Peter Bosz on Friday afternoon looked ahead to the away game with sc Heerenveen, scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The coach emphasized that it will be a completely new match, as both teams have changed in composition and formation since the previous encounter.
Is it nice that this week was quieter than last week?
"It is never really quiet, but it is nice that we only played one game this week. That allowed us to train a bit more and work on certain details. That always gives a good feeling towards the next game."
How do you look at the 'luxury problem' in the striker position now that several players are doing well?
"Of course it's nice that we can make such choices. Guus plays well, he delivers, he scores and he fits into the team extremely well. We have also been a bit lucky in this respect: due to injuries to our strikers, we were able to put Guus and Ismael there, and that is just working out very well at the moment. That kind of luxury is nice as a trainer, you'd rather have to choose between good players than not know who to field."
What does Heerenveen expect on Saturday?
"It will undoubtedly be a difficult away game. They have a different eleven than last this season, different players, and we are now playing in a different formation as well. That means it will be another game tomorrow. Heerenveen have shown in phases that they can play good football. Against AZ they scored two beautiful goals and proved they have quality. But we have that too, so it promises to be a fun match."
How is Ivan Perišić's rehabilitation progressing?
"Ivan is still recovering, but is doing so like the professional he is. He returns to the Netherlands tomorrow and is working very hard to be fit again as soon as possible. But for tomorrow he is definitely not yet in the selection."
How did you like the performance of the wing attackers last week?
"I thought they did very well. For example, Esmir played excellently against Volendam as Dennis' replacement. He is a totally different type of player than Dennis, but that makes it nice to see. It gives confidence that we have such variety and that guys are picking it up so well."
How do you feel about the growing point difference between number one and number three?
"Whether I've experienced that more often, I don't really know. I'm not so concerned with that. But of course it's important. It's nice when you loosen up a bit more, also towards preliminary rounds of the UEFA Champions League next season. And yes, you eventually want to become champion. It helps if there is a gap, but otherwise I don't think about it too much."