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sport">That hole consisted of the French playing and running. Kökcü: ,,We knew we were fitter. That’s why we played at a high intensity. But if you deliver that much, you will notice it at the end of the game.”
sport">VIDEO: In the final of the Conference League, Feyenoord will meet AS Roma, the team of former Feyenoord defender Rick Karsdorp. Football chief Valentijn Driessen says that the footballer should not show his tattoo in the near future.
sport">The Turkish international has had to suffer extra in recent weeks because he also had to deal with Ramadan. In the home game he could only eat and drink something at a corner that was taken just after nine o’clock in the evening. He has been able to recover a bit in recent days, but the program is very tough this month.
knucklebones
sport">Kökcü is normally the man who often starts attacking and who brings creativity to the heart of his squad. In Stade Velodrome, this time he had to fight hard and support his defense. ,,We have proven that in addition to all that attacking, we can also defend well. We gave almost nothing away and kept a clean sheet.”
“The only thing that goes through my mind is that I want to win that final too now that we have come this far”
sport">The man who is proud that he, together with Geertruida, Malacia and Bijlow, stems from his own training, was disturbed before the match by the traffic chaos in the city and the aggression against the Feyenoord bus. ,,A day earlier it took us fifteen minutes to reach the stadium from our hotel, now it took more than an hour. Then that rock hit the bus. But we stayed very cool. I don’t think anyone was upset by the atmosphere here. That atmosphere was great, but rather gave us strength. If they want to hurt you with their noise, they want to hurt them.”
Great joy among the Conference League finalists
Ⓒ ANP/HH
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sport">When asked if it was just a matter of survival, Kökcü said: ,,It’s difficult to go into a match like that. we had no intention of going for a 0-0 draw. We just wanted to play our own game, but at a certain point you’re so far in the game that you start thinking less about attacking and more about holding the zero at the back.”
sport">According to Kökcü, reaching the final is extra nice for the men who have been playing at Feyenoord since their youth. Justin Bijlow was not in the field but was there again to support him, Malacia and Geertruida. “This season and this result, beating Marseille in the semi-finals, is so great because our group has also had more difficult moments.”
AS Roma?
sport">Immediately after the semi-finals, the story came that the midfielder is about to make a transfer to AS Roma, the opponent in the final battle of the Conference League. Kökcü says that his father has not told him about it and he is doing his business. He was immediately asked ten minutes after the game whether he is happy with AS Roma as an opponent in the final. Kökcü: ,,I haven’t thought about that at all. I just got out of the locker room and I’m still here in my football uniform. The only thing on my mind is that I want to win that final too now that we’ve come this far.”
sport">That will be a reunion with Rick Karsdorp, who also had his roots at Varkenoord as a nine-year-old, made a major transfer and after a knee injury by Roma in the 2019-2020 season, he was briefly parked as a rental player in Rotterdam.
sport">It doesn’t really matter to Kökcü who is still facing him in the field. He has grown as a creative midfielder and is fortunate that Slot has believed in him from day one. ,,He has been very important as a coach this season. I think it’s all thanks to Arne’s work. It’s so clear how we play now. Everyone performs much better. You can really say that this is his job.”
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