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Becoming champion of the VriendenLoterij Eredivisie and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals with VVV-Venlo. British player Alex, known to the general public as fmjunkie, has managed to do just that. The streamer has enjoyed particular success with VVV in the game Football Manager and will be attending a match of the Limburg club in person for the first time on Sunday afternoon. “It’s really cool.”

How did a 23-year-old Brit end up supporting the Dutch side VVV-Venlo? Alex starts laughing when asked that question. “It’s actually pure coincidence,” the streamer begins. Almost every day, he shows via a live stream on Twitch how he aims to reach the top of European football with VVV in the game Football Manager. He also posts highlights from his livestreams on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. To show just how seriously Alex takes his mission: during his streams, he wears various merchandise items from his “favourite Dutch club” and paints his face with yellow and black face paint.

This Sunday afternoon, too, he’s proudly wearing his VVV shirt. “Originally, I managed an English club called Gillingham in Football Manager. If you fast-forward a lot further in time in the game, AI players are generated. One of them was Dutch, and my followers and viewers loved him. His name is Dennis Vonk. The game had invented his existence and also that he originally came from VVV. It all started because of him.”

Alex got in touch with VVV via Instagram and told them about his challenge. He asked the club what approach he should take and received a reply. “They said I should focus on signing young players. So that’s what I did.” The advice has certainly paid off, as Alex has since become Dutch champion with VVV. “And we’ve also reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League, so hopefully I’ll win that one very soon too.”

In a sense, Alex is VVV-Venlo’s most successful manager ever. Have the Venlo fans already offered the 23-year-old Brit a job? The streamer bursts out laughing before the question is even finished. “No, no. You never know. Maybe if I win the Champions League,” jokes Alex. He’s clearly enjoying his first visit to De Koel. “It’s a real classic stadium. It has an old-fashioned feel to it. It’s really cool. Very different from many English stadiums, but I’ve heard the atmosphere is brilliant. So I’m really looking forward to that.”

The Brit hasn’t just picked any old match, because Roda JC are visiting Venlo on Sunday afternoon. Alex is well prepared. “I’ve heard that things can get quite heated in the derby at times. But I’ll be cheering on VVV. Hopefully they’ll win and it’ll be a good match. I always follow the results and I’ll definitely try to come and watch a few more matches after today,” says Alex, emphasising his love for his favourite Dutch club.

Filip Kostic will be playing on familiar ground on Sunday. The PSV player will be representing Serbia against the Netherlands at the Philips Stadium and is confident about the match.

Kostic is impressed by the atmosphere and culture surrounding PSV. He also hopes that more of his compatriots will choose to play for the club in the future. ‘It’s great to be back here. I’ve seen a few of my team-mates and the stadium is magnificent. There’s a real culture here of always supporting the national team. I think the stadium will be packed and there’ll be a fantastic atmosphere,’ Kostic said at a press conference.

‘From the very first day I arrived here, people asked me about Mateja Kezman and Danko Lazovic. They made a great impression here and threw the doors wide open for all of us. I’ll try to follow in their footsteps, so that many Serbian players will play here in the future too.’

'This is without a doubt the best training programme and a fantastic springboard for young players. I would advise all our young players to come here. You learn everything here about professionalism and nutrition. Many players have built serious careers here, so you really can’t go wrong. That’s good for our national team and for Serbian football.'

Kostic expects Serbia to perform better on Sunday than they did a week ago. ‘I think we were better defensively against the Netherlands (than against Germany, ed.) and dropped deep. The Netherlands are a team who like to have possession. I think they’ll play with a different formation. I expect us to play a better match than we did against Germany.’

With the arrival of Tolu Arokodare and Marcos Leonardo, it seemed Kasper Dolberg’s time at Ajax was over. Suddenly, he was in the starting line-up against Willem II (5–1). He provided two assists and scored one goal. We spoke to the Dane after the match.

“This feels good. I’m pleased with the playing time I’ve had in the last two matches,” said the man of few words in the mixed zone after the match. Dolberg also featured in the away match against Fortuna Sittard (1–5). He scored a goal in that match too.

We wouldn’t have thought that a few weeks ago. Dolberg seemed to have run his course at Ajax. He realised that himself, too. “Of course I had my doubts following the arrival of two strikers. Was I close to a transfer? Not really, but I did, of course, speak to other clubs.”

