For ShotsOrkun Kokcü
NOS Voetbal•vandaag, 06:18
Why do Dutch football clubs almost always lose to Portuguese teams? It is a question that is often asked to Mitchell van der Gaag.
And that is not surprising, because the Dutch trainer and former footballer has been living in the southern European country with some intervals since 2001. Nowadays in the coastal town of Cascais, just west of the capital Lisbon, where Feyenoord will visit Benfica tonight for a Champions League match.
At the beginning of this century, Van der Gaag left for the Portuguese CS Marítimo in Madeira as a central defender from FC Utrecht. He would play football on the island for five seasons and remained there as trainer of the club. He then also coached the Belenenses club until 2014.
Not to peek at
And immediately in his first year, he noticed something about Portuguese football. “Usually it was not a matter of prying eyes. But at the end of the day they almost always won. That is a big difference with Dutch clubs,” says Van der Gaag, who after two years as Erik ten Hag’s assistant at Manchester United are now enjoying the Portuguese sun without a club.
Van der Gaag about Portuguese football: ‘Most of the time it was not for prying’
“I can also clearly remember my first conversation with the trainer. He drew the field, with a red area at the back. And he said: if you are under pressure, you have to shoot the ball away. People think about this differently in Portugal. I’m not saying it’s better, but it’s different.”
Will to win
The absolute will to win, without conceding a goal, has been completely normal in Portugal for a long time, says Van der Gaag. “That’s how you are raised here,” said the former coach of Excelsior and NAC Breda, among others.
Certainly, Dutch clubs won the European Cup I or Champions League more often than Portuguese clubs: 6 out of 4 times. On the other hand, the Netherlands is often eliminated by Portugal at final tournaments. Moreover, Benfica is doing remarkably well against Dutch opponents. In 29 European matches, the club only lost 6 times.
Benfica-Feyenoord at NOS
Benfica-Feyenoord (Wednesday at 9 p.m.) can be followed on NOS via a live blog on NOS.nl and the NOS app and via an integral radio report in Along the Line and Surroundings on NPO Radio 1.
A summary can be seen in the late NOS Journaal on NPO 1 at 11:45 PM.
Feyenoord and Benfica practiced against each other this summer. In the friendly battle for the Eusébio Cup, the Rotterdam team lost no less than 5-0. It did not necessarily mean the start of a great season for the Portuguese club. Trainer Roger Schmidt was fired at the end of August after disappointing results.
Under new coach Bruno Lage, Benfica has the wind in its sails again. They won 4-0 against Atlético Madrid in the Champions League and have climbed to third place in the Primeira Liga, behind Sporting Lisbon and FC Porto, the other Portuguese top clubs.
Pro Shots
In any case: “Benfica is by far the largest in Portugal,” says Van der Gaag. “I remember my first match for Marítimo, at home against Porto. You saw many more Porto supporters than Marítimo. At Sporting it was a bit more. But then Benfica came. Well, then it’s the entire stadium. for Benfica.”
Feyenoord must pay particular attention to wingers Ángel Di María and Kerem Aktürkoğlu tonight, says Van der Gaag. And of course the former Feyenoord players Orkun Kokçü and Fredrik Aursnes.
“Benfica can choose. They are good on the ball. But normally Portuguese teams collapse and let the opponent play football. Yes, Benfica too, no problem. If that produces effectiveness, then people are satisfied. Nice counter football becomes also appreciated here. You just have to link it to profit.”
But Feyenoord can also rely on its own strength, says Van der Gaag. The Rotterdam club is “on the upward trend”. “I also saw Feyenoord against Girona (2-3 win, ed.). And this Girona is not the Girona of last season, but it is nice to win there. So yes, this can be a great match.”
Van der Gaag about Benfica: ‘Nice counter-attacking football is also appreciated here’
