Feyenoord host Inter at De Kuip in the Champions League on Tuesday evening at 21:00. Ahead of that match, Giovanni van Bronckhorst explained why Sem Steijn did not come on against Fortuna Sittard.
What Van Bronckhorst said
Van Bronckhorst said Feyenoord had intended to bring Steijn on against Fortuna Sittard. He said at the press conference ahead of the match against Inter: "After it went to 1-1, of course you want to make an attacking substitution, and I think Sem, in consultation with my staff... when they went over to tell him he was coming on, well, you could see he was still caught up in the emotion."
He added: "I think he was perhaps still emotional about why he hadn't come on. So we didn't think he was ready to come on either. That's why I made the call to leave things as they were."
What happened against Fortuna Sittard
Feyenoord went 1-0 up against Fortuna Sittard when Luciano Valente turned in a cut-back from Anis Hadj Moussa. Shiloh 't Zand equalised for Fortuna Sittard with five minutes remaining.
Steijn stayed on the bench after the equaliser against Fortuna Sittard.
His condition for Tuesday
Van Bronckhorst said: "We did intend to bring him on. And sometimes, yes, sometimes a player isn't in the right frame of mind to come on. Especially after the moment when he had to sit down again, so to speak."
He also said: "Ultimately, he has trained well again over the past few days and is ready to come on tomorrow. Sometimes, as a coach, you simply have to assess in the moment whether it is wise to bring someone on. And that will be different again tomorrow."
Inter match details
The match against Inter takes place at De Kuip on Tuesday evening at 21:00.
