Feyenoord impresses against Samp

Furious, Cassano walked over the pitch in De Kuip, wavingg his arms.

Ref Wiedemeijer was the bad egg, in Cassano’s world. He had taken a decision against Samp and with that, Cassano decided to throw the game.

The frustration at Sampdoria said it all. Feyenoord was kind to the Italian side with 3-0. Wiedemeijer may habe been harsh, but Samp was the lesser team in every aspect of the game.

Mario Been knows how a good win in a friendly doesn’t mean a thing, but it does help. “When you beat Sampdoria like this, your confidence gets a boost. You demonstrate that you don’t have to fear any opponent in your own home. We’re all going home with a good feeling.”

How big is the contrast with a year ago? Feyenoord stumbled through the pre-season, with injuries, frustration and a series of defeats. A bad start in the competition was the obvious result.

Feyenoord didn’t have chance against Benfica, Celtic and Dortmund. This time around, it beat Samp and Sporting Lisbon.

Been can utilize an almost fit group, with Tomasson and Wijnaldum available this week. The coach has many options, particularly upfront and Diego Biseswar and Denny Landzaat are currently the victims. And it’s queuing up behind Makaay for the number 10 position, where Bruins, Tomasson and De Guzman can play.

The biggest difference at Feyenoord is the approach to football. Under Verbeek, it was physical strength. Under coach Been, the ball does the work. What has visibly changed in the Kuip is the positioning play. There were enough mistakes against Samp, but the playing strategy of Feyenoord is getting clearer every match.

The interaction looks smooth when the team is in ball possession. The fast and furious Cisse is a strength. The Yvorian international constantly fooled opponent Stankevicius, which resulted in many opportunities. And the other new signing, Dani Fernandez, also impressed on the right back spot, a position that has given Feyenoord many headaches over the years.

\Feyenoord came ahead after 20 minutes, when Leroy Fer headed a ball in on a Gio corner kick. Shortly before the break, the game was played when Cisse yet again slipped through and offered Makaay a huge chance. Defender Rossi did the only thing he could do to stop the ex Deportivo man from scoring: he made hands. Penalty and red card.

It wasn’t penalty king Makaay scoring the second, but Luigi Bruins who took the job: 2-0.

Mario Been: “I wasn’t to happy with the red card. With eleven vs eleven, we’d still have a real game on our hands. Now the Italians only resorted to defending which killed the game. Samp became frustrated and we had trouble breaking down their defenses. Still, an interesting excercise.”

Right winger Tim Vincken made his first appearance after years of injuries and missed another penalty. Sub De Guzman did score the third not long after Vincken’s mishit: 3-0.