MAIKEL Kieftenbeld is Gary Rowett’s calm but aggressive and determined lieutenant on the pitch.
He’s the player the manager can call upon to do a specific job.
Rowett knows Kieftenbeld won’t sulk after not being picked. And Kieftenbeld won’t be going banging on the manager’s door asking why he’s not in the team.
Kieftenbeld didn’t start a league game for two-and-a-half months and though his return to the sid ended in disappointment with the 1-0 defeat to Blackpool, he showed why Rowett signed him in the 2-0 win against West Brom.
Rowett explained one of Kieftenbeld’s main strengths is his ability to spot when to step up from a deeper position in midfield to press an opponent. He did exactly that against the Baggies, forcing a turnover of possession before Scott Malone found Benik Afobe who scored the second goal.
At half-time in that game, with the Lions on the back of a three-game losing run and a Den that was getting edgy, Rowett kept his cool and told his side the game would open up after an hour. That’s exactly what happened and Millwall took their chances.
Kieftenbeld appreciates that level approach from the manager who signed him for Birmingham.
“He’s a manager who’s been around the Championship for a long time so he knows the league, he knows what to ask from his players,” Kieftenbeld said.
“In some ways he is calm but he also wants his players to perform and win games. He makes sure we know and of course we know.
Relatedarticles
“I’ve had a lot of managers, especially in my time at Birmingham City, so I can see how things can be different, if some managers get stressed after three losses and start doing different things.
“If you react out of emotion you think, ‘we lost the last three games, we have to change things’, but the game against Forest was probably one of our best games. Yes, you lose that game, but you should stick to the positive things. I think that’s what he did.”
Kieftenbeld is also a calm character and didn’t get despondent despite that losing run.
He said: “Not in terms of, ‘oh, we lost three games in a row’. It’s just the Championship. Sometimes you have a bad spell for a couple of games and it’s just how you respond.
“The way we responded [against West Brom] was perfect. Even in the three games we lost I think we played well. We played well against Forest and were unlucky to lose that game.
“It’s small margins sometimes in the Championship but after three games of not winning a win is always good.”
Kieftenbeld has had to be patient in this campaign, with Billy Mitchell, George Saville and George Evans often ahead of him in Rowett’s thoughts.
He did find it frustrating that he missed games because of two positive Covid tests when he was fine health-wise but because of government rules he had to stay away from the training ground and self-isolate.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad I didn’t feel anything because I know there are a lot of people who are struggling when they catch Covid,” Kieftenbeld said.
“For me it was frustrating because I felt fine and the lads were out there playing matches. I wanted to be part of it but it is what it is, the season that it is, all clubs have struggled with it. But for me it was not great because I just want to be part of the team and be out there.
“It was tough [not playing]. I just had to wait for my chance and I’m glad I’m really more involved now. Hopefully the second half the season I can be more involved than the first half.
“I’m not really a person for [knocking on the manager’s door] because I know he trusts me, he knows me as a player. I always have the feeling that if he needs me he will put me straight back into the team. I don’t really like when people go to the manager and ask why they are not playing.
“I just want to keep my head down and show it on the training pitch, make sure I’m fit when the chance is there. One of the sports scientists told me it was about 21 weeks ago when I played my last 90.
“In some way I’m proud of myself that I kept going and training and am able now to play 90 minutes.”
It has been a frustrating season for Millwall with injuries and a Covid outbreak in December. But different players have made impacts when others have been out.
And Kieftenbeld feels that when Jed Wallace and George Saville return they will boost the side’s prospects in the second half of the season.
“First Bradders [Tom Bradshaw] and then Benik, they really stepped up,” Kieftenbeld said. “Now you’ve got Mason Bennett, he has had a few injuries, but it always helps the team when the forwards are full of confidence.
“Jed is a phenomenal player and that will help us in the second half of the season. We lost three games in a row but if you look at the league table we’re still in and around it.
“Hopefully we can get some good results. It’s really hard in the Championship.”
Is the top six still the aim?
“It’s always difficult, it’s my seventh season now in the Championship,” Kieftenbeld replies. “After three defeats you think you’re struggling, then you beat West Brom and then you’re asking me about the play-offs. Things change so quickly.
“Hopefully the guys who are out can return quickly because the Championship is a tough league, we often play every three days so we need everyone.
“You can call me back in two months and I hope I can give you a positive answer about challenging for the play-offs!”
Image: Millwall FC
