In The Netherlands there is only match that makes a nation stop. Just the one. It's nicknamed 'De Klassieker', or The Classic in English. On the day of the match, most of the people in the country stay at home, go to the pub or head to the stadium. During the 90 minutes of the match, streets are deserted, terraces empty and no one dares to disturb the peace. The nation goes silent.
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Ironically it's Amstel beer, brewed in Amsterdam. They probably put malt in the Feyenoord cans...
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A bit exaggerated, I confess. But when Ajax plays Feyenoord(or Feyenoord Ajax), the telly, the newspapers, the people, the football clubs - the talk of the day is 'De Klassieker'. If one of the manager so much as farts, it makes the news practically. Because this is not an ordinary match, it divides The Netherlands into two camps: Amsterdam versus Rotterdam. Every football loving man or woman in The Netherlands is forced to pick a side. Normally it's always easier to do that when one of the two teams is on top of the table but this week, Feyenoord is almost at the bottom in 17th place, and Ajax is currently 8th place on the table.
On Sunday at half twelve in the morning the most important game of the season kicks off and for most of the players on the pitch, it could very well be their last Klassieker in their career. Players like Eriksen, Alderweireld and Bruno Martins Indi are still heavily linked with clubs from abroad, and probably more than a dozen scouts will be on the stands in the Amsterdam Arena to watch this match which features some very talented hot prospects. But it's not just the players that are under review, Feyenoord manager Ronald Koeman is under some pressure as well, and not just because he lost the first two games of this season (which hadn't happen for Feyenoord in the past fifty years). No, Koeman is one of the candidates to take the position of manager at the national team. Louis van Gaal is departing after the World Cup in 2014 and the pool of candidates is slim. Well... Koeman is essentially the only candidate if you believe the media. So for Koeman, this season he has to succeed.
In Amsterdam, things were looking up. Frank de Boer only saw Derk Boerrigter depart to Celtic this summer. With the team remaining almost entirely the same, Ajax are the favourites to win the Championship this year. With loan star winger Bojan from Barcelona, De Boer managed to even improve the team a bit. As expected, Ajax started the season as it should; it won the Johan Cruijff Shield and won the first game of the season with ease against Roda JC with, 3-0. The perfect start was cut short by a pesky team from Alkmaar. Amsterdam was back with two feet on the ground when AZ made sure the points stayed at home, winning 3-2 last week against Ajax. The game had some nasty consequences for Frank de Boer. Right back Ricardo van Rhijn got sent off and is suspended for Sunday's game and Siem de Jong was injured(collapsed lung). If you thought that might level the playing field for next week, you're mistaken.
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Van Rhijn pulling a shirt in the penalty area, still denied pulling Viergever's shirt in the post match interview.
Expectations are high in Rotterdam because the squad remained intact. And with a second and a third place in previous seasons, the port city is almost demanding a title this year, with the emphasis on the Championship. Feyenoord is craving for an Eredivisie title as their last was in 1998-99, almost fifteen years ago. A loss on Sunday will mean that they can say goodbye to their aspirations because a club rarely comes back after dropping nine points at the start of the season. Feyenoord are in the same position as Ajax when it comes to missing players. Both Stefan de Vrij and Jordy van Deelen were sent off in last week's game. Right Back Daryl Janmaat had picked up an injury last week and stayed at home during the international game this week. As a result, Ronald Koeman is without a serious option to replace the centre back position of De Vrij(Vormer and Martins Indi are the only two defenders left in the squad). Koeman will have to get creative and show that he is worthy of getting the job of managing the national team.
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Defensive problems for Koeman
Those ninety minutes on Sunday will make or break careers of players and managers. And potentially if the city is ransacked or not. Millions will be holding their breaths, shouting at tellies, discussing tactics at half time, but most of all, watching the most emotion and action packed game of the season. The rest of the country will look like this:
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