Heerenveen are having a horrid time in the Eredivisie at the moment. On Tuesday night, a 2-0 defeat to FC Twente sank them to 14th in the table with the third worst goal difference in the Dutch top flight. Former Arsenal and Manchester United forward Robin van Persie took over as head coach during the summer, and recent results have left him under pressure just five games into his first managerial gig.
On Saturday night, Heerenveen were thrashed 9-1 against AZ Alkmaar, conceding four goals in the space of 33 minutes to former Tottenham striker Troy Parrott. Robin van Persie insisted after the match that he and his players were ‘not traumatised’ by the result, and that they’d stick to his game plan going forward. However, his side certainly didn’t react the way he would have wanted on Tuesday.
Within 40 minutes at De Grolsch Veste, Heerenveen found themselves two goals down. A brace from Sem Steijn put the game to bed early on and took Heerenveen’s goal difference to -7 (13 goals conceded, six scored). Things won’t get any easier, as they face Groningen at home this Sunday. The visitors have started the season in incredible style off the back of their promotion from the second tier. An unbeaten start sees them sitting comfortably in fourth place. Robin Van Persie needs a positive result if he wants to take the pressure off his shoulders.
GBeNeFNÂ | Jonas Fielding
