Royston Drenthe was taken off after 76 minutes
Ricardo Quaresma was replaced after 85.
Last night’s double bill in Rotterdam started with Liverpool beating Shanghai Shenhua 2-0 with goals by Torres and Gerrard. A walkover, pretty much.
Then Feyenoord played Porto in a livelier game which finished 0-0. That was more like a real contest than most we see in pre-season.
Mainly, I tuned in to see if Quaresma was playing.
Quaresma wore No7 and played on the left flank. He is a right-footed left winger who can also play on the right side. I thought his mind was elsewhere.
By contrast, Drenthe, a fiery gladiator, flew into tackles and won 50-50 balls and 40-60 balls. He is a spirited competitor who could handle Premiership football.
But, being left-footed, Drenthe is not the kind of left winger Arsene usually signs. Overmars was not left-footed and neither were Pires or Ljungberg.
Arsene plays narrow football with his wingers and wide football with his fullbacks, so Drenthe does not really fit his model.
However, right now, AW needs a wide player who can supply Eduardo with crosses as well as passes.
Feyenoord finished seventh last season, their lowest position for 16 years, and coach Bert van Marwijk has signed 8 new players. If I was the coach of Feyenoord, I wouldn’t sell Drenthe. And if I was the president of Feyenoord, I wouldn’t sell him either. I’d keep him for two years and then flog him for a lot of money.
Rafa Benitez has been linked with both wingers and was watching the game. It’s also been said today that Arsene Wenger was there in Rotterdam as well.
Don’t know if that’s true. If it is, it may be significant.
On Sunday, Dirk Kuyt will play against his old club but it may be more interesting to see what Drenthe can do against Liverpool.
Tonight’s Ajax – Arsenal game may be a dull one.
Two possession teams might create a chess match with few thrills.