Giovanni van Bronckhorst kept the same Feyenoord starting eleven for Feyenoord Vs Como on Wednesday, sticking with the side that beat AZ 2-0. The match was scheduled to begin at 18:45, and the lineup carried no surprises.
Tjark Ernst started in goal, with Givairo Read at right back and Javi López at left back. Jeremiah St. Juste and Mika Mármol were the center-backs, while Charles Vanhoutte, Oussama Targhalline and Gjivai Zechiël formed the midfield. Anis Hadj Moussa operated on the right wing, Luciano Valente on the left, and Nacho Ferri led the line.
The decision mattered because Feyenoord reached this Champions League game after a 5-1 defeat to FC Barcelona last month, yet van Bronckhorst still chose continuity over change. That made the selection itself the day’s main news: the coach kept faith with the same group that had just delivered a 2-0 win over AZ, rather than breaking up the side after the setback.
Tsuyoshi Watanabe was part of the picture too. He had returned to full fitness and was only expected to be used as a substitute, which left van Bronckhorst with a fit defender available without forcing him into the starting team. The lineup therefore suggested the coach wanted stability for Como, even if the recent Barcelona result would have given him a reason to rethink.
Feyenoord’s match against Como was one of the night’s fixed points, and the unchanged XI showed how much confidence van Bronckhorst placed in the same unit. What remained unanswered was not who would start, but whether that trust would look justified once the game kicked off at 18:45.
