Football Season Guide

Feyenoord will undoubtedly remember the last season as a polarised affair. With Jaap Staam at the helm they found themselves struggling to win games and a long way from the top standings of the Eredivisie. The former Lazio and Milan defender was eventually shown the door at the end of October and replaced by veteran Dick Advocaat and that was the beginning of a success story. From November to March, when the season was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Feyenoord became unbeatable in the Netherlands – they only lost a Europa League decider to FC Porto – and made it all the way up to the 3rd place in the Eredivisie, while also reaching the KNVB Cup final. Unfortunately for them, though, the season ended when the best was yet to come. Coach Advocaat was logically confirmed in charge for the forthcoming season and he will be given the opportunity to work with an almost unaltered squad. The summer transfer campaign mainly saw Feyenoord parting ways with midfielder Tapia, who was a regular under Staam but hardly made the pitch under Advocaat. Right-back Karsdorp and centre-back Ié, who also played little under Advocaat due to injuries will return to their parent clubs. Advocaat opted to build some depth in an attack which had been severely depleted by injuries in the past campaign and signed experienced winger Linssen and attacking midfielder Diemers, who did very well for Vitesse and Fortuna Sittard respectively. Conteh is also a promising winger, whose match-time for FC St Pauli last campaign was limited due to injury. They also recalled Vente and Summerville, who had mixed seasons on loan elsewhere. The feeling is that coach Advocaat could do with at least one more defender, considering how battered they were by injuries last season. More midfielders may also be needed, especially considering that they will also have a European campaign to consider.