The former England boss replaced Co Adriaanse at De Grolsch Veste earlier this month and now foresees a tough challenge in the race for Eredivisie title.
Joop Munsterman appointed Steve McClaren as the new http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/FC-Twente-c39233 Enschede manager after sacking Co Adriaanse earlier this month. Although the 64-year-old tactician achieved good results half-way through the 2011/12 season, the Tukkers president had to part
ways with the Dutch trainer owing to a combination of problems.
Under the leadership of Adriaanse, the Tukkers ended 2011 with three defeats in a row. They lost to http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/PSV-c40281 Eindhoven ended their Dutch cup run.
The players and the staff lost trust in the abilities of the Dutch mentor after these defeats, and Munsterman was left with no choice despite six months still remaining on his contract.
McClaren, who enjoys a good relationship with the Tukkers president since his time in Enschede from 2008-10, was the obvious choice to take over the managerial hot seat at De Grolsch Veste.
The Englishman knows many of the players, who enjoyed success under his leadership in the 2009/10 campaign, and will not face much trouble adjusting at the club.
When the former England manager left the Tukkers in the summer of 2010 to join http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Al-Shabab-c38361 Riyadh after
guiding his side to a second placed finish, winning the KNVB beker Cup and reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Adriaanse succeeded Preud’homme to start the ongoing campaign and the Tukkers continued their success under the new mananger. However, the 64-year-old failed to maintain good relations with the club chairman, and the three successive defeats only sealed
his fate.
The former Tukkers boss opted to play with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation. However, McClaren is likely to deploy a 4-3-3 formation that he introduced during his first spell at De Grolsch Veste. And that brought him success, too.
The Englishman would use http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Luuk-de-Jong-c22956 as the central forward while Ola John and Nacer Chadli will flourish on the wings, meaning the fans will not have to see many high balls targeted at front - a tactic that was dominant under Adriaanse.
The Enschede giants are currently sitting third in the league table, five points behind the Eredivisie table-toppers, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/AZ-c38571 Alkmaar. The Tukkers have already bowed out of the Dutch cup; the former England manager would only be challenging for the title. Furthermore,
the club management would also like to see their side progress through to at least the semi-finals of the Europa League.
The outfit from Enschede is unlikely to make any acquisitions in the ongoing January transfer window. However, McClaren will be hard-pressed holding on to his star players http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marc-Janko-c23484 in the transfer market.
It is fair to believe that key players will leave the club for pastures greener. The Englishman will then have to find perfect replacements and that too, with significantly smaller amounts.
There is no denying the fact that the Tukkers have evolved into a club that has challenged the Dutch big-four, PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord and AZ, since 2008 and much of the credit goes to McClaren.
However, the pressure will be upon the Englishman to maintain the high standards that he has set for himself, but only time will tell whether the former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749 manager succeeds with his second stint, too, or his reputation takes a serious dent.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are of writer’s own and do not reflect Bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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