Koeman demands Feyenoord focus

Final task
The Rotterdam team go into tonight's Group E game fourth in the section but can still earn a place in Friday's Round of 32 draw by defeating the Polish giants at De Kuip. For Koeman, that would be quite an achievement given the circumstances. The coach was always in for a tough season as the summer sales of forwards Dirk Kuyt and Salomon Kalou coincided with a lean financial period for the club. Koeman was given little to spend on players leading supporters to call for the resignation of president Jorien van den Herik.

Heavy fine
Van den Herik eventually stepped down yesterday, but not before things had got worse for Feyenoord. The Eredivisie side received a €125,000 UEFA fine and a suspended two-match ban for home supporters after crowd trouble before, during and after their 3-0 UEFA Cup defeat at AS Nancy-Lorraine on 30 November. Yet if the days leading up to the fixture have not been entirely positive, things have been improving on the pitch.

Rising up
Though they are still to win in this UEFA Cup group stage, Feyenoord have been making progress in domestic competition. Having hit rock bottom with a 4-0 home defeat by AFC Ajax on 22 October, they have won seven of their last eight games to surge up to fifth in the Eredivisie table. Crucially, they are six points clear of sixth-placed SC Heerenveen, with a top-five finish guaranteeing a spot in the end-of-season play-offs for the UEFA Champions League. "That is a good performance considering where we stood after the Ajax match," said Koeman. "It shows the resilience of the team."

Work to do
Despite a 3-1 success against ADO Den Haag on Sunday, however, Koeman believes his side still have work to do. "Our overall play is not good enough," he said. "We are not calm enough and got ourselves into trouble. We did not use [winger] Joonas Kolkka enough [against Den Haag]. He was clearly better than his marker but you have to take advantage as a team. That tactical insight was lacking and that has happened before this season."

Charisteas relief
Feyenoord can ill afford to let such advantages slip against Wisła, although the return from injury of defender Ron Vlaar should help steady the ship. The fact striker Angelos Charisteas scored his first goal at De Kuip against Den Haag - albeit a penalty - was also a source of comfort. "We can only achieve our goal with all our players fit and in shape," said Koeman. "The fact Charisteas scored was a huge relief for him. A great weight fell from his shoulders." The coach will be relieved of a similar burden if his team can get the better of Wisła.