Feyenoord Director: We Won't Sit Deep at Camp Nou, Defending All the Time Will Also Cause Problems

According to AS, Feyenoord sporting director Devy-Rigo said the team will not simply sit deep when playing away against Barcelona.

Rigo has served as Feyenoord's technical secretary since June last year and previously worked at Brugge for 15 years. He said Feyenoord is a big club, Rotterdam is an attractive port city, the team has 47,500 spectators attending every home match, and there are more than 10,000 people on the waiting list.

Speaking about the team's adjustments, Rigo said: "When I arrived, the team had 44 players, and we had to reduce the number of players and the total wage bill." He also revealed that Roma made a significant offer for right-back Givairo Read, while Bayern Munich and Manchester City were also interested in him; clubs in France and Spain followed Zechiël, and Moussa also received a high-value offer from Al-Ittihad. However, Feyenoord refused to sell these players because their cycle at the club had not yet ended.

Discussing the Spanish players signed by the club, Rigo said he watched Màrmol's match in person during Málaga's promotion playoff against Las Palmas, then spoke with the player and decided to sign him. Feyenoord signed Javi López because left-back Jordan Bos was injured while representing Australia at the World Cup. Nacho Ferri had gained experience at Frankfurt, Kortrijk and Westerlo, and Feyenoord eventually decided to sign him.

Speaking about the upcoming Champions League away match against Barcelona, Rigo said: "Barcelona is Barcelona. Camp Nou is a legendary stadium and one of the top stadiums in the world. But if we just sit back and defend, we will also suffer, so we still have to play proactively." He pointed out that this will be Feyenoord's first Champions League match in Barcelona. The team had previously only visited Camp Nou once, in the old European Cup during the 1974-75 season, making this a historic match.

Rigo also spoke about Gio van Bronckhorst, Robin van Persie's son Shaqueel, and Jeyesee Bisewu. He said Van Bronckhorst is a coach with a distinctive personality who achieved great success both as a player and as a coach; Shaqueel is not yet 20 years old and is not at 100 percent physically, but he has a lot of talent.

Regarding Bisewu, Rigo said: "Joining Barcelona is an absolute dream for him, and I am happy for him as well. I know he is injured, but according to his agent it is not serious." Rigo believes Barcelona should give Bisewu time to adapt because the player has the qualities needed to succeed, including speed and one-on-one ability.