In the 2nd round of the UEFA A League match on September 11th, the Dutch and the Germans fought to a 2-2 draw. After the match, the new international player of the Dutch team, Van Hecke, was interviewed and shared his views on the match and his role in the team.
Speaking about manager Ronald Koeman's decision to suddenly bring him on at the start of the second half, Van Hecke said the decision presented both a challenge and an opportunity. "It's a bit of both sides of the coin," he said, "If you can prepare yourself in advance, that's great of course. But now that I'm suddenly being replaced on the field, it's actually kind of nice. Because there's no time to get nervous, I can just get right into the game and be free to play to the best of my ability. That's exactly what I do on the field, I try to show my strengths." Van Hecke added that the game was a great debut for him, with a very fast pace on the field, a lot of transition between offense and defense, and a lot of chances created by both sides. "It should be a great game for the neutral spectators as well, and the same goes for the players."
In addition, van Heijk singled out the energy and fighting spirit of the young players in the Dutch squad. "You will find a lot of young players in the Dutch team," he said, "who are eager to prove themselves and to excel on the field. This spirit gives the team a strong push, especially when there are young players who are passionate and eager to join in, the whole atmosphere of the team becomes more positive." Van Heijk's words are undoubtedly high praise for the younger generation of Dutch players and reflect the good competitive atmosphere and team spirit within the team.
