“We tell you how the coaching career of the Dutchman is developing.”, — write: football.ua
We tell you how the coaching career of the Dutchman is developing.
In his native Rotterdam, Robin van Persie is spending his first full season at the helm of Feyenoord – and immediately fighting for the championship title with the club where he once took his first steps in football.
After 11 rounds, the only blemish on their season remains a 2-3 loss to reigning champions PSV last month. However, a 3-1 win over Volendam returned Feyenoord to the top of the table – thanks only to a better goal difference. On the eve of that game, the city was calm: near the base of the club, a local fisherman could be seen peacefully fishing while PSV temporarily took the lead. However, the defeat against the Go Ahead Eagles still relegated van Persie’s team to second place, but the championship race continues.
At the start of the season, Feyenoord looked strong – eight wins and one draw in the first nine rounds. And this is exactly the picture Van Persie envisioned, long before the start of the season, even when few believed it.
“When he came in February, nobody expected him to be able to win the championship, says Dutch journalist Mikos Gauka, who has been writing about Feyenoord for 20 years. — There was not much pressure on him, but he created it himself. During his first press conference, the technical director was asked about Robin’s goals, and he answered: the main thing is to get into the European Cups. And van Persie said: “We will fight for the second place. Maybe even for the first.” Then it became clear that he is used to challenges and knows how to set a high bar.”
The 42-year-old returned to Feyenoord in the second half of last season when the club, where he spent six years as a player and four as a coach, was struggling.
Arne Slot led the team to the championship in the 2022/23 season, but the following year, after finishing second, he moved to Liverpool, replacing Jurgen Klopp. Feyenoord were looking for an experienced coach at the time, so van Persie’s candidacy was not considered seriously. The team was led by Dane Brian Priske, but after Feyenoord dropped to fifth place in February, he was sacked.
For Robin, this became a chance. After seven months of work in Heerenveen, he got the opportunity to prove himself at the club of his heart.
“He has everything to be a head coach, said Arne Sloth. — He does not pay attention to the opinions of others and works with tremendous self-sacrifice. Over the past three or four years, he has been developing day by day — and that is a rarity these days.”
During his time with Arne Sloot, Robin van Persie held several roles at once, assisting the first team as forwards coach and also working with the U-16, U-18 and U-19 teams. But the most important thing that Slot noted was his character.
Back in 2020, van Persie said that he once created a list of strengths and weaknesses for himself in order to understand what needs to be worked on. It was this self-criticism that helped him become a two-time winner of the Golden Boot of the English Premier League — in the 2011/12 and 2012/13 seasons. Then he made a high-profile move from Arsenal to Manchester United to fulfill his dream of winning the Premier League. And already in the debut season at Old Trafford, this goal became a reality.
Those lists are evidence of an obsession that began in his twenties and has not disappeared even now, when he is in his forties.
“This creates a feeling of “thirst for development” — a constant desire to develop, which every player and coach needs,” he explained. “When it became part of my mindset, I started to grow – and this process never stopped. I always felt that I could do more. Maybe that’s why I was able to reach this level. And now, as a coach, I have the same thirst for development.”
But any words about progress must be confirmed by real steps.
Van Persie made his first serious breakthrough in 2023. After two seasons with the U-16 team, he took charge of the U-19 youth squad, which played in the UEFA Youth League. His debut game at this level – a 3-0 victory over Scottish Celtic – was a real moment of inspiration for him.
“Then I realized that it is already very close to first-team football – both in terms of preparation and emotions, he said before the 1/8 final match of the Champions League against Inter in March. — I thought: “Oh yes, this is exactly what I need.” It reminded me of the feeling before big games, when you don’t know what’s going to happen and you have to make decisions on the fly. And then I said to myself: “I want this. I’m going all in.”
Van Persie knows well that development is not always comfort. At Arsenal, he started in the company of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Emmanuel Adebayor, so fighting for a place in the team became a habit from the first days.
His first experience as a head coach in Heerenveen was also not easy. Robin became the youngest coach in the history of the club, but already in the fourth match he suffered a painful defeat – 1:9 against AZ.
Once, as an Arsenal player, he also experienced something similar – that famous 2:8 defeat by Manchester United. But this time everything was different: now it was he who had to explain what happened and be responsible for the result.
“What I took away from that match — you always need to be ready for any situation”– said van Persie. “I realized: you always have to have a plan B, a backup option. Everything comes down to survival, to recovery – both physical and mental. It is based on that experience that we created a plan B that we can apply at any moment during the game.”
