James Rowe recently talked to Sporting Lokeren midfielder Guus Hupperts. They spoke about the differences between playing in Belgium and the Netherlands, his time at Roda JC and AZ Alkmaar.
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Below is a transcript of the interview.
JR: ”You signed for Sporting Lokeren in 2016. Are you still enjoying your time at the club and is it a challenge to play in Belgium? ”
GH: ”Yes I am continuing to enjoy myself here at Sporting Lokeren that also has to do with my current form. I am enjoying my football and playing in the Belgian league. It’s a challenge to show what you can do in another European league. ”
JR: “Do you notice a difference between the Eredivisie and Belgian Pro League? ”
GH: ”Yes I believe that it is much more easier to launch attacks in the Eredivisie. The Belgian Pro League is much more physical. The defenders in the Belgian Pro League are also a lot more physical and defensively stronger than in the Eredivisie? ”
JR: ”You played for Roda JC for four seasons between 2010 and 2014. How do you look back on your time at the club? ”
GH: ”I have very fond memories of my time at Roda JC. It was a great step for me in my career and I was delighted to make my debut for the club. I am from the Limburg region of the Netherlands and when you go on to make your debut for Roda JC it is one of the best things that can happen to you as a footballer. At the time when I made my debut it was quiet a long time since a young player had broken into the first team. The only downside was the the club were relegated during my time there. I feel that I left my mark at Roda JC and they received a healthy transfer fee from AZ Alkmaar for me and I am proud of that. ”
JR: ”You transferred to AZ Alkmaar and played for the club for two seasons 2014-2016. How do you look back on your time at AZ Alkmaar? ”
GH: ”I also had a great time at AZ Alkmaar due to playing European football and as a footballer that is something that you can be proud of . Playing the matches midweek and then domestic matches at the weekend and training hard in between were great. That was on of the things I enjoyed the most during my time there. One of the European matches that sticks in my memory was the away match in Spain against Athletic Bilbao. I do not remember what the score was but I remember their stadium San Mames and the atmosphere it was a fantastic match to be part of.”
JR: ”At AZ Alkmaar you played under Marco van Basten and John van den Brom. Did they ever give you specific advice as a midfielder? ”
GH: ”I did not receive any specific advice from either of them but in general I can only praise both managers for the way that they think about football and their own individual style of play.”
JR: ”Can you say who is the best player that you have ever played with? ”
GH: ”Let me think. It would definitely be a player that I played with during my time at AZ Alkmaar. I would say Steven Berghuis because he has a lot of skill and you could see how much fun he had playing football. Also, Vincent Janssen is a tremendous player with a fantastic fighting spirit and a great will to score. He just wants to score as many goals as he can and that is great to see ”
JR: ”Could you say who the most difficult opponent is that you have faced? ”
GH: ”I had played many matches in the Netherlands and Belgium as well as European matches too. I must say that there is not a particular opponent that I have faced so far in my career where I could say they were the most difficult to play against. ”
JR: ”Finally Guus who is the best manager that you have ever played under? ”
GH: ”I would say John van den Brom he is a great manager. I did not play much under him but he has great organizational skills and if you look at what he is doing with the current AZ Alkmaar team that are full of young players that he is moulding into a very good team. ”
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