If the early months of the 2013/2014 season were defined by tactical chaos and red cards, December brought a completely different narrative to the Euroborg. By the time the matchday programme for the clash against ADO Den Haag was printed, FC Groningen had transformed into a team that simply refused to die. Manager Erwin van de Looi proudly highlights this newfound resilience in his “De Warming Up” column.

Under the headline “We zijn moeilijk te verslaan” (We are hard to beat), Van de Looi reflects on a remarkable seven-match unbeaten streak in the Eredivisie. But it wasn’t just the fact that they weren’t losing; it was how they were surviving. He specifically points to the previous weekend’s away match against NAC Breda. “If you are 2-0 down with ten minutes to play and you still make it 2-2, that means you have fought until the very last minute,” he writes under the sub-header “GEKNOKT” (Fought).

While the manager pragmatically notes that the team shouldn’t put themselves in a 2-0 hole to begin with, the pride in his squad’s mental fortitude is obvious. He warns his players not to underestimate ADO Den Haag, noting that despite their low league position, they had recently strengthened their squad. It is a column written by a manager who finally trusts the psychological bedrock of his dressing room.

A Look into the Future

This specific trait—the refusal to capitulate in the dying moments of a match—became the absolute hallmark of Erwin van de Looi‘s tenure at FC Groningen. The mental toughness forged during this seven-match unbeaten run in the winter of 2013 laid the psychological groundwork for the team’s ultimate triumph. A year and a half later, this exact same core group of players would rely on that gritty, never-say-die attitude to navigate a grueling KNVB Cup campaign, eventually lifting the trophy in 2015. The “hard to beat” mentality advertised on this page became a historic reality.