Robin van Persie’s coaching debut for Heerenveen ended in defeat on Sunday as they lost their opening game of the new Dutch Eredivisie season against Ajax Amsterdam. A single goal from Kristian Hlynsson was enough to secure the victory for Ajax, leaving Heerenveen without any points.
Despite the loss, Van Persie remained optimistic about his team’s performance. He felt that Heerenveen had missed out on an opportunity to earn a result. “Based on the entire match, there might have been more in it,” Van Persie told television reporters after the game. “We had a few chances in the first half. We had hoped that one of them would have gone in and created a bit more belief. In the second half, you could see our intentions but we didn’t really create any chances.”
The former Dutch international striker, who played for clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United, highlighted the need for improvement in creating scoring opportunities. However, he remains confident in his team’s approach. “We are going to face FC Utrecht next week in high spirits. “With this way of playing, I cannot promise that we will win every match, but in terms of intensity and sometimes also quality, this is football as I think you should play it. We will show that every week,” he added.
Van Persie, who scored 50 goals in 102 appearances for the Netherlands, joined Heerenveen after retiring from playing in 2020. He previously served as part of Feyenoord’s coaching staff. Heerenveen will have the opportunity to bounce back in their first home match of the season against Utrecht on Saturday.
