The match in the TOTO KNVB Cup against FC Den Bosch was the 200th match of Excelsior Rotterdam with Marinus Dijkhuizen as head coach (2014-2015 and 2020-now). We look back on this milestone with eleven facts about the matches led by Dijkhuizen.
1. Marinus Dijkhuizen has been the fifth coach of Excelsior Rotterdam since the introduction of professional football, with at least 200 games under his belt. Only Bob Janse (332*), Adrie Koster (266), Rinus Smits (215) and Thijs Libregts (202*) preceded him.
2. In almost two thirds of these 200 matches, Excelsior remained undefeated (W79 G48 V73). Dijkhuizen’s debut match was on January 17, 2014 against FC Dordrecht, when the score was 1-1. A week later he achieved his first victory at home against Jong PSV (2-1).
3. With Dijkhuizen at the helm, Excelsior was twice promoted to the Eredivisie via the play-offs (2014 and 2022), the Kralingers celebrated direct enforcement just as often (2015 and 2023) and reached the semi-finals of the KNVB Cup in 2015.
4. Only under Rob Jacobs did Excelsior play more games in the Eredivisie (136) than under Dijkhuizen (78). In the First Division, Dijkhuizen coached the Kralingers for 98 matches and the remaining matches were in the KNVB cup tournament (14) and the promotion play-offs (10).
5. Dijkhuizen had 118 players appear in the first team. Of these, Siebe Horemans (136), Julian Baas (125) and Sander Fischer (92) were on the field most often. 21 players played at least 50 matches under Dijkhuizen.
6. Dijkhuizen could cheer 360 times for an Excelsior goal. The goals were scored by 50 different players (plus 15 own goals). Top scorers under Dijkhuizen are Thijs Dallinga (36), Reuven Niemeijer (32) and Elías Már Ómarsson (31).
7. With 332 goals conceded, the goal difference under Dijkhuizen is positive (+28). The Kralingers did not concede a goal in exactly a quarter of the games, including 15 times in the Eredivisie. Eleven games ended as they started and therefore without goals.
8. Dijkhuizen met 42 different opponents with Excelsior. Most matches were against FC Den Bosch (9), NAC Breda, MVV Maastricht and FC Volendam (8). They never lost to seven opponents and did not triumph against the same number of clubs.
9. The biggest victory under Dijkhuizen’s leadership is also Excelsior’s biggest victory ever in professional football. On April 4, 2014, Telstar won 8-0 in the first division. The biggest loss was on October 16, 2022 at Ajax (1-7).
10. In 2020, ten goals were scored in one match twice in the Kitchen Champion Division. On February 21, this was still in Excelsior’s favor, when it became 6-4 against FC Den Bosch. On September 6, on the other hand, Almere City FC won with these figures in Kralingen.
11. There were many more goal-rich matches led by Dijkhuizen. For example, Excelsior drew 4-4 three times: against FC Den Bosch and Almere City FC (2021), but it was memorable of course in the play-offs on May 29, 2022 when they visited ADO Den Haag.
The post first appeared on excelsiorrotterdam.nl