Giovanni van Bronckhorst looks back on his time as head coach of Feyenoord
By OnzeActu · · 2 min read
Giovanni van Bronckhorst discusses his time at Feyenoord, where he held several positions over nine years, including head coach for four seasons. He also addresses the challenges that new coach Jaap Stam faces for the next season.
As Feyenoord prepares to start its season, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who will soon return to the club, remembers his years spent in Rotterdam. “It’s a special feeling to no longer be on the pitch with the team, having spent nine years here in various positions, from trainee to head coach for four seasons, without forgetting my role as assistant to Ronald Koeman and Fred Rutten,” he confides.
He explains that the absence was not felt too much just after his departure, particularly because he was on vacation, but he anticipates that this void will be heavier when training resumes and the players are present. “I am not participating in the preparations this time, the planning was entrusted to Jaap Stam, with the physical trainer Arno Philips and the assistant Jean-Paul van Gastel. I left the new staff free to make their own choices,” adds the former Dutch international.
Van Bronckhorst briefly met Jaap Stam at the beginning of May at the 1908 training center and is not closing the door to other future exchanges. He emphasizes that Feyenoord, despite always high expectations, never finds itself in an irremediable situation. The real assessment of the club's possibilities will only be possible from August, once the final squad has been formed.
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According to him, the loss of major players often results in a shortfall in goals and assists, but it also offers opportunities for others to shine. “The role of a coach, and it has always been mine, is to get the most out of the available group to achieve the best possible results. »
Finally, he recalls the importance of the club's youth training policy, aware of the challenges it faces but convinced of its long-term value.