NEC‘s Kaplan Struggles to Contain Feyenoord‘s Hadj Moussa in first Half
Rotterdam, Netherlands – Feyenoord attacker Anis Hadj Moussa dominated NEC defender Ahmetcan Kaplan during teh first half of Sunday’s Eredivisie match at De Kuip, leaving the Ajax loanee struggling to contain the winger’s movement. ESPN analyst Bram van Polen highlighted kaplan’s difficulties during halftime analysis, stating, “Hadj Moussa shows him all corners of the field.”
Kaplan,deployed as the leftmost central defender for NEC,faced a challenging assignment against the dynamic Hadj Moussa. van Polen questioned whether Kaplan would return for the second half, emphasizing the extent of the winger’s impact. “That’s terrible. I’ve had an afternoon like that here in De Kuip too,” Van Polen added, a reference to his own experience as a defender.
Fellow analyst mario Been concurred with Van Polen’s assessment, noting, “Kaplan sometimes doesn’t notice Hadj Moussa at all. He’s standing way too high.” Van Polen further explained that Kaplan’s positioning revealed his natural position. “You can see that he is really a central defender. As a back he is much too high on his feet.”
NEC has a defensive replacement available in Fonville, who Van Polen suggested is “a lot stronger defensively.” The performance raises questions about Kaplan’s suitability in the role against a skillful opponent like Hadj Moussa, and possibly impacts NEC’s tactical adjustments for the remainder of the match.
