De Treffers beat Heracles Almelo in the Eurojackpot KNVB Cup first round in Groesbeek. De Treffers coach Theo Janssen said Heracles' heavily changed line-up had fired up his players.
Janssen on the starting line-up
Janssen told ESPN: "When I saw that line-up, I knew this match might be winnable. If they make eight changes, Heracles aren't taking us seriously. That fired up my players."
On Heracles' selection, Janssen said, "The lads who were on the pitch aren't used to playing together. They sometimes play together in 11-a-side games in training, but never in a match."
Janssen on De Treffers
"You mustn't underestimate us. We have a great team, and we showed that again tonight. The tactics are clear, the lads know what's expected of them. And we simply have some good players, as we saw today," the amateur coach continued.
Heilmann defends his selection
Heracles coach Vincent Heilmann said his side had travelled to Groesbeek with serious intentions. Fabian de Keijzer, Sem Scheperman, Djevencio van der Kust and Jean-Paul N'Djoli were among those on the Heracles bench.
"They are indeed lads who have played fewer minutes recently. But we didn't gamble here. If I were to play this match again, I would start these players again," Heilmann said.
Heilmann also said: "That is the classic Dutch way of looking at this. I understand that Theo uses this. He does so well and cleverly. But I don't think it has anything to do with the result. The players I picked are good enough to win this match."
Red card and attack
Heilmann rejected the term "B team". He said: "Because that would be unfair to the players. If the red card hadn't happened, I really think we would have been physically strong enough to see it through. We should have scored a goal in the first 55 minutes. I am critical of our attacking play in that respect."
