Martin Jol expects a real battle

Wednesday 18 February 2009

NEC coach Mario Been will have to solve a little puzzle concerning his forward line in tonight's game against HSV Hamburg, the club of Dutch coach Martin Jol.

The three forwards he used on Sunday are not available for different reasons.

Tim Janssen and Dennis Rommedahl are injured and Rachid Bouaouzan has been put back to the second team on Tuesday for lack of motivation.

On Sunday the winger was substituted before the half-time whistle.

That means Jhonny van Beukering - a player who himself got sanctioned by Been earlier in the season for being overweight - will start against HSV.

He will be supported on the wings by Saïdi Ntibazonkiza and Lasse Schöne.

Arek Radomski returns to midfield and take the place of Schöne.

Been demands a fighting spirit from kickoff tonight.

"We lacked that on Sunday. When we don't show any will to win tonight we might as well pack it in and go the Reeperbahn," Been said with a smile referring to a song that has been a hit among NEC fans in recent days and that has caused a commotion in Germany.

The song was made by one of the financial directors of NEC.

In the song a certain 'Scheele Daan' ('cross-eyed Daan') explains how the NEC fans will all go the Reeperbahn (a street in the red light district of Hamburg) and that they are of course the best club in the world.

Scheele Daan wants to show the players that they are not on their own in Hamburg he says.

Just why the Germans are upset by the song is unclear.

What is clear is that Martin Jol is doing well in his first season in Hamburg.

The coach from Scheveningen is in third spot in the Bundesliga, 1 point behind leaders Berlin, his team is still competing in the German Cup and with NEC he will compete for a spot in the round of the last 16.

Jol would want to win a prize with HSV of course but has mixed emotions nonetheless.

"They often say it is unwise to bet on two horses, but it's the situation we are in at the moment," Jol said on Tuesday.

The former coach of RKC Waalwijk and Roda JC admitted that the chance to win the German Cup is bigger than winning the UEFA Cup.

"But that doesn't mean we don't want to win here on Wednesday. We are in a situation that we are competing on three fronts."

On Sunday HSV play the important league game against Bayer Leverkusen.

Jol did not want to say whether he will rest players for that game.

The former Spurs manager described NEC as a team with 'a lot of spirit'.

"That will have something to do with their coach," he said with a smile.

Jol expects a real battle on the soaked pitch in De Goffert.

"NEC are used to playing on this pitch. They know what it takes to decide a battle here. We will have to fight as well."

He didn't want to reveal much of his plan for tonight's game.

"That depends on the course of the game. It's all about conceding no goals an scoring one or two ourselves."