Van der Gijp: ‘That lad is wound up! He had very high expectations of his transfer, of course...’
A row between Sem Steijn and Anis Hadj Moussa after Feyenoord's 1-0 defeat to Real Betis has sparked debate on Vandaag Inside. René van der Gijp and Martijn Krabbendam understand Steijn's frustration, but believe Hadj Moussa's behaviour is part of his game.
Isco's converted penalty settled Feyenoord's 1-0 defeat to Real Betis on Thursday evening. After the final whistle, Steijn and Hadj Moussa clashed and their team-mates had to separate them. Manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst played down the incident, saying such irritations are part of top-level football.
For Krabbendam, the fuss makes little sense. "I've seen real fights at Feyenoord, Bruno Martins Indi against Graziano Pellè, for example. Now Hadj Moussa doesn't cross the ball, Steijn is admittedly free, and Van Bronckhorst practically has to start mediating," said the Voetbal International journalist, who believes players should be able to speak frankly to one another.
Steijn's anger over Hadj Moussa's failure to spot him particularly surprised Van der Gijp. "There's one player at Feyenoord you can expect not to cross the ball," the analyst said, prompting Wilfred Genee to ask why anyone would have a row about it. Johan Derksen had a simple explanation for the Algerian's behaviour: "He's fixated on cutting inside and shooting with his left foot."
When Hadj Moussa sets off on an individual run, he barely looks for his team-mates, Van der Gijp added. "Another cut, another cut, another turn. He doesn't look, either. I don't think he saw him," said the former forward, who believes the winger focuses mainly on the opponent directly in front of him. Krabbendam saw another side to it: "That's also what makes him the player he is. He's a difficult player for a manager, because at the same time he does decide matches."
Still, Krabbendam can see why Steijn gets irritated by his team-mate's actions. "Against Telstar, of course, he was also completely free twice. A little pass to the side, but he doesn't make it," said the Feyenoord reporter, while stressing that Hadj Moussa's individual qualities often make the difference.
Van der Gijp also linked Steijn's frustration to his own situation at Feyenoord. "I think Steijn is a bit wound up too. He had very high expectations after his transfer and they haven't been met," the analyst said. Krabbendam found the negative turn in the midfielder's fortunes striking, given that Steijn was previously Feyenoord captain and played for the Netherlands against Lithuania in September last year.