And although this season there were already convincing victories 4:0 against Sparta Rotterdam and 7:0 against Heracles, this plan B still came in handy more than once.
“He still adheres to the attacking philosophy — always three forwards– explains journalist Mikos Gauka. — But now he has learned to play smarter: if the score is 1:0 or 2:1, he can strengthen the defense. When he first started, he said that he did not want “boring football” that the fans did not like. Now he has become more pragmatic.”
This flexibility has become the main difference of Feyenoord this season. The team has conceded the fewest goals in the Eredivisie — only 12. For comparison, main rival PSV has 17. Feyenoord is also first in terms of expected goals conceded (xGA).
One of the key players was Ayase Ueda. In the championship, the Japanese has already scored 13 goals in 12 matches — more than in the two previous seasons combined (5 in the 2023/24 campaign and 9 the following year). Then he started only occasionally, but now he plays steadily from the first minutes.
In addition to the improved physical form, van Persie himself also contributed – he helps the striker with advice from a colleague in the workshop.
“We are talking about simple things— Robin explained after Ueda’s double in the match against Volendam. — For example, when exactly should you open up for a pass from a central defender? At what point to make a jerk for the back opponent? How to properly use the body in the penalty area? We even practiced deceptive moves — when and how to use them in combination with partners. It’s basic stuff, but when you put it all together, it’s fantastic.”
This attention to detail is as important a part of his coaching approach as tactical schemes. A disciple of Wenger, Ferguson and van Gaal, he took from each of them the most valuable thing – the ability to work with people.
“When I talk to the players, sometimes I involuntarily go back in my thoughts and think: ‘What would Wenger, Ferguson or Louis van Gaal say in my place?’ – shares van Persie. — I want to combine the experience of different eras and create my own, integral style of work. I want to see this “thirst for development” in everyone. Because anyone can improve, regardless of age.”
At one time, Arne Slot also noted this trait in Robin – his indifference to other people’s evaluations. It is she who helps him to be consistent and confident in his own decisions.
Quinten Timber, the brother of former Ajax player and current Arsenal defender Jurrien, was Feyenoord’s captain when van Persie joined the club in February. But at the end of the season, he suffered a knee injury and missed the final part of the championship. In the summer, when Timber was entering the final year of his contract, he refused to sign a new deal – and van Persie decided to change captain. Rookie Sam Stein received the armband. The decision is not easy, but Robin is not afraid of such moves: even though Timber remains a main player, he is no longer part of the captain’s group.
The third on this list is currently 19-year-old Zhivairo Reid, a right-back who is already interested in Bayern. Notably, two years ago he played under van Persie in the same youth team that defeated Celtic in the UEFA Youth League.
“He always sticks to his plan, Reed said after defeating Volendam. — He is not interested in what the opponent is doing, he concentrates on what we need. Thanks to this, we clearly know how to act. The plan doesn’t change every time, and that helps put it into play.”
Although van Persie spent just one season under Ferguson at Manchester United, he learned well one of the Scotsman’s main principles – the importance of the right coaching staff. It was the key to Ferguson’s long-term success at United, and now van Persie is taking that approach at Feyenoord.
Together with him, René Haque, Eric ten Gag’s former assistant, came to the club. Modest, but very experienced specialist on the field. Another important assistant is Etienne Reinen, who Arne Slot wanted to take with him to Liverpool, but could not due to the restrictions related to Brexit. Reinen’s tactical work is highly regarded in Dutch circles.
Last season, van Persie set a record for the best start for a Feyenoord manager since Ernst Happel in 1969. He is unbeaten with 22 points in eight games with a +18 goal difference. The defeat to PSV in October was the first in the championship — and at the same time the start of an intriguing title fight that promises to be hot until the very finish.
Van Persie is still in touch with his former Arsenal partners – and it may be very soon that they will get together again to share experiences, now in the role of coaches.
“Cesk and I spoke last year and agreed: when we have some time, we will definitely meet to exchange views on football and see how each of us overcomes our challenges, – said van Persie after the match with Volendam. — And I saw Jack Wilshere a few months ago, before he took over at Luton.”
“It’s great that Wenger’s ‘young lads’ – me, Mikel, Jack and Cesc – are now coaches too. I’m sure we’re all unconsciously using a lot of what we heard from Arsene. We grew up under him – and he left a huge mark not only on our careers as players, but also on who we’ve become as coaches.”
And perhaps, after a game in which his side had 37 shots and scored just three times, van Persie really should give Wenger a second thought – and find some of the same footballing magic that once inspired a generation of Arsenal.
The Athletic