Stav Lemkin Nears Full Fitness, Creating Defensive Dilemma for FC Twente

Israeli defender Stav Lemkin is gradually returning to full fitness, prompting discussions in the Netherlands about his potential impact on FC Twente's lineup. Lemkin rejoined team training last week and has over two weeks to regain match readiness before the team's next league game against Fortuna Sittard on October 10th.

Despite Lemkin's absence, Twente's defense has performed impressively, conceding only seven goals in the first seven league matches, a record bettered only by AZ Alkmaar. During this period, Robin Propper and Max Bröns have anchored the central defense, while Dutch player Ramiz Zerrouki has excelled at left-back, a position he shares with Lemkin's former partner, Rodny N'Doye.

However, some Dutch football analysts believe Lemkin's return could lead coach Jan van den Brom to reshuffle the backline. Analyst Anco Jansen suggested the possibility of reinstating Lemkin and N'Doye as the ideal central defensive pairing, which would likely shift N'Doye from left-back, where he has recently impressed, including in a match against PSV Eindhoven.

Not all commentators agree on this potential change. Thijmen van Wissing argued for keeping N'Doye at left-back. Jansen, however, indicated that Propper might be the player to make way for Lemkin, stating, "If you really want to improve, Propper is the one who should leave." Regardless of the specific adjustments, Lemkin's return is expected to present Twente with a welcome selection challenge for the remainder of the season.