Lingr’s competition at Feyenoord: Space is at two positions

He’s supposed to be a replacement for the sold Sebastian Szymanski in the centre of midfield, but who knows. There will be more places for Ondrej Lingr in Feyenoord’s lineup, where the Czech all-rounder has the best chance to break through.

In the new season, Feyenoord most often play a 4-2-3-1 formation. Two of the midfield spots are occupied by classic defensive midfielders, with Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez having a certain place in the lineup.

The most ideal position for Lingro is offensive midfield. Calvin Stengs, who arrived from Nice in the summer, is the most frequent player here. Last year he was a guest at Antwerp and helped them to a historic title.

Stegens is similar to Lingr in terms of his game. He too is versatile, can play the eight and both wings, is also good at dribbling and can shoot from distance. He’s not a bulldog, but he’s technically a bit better than the Slavist.

Quinten Timber also plays the role of the most offensive midfielder, although he is really an eight, not a right or left wing option. In fact, it would be a great shame to relegate his defensive qualities to the edge of the field.

Although he is only 177 centimetres tall, he has an uncanny ability to keep the ball with his back to goal, while also having millimetre-accurate slides. Defensively, a quality box to box player can be compared to a combination of Christos Zafeiris and Oscar Dorley.

Lingr can also jump in from either wing. The easier route into the lineup will be through the right side. Iran’s Alireza Jahanbakhsh, with a past at Brighton, is a sound name, but he hasn’t been terribly productive in the long term and is 30 years old.

Igor Paixão hasn’t hit the ground running so far this season either, but the left wing position is under his thumb after a successful season last year. So if you’re going anywhere with Lingre, it’s either at number 10 or right wing.

Source: Feyenoord Rotterdam