When a manager titles his pre-match column “Op zoek naar de beste balans” (Looking for the best balance), you know the season has started with a healthy dose of chaos. Page 5 of the September 1, 2013 matchday programme features Erwin van de Looi addressing the FC Groningen faithful ahead of the highly anticipated clash against reigning champions Ajax. His words perfectly capture the wild, unpredictable nature of his early tenure.
Van de Looi candidly admits that in just four matches, his team has already tasted every possible flavor of football: a solid 2-0 home win against FC Utrecht, a painful 4-1 thrashing away at SC Cambuur, and an absolutely chaotic 3-3 draw against Go Ahead Eagles where Groningen managed to come back from behind despite being reduced to nine men. “We have scored ten goals, but on the other hand, we have also conceded eight. We give away goals too easily,” the manager laments. It was a team providing massive entertainment value, but giving their coaching staff nightmares.
Facing Ajax in this state was a daunting task, though Van de Looi notes a glimmer of hope: the Amsterdam side was missing their talismanic captain, Siem de Jong. The column is a fascinating real-time look at a manager trying to tighten the screws on a highly creative, yet defensively fragile squad, urging them to minimize unforced errors in front of a packed Euroborg.
A Look into the Future
The search for “balance” that Van de Looi wrote about in September 2013 would eventually become his defining achievement. While this specific season was marked by inconsistency, the lessons learned during these chaotic early matches laid the groundwork for the future. By the 2014/2015 season, Van de Looi had transformed this erratic squad into a tactically disciplined unit capable of winning the KNVB Cup. The wild 3-3 draws with nine men were replaced by gritty, organized victories, proving that the growing pains documented on this page were entirely necessary.