Feyenoord coach Van Bronckhorst has had enough and mercilessly throws his own player under the bus
Giovanni van Bronckhorst strongly defended Tjark Ernst on Friday after the goalkeeper came in for criticism during Feyenoord's 3-0 Champions League defeat to Inter. The manager wants his side to focus on their defensive mistakes instead.
At a press conference ahead of the match against sc Heerenveen, Van Bronckhorst said several players bore responsibility for the goals conceded. "I think we could name a lot of players when it comes to the goals we conceded," said the manager. He also believes Ernst must learn to deal with the criticism that comes with playing for a top club.
Van Bronckhorst singled out left-back Javi López for making the wrong decision for one of the goals. "What goes wrong on Tuesday is that Javi López marks on the wrong side. That is the most important thing for me," said the Feyenoord manager. He wants his side to stop opponents getting the chance to shoot in the first place.
Piotr Zielinski had plenty of space to dribble towards the penalty area for Inter's third goal. Van Bronckhorst saw problems beyond his goalkeeper's performance. "You can say the goalkeeper should have saved that ball, but you can also say: why don't we track back? Why aren't we positioned properly? For me, that is even more important than putting all the blame on the goalkeeper."
During the match against Inter, Ernst also heard sarcastic applause from the stands. "The crowd are, of course, being sarcastic at that moment, but they make it clear when something isn't going well."
Van Bronckhorst saw no reason to speak to Ernst separately after the match. "No, certainly not. We do it as a team," explained the manager, who continues to stand fully behind his goalkeeper despite the criticism. "My number one job is to help players develop."
According to Van Bronckhorst, that development must go hand in hand with results. "In the Champions League, our points tally after four matches isn't good enough, but we're top of the league. My job is to get players performing and make them better. That's where my energy needs to go."
