Bram Nuytinck faced intense scrutiny following NEC's defeat to Feyenoord on Saturday, with veteran analyst Wim Kieft questioning whether the 36-year-old defender can still perform at the required level. Nuytinck started in place of the injured Philippe Sandler, but struggled to cope with the pace demanded by NEC's aggressive, attacking setup under manager Dick Schreuder.
Kieft's critique centred on a fundamental mismatch between Nuytinck's physical capabilities and the tactical demands placed on him. "Someone really needs to tell him that he can't do it anymore," Kieft remarked on Rondo, highlighting how the defender became exposed in large spaces as Feyenoord repeatedly exploited gaps in midfield. The decisive moment came when Valente's one-two saw the midfielder burst through from deep to restore Feyenoord's lead, a goal that exemplified NEC's vulnerabilities.
Tactical System Under Fire
Analysts debated whether the fault lay with Nuytinck individually or with NEC's system itself. Youri Mulder attributed the goal to one-on-one pressing across the pitch, which left defenders isolated. Theo Janssen suggested Nuytinck could have anticipated his pace limitations and dropped deeper to cover the second ball. However, Rafael van der Vaart pointed to a deeper problem: "If you play this system, then a defender like Nuytinck will indeed always end up in trouble. Then it has to be very quick and very good, and those kinds of players often do not play at a higher level than NEC."
Van der Vaart acknowledged the merit in Schreuder's attacking philosophy, noting that NEC can win matches playing this way. Yet he warned of the consequences when execution falters. "It's nice and you're going to win a lot of matches, but if things are not quite working, you just get slaughtered." The question facing NEC now is whether age-related decline in their defensive ranks will continue to punish their aggressive approach in the Eredivisie.