In the end, Dolberg decided to stay. The striker says he feels at home in Amsterdam. “I think I can play a big part here. We’ve got a strong team. We can win everything. I want to be part of that. This felt like the best place to be.”

Dolberg showed against Willem II that he still possesses superb technique. First, he chested the ball down for Davy Klaassen, before later setting up Oscar Gloukh to score. That was preceded by a lovely backheel. Although Dolberg thought that was his best assist, the first one was impressive too. “When I saw Davy, I laid the ball off on instinct.”

Two goals and two assists in four days. That’s something to be proud of. However, Dolberg’s lack of goalscoring was precisely what he was criticised for. “If you’re a striker at Ajax, you have to score goals. I didn’t do that enough last year,” he admits.

Dolberg is then asked whether that was down to him or the quality of the players around him. “It’s a combination of both. You have to understand the players around you and the atmosphere in the squad has to be good. I feel more at home in the team now than I did last year.”

It’s clear what Míchel Sánchez expects of him. “He wants me to be more aggressive in the penalty area. He knows what I’m capable of with the ball in build-up play. I’m a striker who wants to be involved in the game. I feel comfortable in that role, but I do need to score more often.”

In Arokodare, Dolberg has a rival for goals. “He’s a specialist at picking his spot in the penalty area. We talk about that a lot,” says the Dane, who also enjoys playing alongside Julian Brandt. “This was the first time I’ve played alongside him. I love players like him. He’s always looking for you. We need to link up more often, but it’ll come.”

Dolberg certainly has a good feeling about this squad. “There’s a lot of quality in this team. Ajax have signed a lot of good players at the right age. They’re lads who have experience, but are still hungry. It’s a great group. I’ve got a really good feeling about it. ‘We still have room for improvement, but the foundations are in place.’

https://archive.is/abQsc

Have you always wanted to play internationally? If you have a passport or roots in Dominica and own a pair of gloves, the opportunity of a lifetime is waiting for you. The football association of this Caribbean island is currently using social media to recruit a goalkeeper for the national team with immediate effect.

‘Football Twitter, I urgently need help,’ begins former international Justin Fevrier in his remarkable post on X. ‘I’m looking for a goalkeeper with Dominican parents.’

He is not referring to the Dominican Republic, but to the small island nation of Dominica (population approximately 65,000). The national team is on the eve of four international matches in the CONCACAF Nations League, but they do need a goalkeeper for those games.

‘Due to an unforeseen injury, a replacement is urgently needed,’ reads the message being shared widely on social media. Hopes are pinned on finding an undiscovered talent abroad.

The current squad has just two goalkeepers: Donté Newton and 17-year-old Dwight Eloi. Between them, they have exactly one international cap (Eloi has yet to make his debut). The football association is now focusing its efforts primarily on the Dominican diaspora in England, the island’s former coloniser.

The search for a new goalkeeper has a tight deadline for the team ranked 182nd in the FIFA world rankings. Dominica kicks off its Nations League campaign on Friday 25 September against the Cayman Islands, followed by matches against Puerto Rico and Guyana (twice).

Wesley Sneijder is clearing out his collection. The record-holding international is putting various shirts, memorabilia and medals up for auction. ‘If I can make other people happy, they’re more than welcome.’

Among the items on offer is the Silver Ball, which Sneijder received as the second-best player at the 2010 World Cup. His participant’s medal from the World Cup in South Africa is also going under the hammer, as is his bronze medal from the 2014 World Cup. Another standout item is a shirt worn by Cristiano Ronaldo in Galatasaray’s Champions League match against Real Madrid. In that match, the Portuguese player scored a hat-trick.

‘To be honest, the memories are right here,’ says Sneijder, placing his hand on his heart, on the auction platform MatchWornShirt. ‘These items are linked to matches and moments that have been very special to me. I think it’s wonderful that I can now share these memories with football fans and collectors. If I can make other people happy with them, they’re more than welcome.’

Other highlights from the collection include the match ball from the quarter-final between the Netherlands and Brazil at the 2010 World Cup, when Sneijder headed home the winner for national manager Bert van Marwijk’s side, and a gold medal following the Coppa Italia victory with Internazionale in 2011.

