Joey Veerman will most likely not take part in the UEFA Champions League match against Sporting CP. That is the main news that emerged at the press conference, where Mauro Júnior also joined in.
What makes Sporting CP so good?
"Their coach. He's been there for four or five years and when I was still at Olympique Lyon, we were blown away in a practice match. Now they only have better players. They have the qualities to switch quickly but also to put high pressure. They play with a lot of intensity, something we became champions with last year. We are also a good team, so I expect a fun match. They also have a good striker, Gyökeres, but we have played against good strikers before so in that we are not going to do anything different than normal."
What are the lessons from the away game at Juventus?
"We have to reach a higher level ourselves. The teams we play against, Juventus but also certainly Sporting CP, are good quality teams, so we have to reach our best level to win from them. Actually the level of last season."
Did you talk to Schaars about Sporting CP?
"Yes, he told me a lot about the club itself. About the team he knows as much as I do, because he hasn't played with any of them."
How is the group?
"We won at Willem II, so the atmosphere in the group is good. We are now playing in the UEFA Champions League, which is what we want. Now we get to show it then. Last season a lot of guys played in the UEFA Champions League, so we are trying to take advantage of that."
There has been some criticism lately of Johan Bakayoko, how does he himself deal with it?
"Every young footballer gets that criticism at some point. First there is only praise and then people also see what such a boy does wrong. That he makes mistakes is logical, he is young for that. We help him deal with the situation."
Isn't it convenient to keep a player on the bench who always fills in well?
"Of course that is the opposite world. Ismael Saibari has indeed been filling in well lately, which is indicative of his mentality. But that's no reason to keep him on the bench. I see per game what I think I need on certain positions, on that I base who I draft and who I don't."
Mauro Júnior
Are you looking forward to the match?
"Yes, I'm really looking forward to it, I'm looking forward to it. We saw Sporting CP last season, they did very well. This season they have continued that line so I think it will be a great match. "
How is it for you to play at both back positions?
"I just want to play, then it doesn't matter to me where at what position. The most important thing is that I am fit and stay fit. My favorite position is left back, but I can play at other positions as well. We have a lot of strong individuals, but we help each other as a team and I think that's the most important thing."