Eager to make his debut

Even after the last training for tonight’s match, Demy de Zeeuw didn’t know anything.

The waiting goes on. Last week, it seemed the AZ midfielder would be part of the starting line-up. On every training, he wore the “starters”-shirt, until Landzaat took over on Friday and was indeed part of the midfield against Rumania. “I guess van Basten didn’t like what he saw. Rafael and Wesley and I were doing too much of the same things.”

And although he needed to bide his time on the bench, De Zeeuw is happy with his position in the group. “I was part of the group earlier on, but I didn’t feel a real part of it then. Now, with my good series of matches for AZ, I feel I belong here. I am happy now.”

A few weeks ago, it seemed De Zeeuw was ready to say no to Oranje, based on a bad experience last time around. He likes to change that idea. “No, I know that’s how it came across, but that wasn’t the case. I didn’t blame Oranje, or Van Basten. I was me. I wasn’t feeling right, it was too overwhelming I guess. I’d love to play for Oranje as long as I can!”

He immediately grabbed the phone to call the team manager. “I explained the situation and it didn’t take long for us to leave it behind us. I was surprised how something like that got blown out of proportions so fast. Everyone wanted to say something about it. I discussed it with Louis van Gaal at the club and he said “you’ve been honest, but you should have formulated it differently”.

“I am more careful now in interviews, and in a way that’s a pity. If you say something, people can chase you with that one quote for years. That’s hard. And then you hear complaints from the press that athletes don’t have anything to say.”

Whether De Zeeuw will start tonight is hard to say. But if he does, it’ll be as the controlling midfielder. The 23 year old play-accelerator excelled on that position recently against Fenerbahce and Newcastle United, leading his team to victory.

“Most clubs have a strong player on those positions. Van Gaal feels he needs a real footballer on that spot, since we tend to play on the opponents’ half most of the time. I won’t get taller, but I do get stronger.”

Still, De Zeeuw’s success with AZ is in no way a guarantee for success with Oranje. History learned that the step from a club to the National Team is a big one. Since Van Basten is team manager, he tried 10 different players on the controlling position and none have really impressed.

“It’s a tough spot. You guard the balance in the team, the midfielders, defense… One of the most important roles, that’s what Van Gaal says.”

If he makes his debut, it’ll be a dream come true. “Of course! I am from Go Ahead. Not a lot of GO Ahead players end up in Oranje. Last year we won the EC with Young Oranje. And if you then see that Schaars and Emanuelson make their way up, you actually feel that you have that chance too. It would be fantastic!”