Match In Focus #1: Who caught the eye in RKC Waalwijk vs Willem II?
Craig Bradley from The GBE Expert Hub reports on this Eredivisie match with an eye on who could make the grade in the EFL
Welcome to this new feature where we watch a match and assess the players on the pitch with an eye on who stands out to potentially look further into from a UK recruitment perspective.
Match Details
RKC Waalwijk 2 v 0 Willem II
Competition: Eredivisie (Band 2)
Date: 26.01.2025
Venue: Mandemakers Stadion
Story of the match
RKC Waalwijk 2-0 win versus Willem II was just their second league win of the season and is enough for them to rise from the foot of the Eredivisie table, ahead of Almere City who they play in their next fixture.
Willem II made a mistake at the very beginning of the game. Runar Sigurgeirsson’s loose pass was intercepted by Oskar Zawada and Tommy St.Jago had to pull back the striker to prevent a quick RKC Waalwijk counter-attack. This set the tone for a mistake ridden half of football from Willem II.
The first good chance of the match went to RKC Waalwijk when Zawada was denied a goal by a reflex save from Thomas Didilon-Hodl after good footwork and a pull back by Mohammed Ihatteran down RKC Waalwijk’s right.
After a series of wicked inswinging corners from Ihatteran that Willem II were struggling to deal with, RKC Waalwijk took the lead in the 22nd minute when St.Jago headed into his own net.
A stagnant game had its first moment of aggression in the 37th minute. Willem II Jesse Bosch lunged into a challenge on RKC Waalwijk Yassin Oukili, Ihatteran took humbridge to the foul and went chest-to-chest with Bosch. Both Bosch and Ihatteran came away from the incident with a booking.
Half-time: RKC Waalwijk 1-0 Willem II
Willem II made a half-time substitution with Cisse Sandra replacing Nick Doodeman on their right flank.
RKC Waalwijk made a rapid start to the second half. Tim van der Loo latched onto a loose ball inside Willem II final third and lashed in a drive from 22 yards out to make the match 2-0.
RKC Waalwijk’s Juan Familia-Castillo was booked in the 57 for a lunging off-the-floor challenge similar to what Bosch had been booked for in the first half. RKC Waalwijk reacted by substituting Familia-Castillo for Aaran Meijers five minutes later.
Yassin Oukili became the fourth player to be booked in the game when in the 68th minute he was judged to pull the arm of an on-rushing Ringo Meerveld who was approaching a dangerous area. The yellow-card decision seemed harsh and Meerveld had made the most of the contact.
With the game petering out Willem II changed shape and sacrificed a midfielder for an extra striker in the 72nd minute when Youssef Sylla replaced Boris Lambert - a move that saw Meerveld adopt a deeper role.
Michael Tirpan of WIllem II was booked in the 73rd minute for hauling back Yassin Oukili. Tirpan was the second Willem II player booked for a foul on Oukili after not being able to match the RKC Waalwijk player’s running power.
The second half played out without any chance of note with RKC Waalwijk’s lead not coming under serious threat and Willem II limited to shots from range.
The game was low on quality and chances with only a few players catching The GBE Eye.
RKC WAALWIJK
MANAGER - HENK FRASER
BASE FORMATION - 4-3-3
WILLEM II
MANAGER - PETER MAES
BASE FORMATION - 4-4-1-1
Players to take from the match
RKC Waalwijk goalkeeper Jeroen Houwen didn’t have many saves to make during the game but he looked assured in his actions. Houwen was calm under pressure and can distribute with both feet. He showed a good command of his penalty area. Houwen has mostly been a career back-up keeper, his contract is due to expire in the summer and he warrants further viewing.
Faissal Al Mazyani is in his first season with RKC Waalwijk and is contracted until 2027. Al Mazyani had a solid game at right-back. He read the game well and was strong in the tackle. Al Mazyani passing and crossing quality was inconsistent but he had displayed good energy to get up and down the pitch and provide width on the right when Mohammed Ihatteran drifted infield. Al Mazyani is a Moroccan youth international with potential to be graded higher.
Tim van der Loo played at the base of RKC Waalwijk’s midfield. He is only 21 and new to the Eredivisie this season. He has a contract until 2028. Van der Loo has good height and physicality and showed good anticipation and a tendency to break up play. His passing was loose on occasions.
The GBE Expert Hub already has an individual player report written on Yassin Oukili. He is a favourite of mine. Oukili was RKC Waalwijk’s best player versus Willem II. He displayed his usual blend of powerful running and midfield tenacity. Oukili is approaching the end of his contract with RKC Waalwijk. It is highly recommended that low range Championship clubs do further investigating into Oukili. Please get in touch if this is something you require our assistance with or if you wish to access his reports.
The most important learning from recruiting in Bands 1-3, including GBE Expert Player Report on Yassin Oukili
The reminder of the GBE bands is up here for a very good reason. It is time to delve into the banded leagues to establish some interesting trends and golden rules about recruiting from particular bands of leagues.
Mohammed Ihattaren had a good game for RKC Waalwijk. He is on a contract until the end of the season. Ihattaren's career to date hasn’t been straightforward and has been well documented. It was good to see him playing with a vibrancy and a smile on his face.
Ringo Meerveld was the only player of Willem II to leave the game with any credit - and he wasn’t at his influential best. On a technical level, Meerveld is above that of his teammates. Meerveld has eighteen-months left on his contract and we recommend he is looked into by mid-top range Championship teams. Meerveld featured in depth on Episode One of the The GBE Eye podcast which all free subscribers can listen to. If you’d like to read further reports on Ringo Meerveld please get in touch.
