Dick Lukkien named Rinus Michels Manager of the Month for the second time
Dick Lukkien has been named Rinus Michels Manager of the Month for the second time this season. The FC Groningen manager received the award for his side's performances in the Eredivisie during March.
100th league match
The 54-year-old manager guided FC Groningen to victories over Ajax (3-1) and AZ (3-0), and drew away at PEC Zwolle (1-1). The win over Ajax was their first in the league since October 4, 2020. In the eight previous meetings, they had managed just one point.
It was also their first win over AZ since October 24, 2021, a run that had again yielded just one point across seven encounters. It was furthermore their biggest win against AZ since May 17, 1997 (1-4 in Alkmaar).
The AZ match carried personal significance for Lukkien as well. It was his 100th match on the FC Groningen bench in league competition.
High turnovers
FC Groningen recorded the highest Expected Goals total of any side in the final three matchdays of March (xG 7.0). At the same time, only three teams conceded more Expected Goals Against (xGA 6.4). Their high press was equally notable. Only N.E.C. Nijmegen (45) recorded more High Turnovers than FC Groningen (35).
Second monthly award
Dick Lukkien is the first manager to win the monthly award twice. He previously claimed the prize in September. In every other month, a different manager took home the honor: Robin van Persie, Maarten Martens, Hendrie Krüzen, Fred Grim, Maurice Steijn, and John van den Brom.
Dick Lukkien with the award, presented by ESPN reporter Kenneth Perez.
About the awards
The Rinus Michels Coach of the Month is a new award introduced this season by Eredivisie CV, Coaches Betaald Voetbal, De Voetbaltrainer, and ESPN. With this prize, the initiators aim to give managers in the Netherlands' top flight the recognition they deserve.
As with the nominations for the Rinus Michels Award — the annual prize — all eighteen managers are evaluated using a data model developed by Hypercube. The model takes into account results, goals scored and conceded, and the relative strength of both the manager's own squad and their opponents.
That last factor is determined using the Euro Club Index (ECI), a ranking that rates European clubs on a weekly basis according to their performances in domestic and international competition. The score offers a snapshot of a club's current level and whether a team is over- or underperforming relative to expectations.
