, so that took some getting used to. But if you see which clubs we encountered and had to beat to get here. come.. “, says Toornstra opposite Feyenoord TV† During a press conference in March of the the Dutch for the Conference League, Van Gaal used the term ‘Jut en Jul competition’, but Toornstra does not agree with this. ‘Of course there are unknown opponents, I just think ‘Jut and Jul’ is a bit too dramatic. They are the best clubs from a particular country. We got through it well and are right in the final.”
Of the eighteen Conference League games played, Feyenoord lost only one this season, against Elfsborg (3-1) after a 5-0 win during the first game in De Kuip. Toornstra agrees that a sense of invincibility has crept into the team. “Teams don’t quickly get the feeling that there is really something to gain against us,” says the midfielder. “We really achieved that ourselves through the intensity and energy with which matches are played. An opponent can never really come to play football. That is one of our strengths and from that the invincible has arisen a bit.”
Yet Toornstra also realizes that Feyenoord was unable to perform optimally due to the memorable European campaign in the Eredivisie. “We came in third. If you look at budget, that’s fine, but I do feel we could get more out of it in certain games. On the other hand, we have had a pretty successful European campaign, which we hope we can close well. If that succeeds, it will still be an unforgettable season.”
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