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Robin Van Persie spoke at a press conference on the eve of Inter-Feyenoord, valid for the return leg of the Champions League round of 16.

The new coach of the Dutch team presented the challenge at San Siro, which promises to be very difficult to turn into a triumph, but the white and reds will still give it a try.

Feyenoord, Van Persie’s words

A couple of weeks ago Feyenoord had a magical evening against Milan. Will even more magic be needed this time, do you believe?

“That’s the beauty of sports, of football. There is always hope, even if people think it’s very small. Paixao? It’s a shame, he had a little problem: it can always happen.”

Referring back to the match against Milan, have you experienced similar miracles as a player?

“I won’t talk about my own experience, there are many examples of surprising teams. We would also like to surprise, the feeling is that it’s a bit impossible, but I don’t think it’s true: we will have our chances and we have to be strong.”

You didn’t play this weekend, but Inter did.

“We trained on Saturday and Sunday. I watched the match against Monza, it’s the Inter that we know: it’s nice to see them play, they always do great things in attack, defense, and transition. It’s a big challenge, but we will have chances: they have their way of playing and it works very well, but even against a very strong team we will always have opportunities and we have studied where they can be vulnerable.”

Calvin Stengs and Mattia Zaccagni ( PHOTO BY SALVATORE FORNELLI )

Are you thinking about the Sunday match against Twente?

“We always think about tomorrow. You plan everything, but the first goal is always the match the next day, even in terms of minutes to give to the players.”

Will the returning players start?

“We’ll see, we are happy that they are back. Maybe someone will make their debut, there are young players who have not debuted yet.”

Will Paixao’s absence be long?

“I don’t think so, but we’ll see in the coming days.”

Still facing an emergency situation.

“My players have to believe, over the years I have seen even crazier things. The context is clear, it’s an extremely difficult challenge but we’re not hiding from it. This is what it is, I think the players we have now are very strong and they show it every day. We will face Inter with these players, it doesn’t make sense to think of too many scenarios: I trust the group.”

Rome, Italy 07.11.2023: Feyenoord during warm-up before the Uefa Champions League 2023-2024 football, group E, between SS Lazio vs Feyenoord at Olympic Stadium in Rome.

Will you change players’ positions?

“Obviously it’s always better to play someone in their position, in their role. It’s not always possible, as we saw last week with Paixao: it’s like a puzzle, you have to consider physicality and availability.”

Have you understood the issue with these injuries?

“It can always happen, in every training session the boys give their all. It’s a risk that is always there, Paixao has played a lot this season and it’s very special that he has played so much: it’s normal for him to get injured. If he could, I would have played him.”

What are the difficulties with Ivanusec?

“Good question, during my course I saw a Croatia-Netherlands match: he played extremely well and I thought ‘what a player’. Then he came to Feyenoord, I always thought he was strong, but the question is whether he can play at these levels. There are many things, from form to character, that are decisive.”

How do you convince the players that the feat is possible?

“First of all, don’t follow the press. It doesn’t help: it wants to make you believe that this match is already lost, but we still have to play it. It’s a huge challenge and we know it: I’m not saying we will definitely win, but you have to understand that we will give our all and we believe in the comeback. We can work a miracle, that’s the beauty of sports: that’s why we are all here and why tomorrow 4,600 fans will come from Rotterdam.”

If you don’t succeed, what would satisfy you?

“As I see it, there are no wins, draws, losses. I think about how we present ourselves, our attitude, the confidence we have in ourselves. We will give everything and that’s the most important thing, not winning or losing.”

Photo Source: Feyenoord.com

Are you satisfied with what you have seen in Rotterdam?

“At the beginning, yes, in the first half, yes. Then we softened. I’m not asking for a victory, it’s not that simple: there are many things to do during a match and we want to focus on what we need to do.”

At the first leg it seemed like 4-2-1-3 and it was surprising. Should we expect the same offensive formation?

“What you can expect is a team that will be united, that will attack together, defend together. Ultimately, it’s not the formation that makes the difference, whether it’s a 4-4-2 or a 4-3-3. We have to focus on how we are on the field and that’s where we can have an impact.”

Inter conceded two goals against Monza, does that give you confidence?

“Well, in the Champions League they have only conceded one. We watched the match and prepared without doing anything different from usual. We studied every aspect of Inter, but also of ourselves: we are focused on our opportunities. How Inter plays is known, but they also leave spaces occasionally and that’s where we have to be good. Even against us, Inter had a few chances, we had one or two: against these strong teams it’s important to score, as we saw with Milan. In that match, Feyenoord struggled, but then it also needs the game to turn in our favor. That didn’t happen in Rotterdam.”