Dévy Rigaux is pleased that, apart from Ayase Ueda’s departure, he has managed to keep all of Feyenoord’s key players. According to the Rotterdam club’s technical director, this was his most important task, given the club’s limited financial resources. With this squad, Feyenoord must first close the gap on PSV. “We’ve never spoken openly about the title.”

Rigaux was aware of Feyenoord’s financial situation before he signed a contract with the club. “You then have two options. Either you sell your key players and bring in a lot of money, but then you have to build a team from scratch. Or you try to keep your key players here for as long as possible. Then you’re operating from a position of strength. That provides a certain stability. That’s why I chose, first and foremost, to fight to keep the lads at De Kuip.”

Rigaux is referring to Givairo Read, Gjivai Zechiël, Luciano Valente, Oussama Targhalline and Anis Hadj Moussa. On deadline day, an offer came in for the latter from Al Ittihad, Steven Bergwijn’s club. Rigaux, however, assumes that the Algerian international will simply remain at Feyenoord. “Earlier in the transfer window, he said he did not want to go to Saudi Arabia. Moreover, no agreements have been put in writing. The transfer window is now closed. That means we want to ensure we retain our quality on the pitch.”

Feyenoord saw a lot of players leave this summer. No fewer than eighteen players left the Rotterdam club. Ayase Ueda (15 million), Leo Sauer (15 million), Anel Ahmedhodzic (7 million), In-Beom Hwang (4.5 million), Casper Tengstedt (4 million), Ramiz Zerrouki (2.25 million), Jeyland Mitchell (1.8 million) and Timon Wellenreuther (1 million) collectively brought in nearly 50 million. “Above all, we were able to offload a large number of players for specific sums.”

Calvin Stengs, Luka Ivanušec, Neraysho Kasanwirjo and Gernot Trauner also left the club. Feyenoord did not receive a transfer fee for these players, but their departures did free up space in the wage bill. “We were tasked with drastically reducing the wage bill. To bring down transfer-related expenses.” When the Belgian took up his post this summer, Feyenoord’s squad consisted of around forty players.

At the start of the transfer window, Feyenoord had the opportunity to sell Read for a substantial sum. Although Rigaux insists that this sum was lower than the thirty million euros being reported in the media. “The fact is that Jordan Bos has suffered a long-term injury. If, at the start of the window, you then have to sell another key player who brings a lot of value on the pitch, I think it was a very strong move on our part to enter into talks with Givairo. I see that more as a sign of strength,” says Rigaux, explaining why Read was not allowed to leave Rotterdam.

Ayase Ueda did leave Feyenoord. According to Rigaux, this summer was the right time for the striker to leave. “He was at the end of a cycle at Feyenoord. He became the top scorer in the Dutch league, he turned 28 at the end of August, he played in the World Cup, and he had only two years left on his contract. In addition, he indicated that he was very keen to move to a top-five league.”

Rigaux confirms that Fenerbahçe had shown an interest in Ueda earlier in the transfer window. That club tabled an offer of 25 million euros to the Rotterdam side. The technical director respected Ueda’s wish to move to a top-five league. “You can’t just push someone out the door.” Ultimately, Feyenoord received fifteen million euros for Ueda from Lille. “For them, that was a significant sum of money. For us, it was money that allowed us to get our finances more in order. In addition, there is also the financial reality of Feyenoord, which is well known to certain clubs.”

In total, Rigaux reinvested just under twenty million euros. Nacho Ferri (9 million), Charles Vanhoutte (5.5 million) and Tjark Ernst (5 million) were signed from KVC Westerlo, OGC Nice and Hertha BSC respectively. In addition, the club signed Mika Mármol on a free transfer and took Javi López on loan from Real Sociedad.

Rigaux says he will only be able to say whether Feyenoord have strengthened their squad sufficiently at the end of the season. “I do have a great deal of confidence in the team we have. Particularly because we’ve managed to retain players who are of great sporting value to Feyenoord and because we’ve been able to strengthen the squad in targeted areas. All in all, you could say that we certainly do not have an uncompetitive squad.”

Rigaux emphasises that head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst was also aware of the limited options before he signed his contract. “The working relationship between the managing director, the technical director and the head coach is exceptionally good. Giovanni has been involved in everything.”