In the UEFA Nations League A group stage, the Netherlands national team will play at home against Greece. Ahead of the match, De Jong spoke with ESPN about the captaincy, his physical condition, and playing alongside Joey Veerman.
First, two questions. Is the captain standing here now?
No, the captain... he's certainly not here.
Right, but there must be another captain now, right?
I mean, that's for the coach to announce. I don't know if I should be the one to say it.
Okay. But it could be you too.
Of course, it's possible.
Speaking of the captain, this is the first time in a long time that he hasn't joined the national team. What does that mean?
It means we're without our captain, without a leader, and without a very good player. As you said, normally, he's almost always here.
Did you immediately feel his absence?
I have to say, he only left yesterday, so not much has happened since then.
Second question, is the new Netherlands national team defender standing here now?
No.
You really won't play defender, will you?
I mean, if the coach asks me to play defender, I will. But I'm not a defender.
Because last weekend, after you came on as a substitute, you played right-back for a while. Were you thinking to yourself, "Why am I in this position?"
It was indeed a bit new for me. However, the coach approached me before halftime and asked if I could play right-back for 15 minutes, or if I was willing to play right-back for 15 minutes, and then return to midfield. I thought it was fine.
Was it also because you thought, "I'm happy as long as I get playing time anyway?"
I mean, you always want to help the team. Everyone knows I'm a midfielder, not a defender. But as I said, if that's the best option for the team at the time, I'll play there. However, it certainly won't be a long-term arrangement.
But the current Netherlands national team coach also made you play center-back at Barcelona.
Yes, and other coaches have done that too. I've played that position at Ajax and Barcelona, under Koeman and under Xavi. But those were indeed occasional situations, or when we needed to fight for a win. So, coaches have indeed made me play that position. I think I can handle it, but as I said, I am still a midfielder, of course.
I don't think that will happen against Greece.
No, I don't think it will either.
How is your physical condition?
I feel good, and I feel strong. I'm definitely in a good phase right now. Of course, I still need to get back into the rhythm of the game, and I'm doing that now. I'm starting to get more and more playing time.
Can you play for 90 minutes?
I don't know, we'll see then, we'll see then. But there has to be a time when I play for 90 minutes. At least I feel very good right now.
Because so far, you haven't played for 90 minutes in the past few weeks.
Yes, yes. As I said, I've been back in the squad for about three weeks now, something like that. My playing time is also increasing.
I feel good, and my physical condition is good, but I haven't played for 90 minutes yet. I played for 80 minutes once, which is very close, of course. However, I still hope to play for 90 minutes one day.
You mean it's close, which is also good.
Exactly.
Have you put the injuries, disappointments, and other things behind you?
Yes, yes, I've put those things behind me. As I said, I feel very good. I'm happy, and I feel strong and motivated, so I've definitely put those things behind me.
This is your first return to Zeist. Will you specifically look for someone to talk about what happened this summer, or...?
No, no, no, not at all. I've said a lot about those things, and I've talked to everyone. There are no problems now, it's in the past.
Yesterday, people talked about the midfield. Because you are a midfielder. They talked about you playing midfield with Joey Veerman.
Yes, I saw that. I'm willing to play with anyone. I've always said that since I came here. This topic has certainly been discussed many times. I agree with the coach, good players can always play together. As for who specifically partners, it's ultimately up to the coaches.
You don't have much experience playing with him.
Right, I remember we seem to have never...
Once, in the Nations League semifinals in Enschede, against Italy, you played together for 14 minutes.
Yes, but not from the start.
That match was also Joey Veerman's national team debut.
Joey is a very good player, so I definitely think we can play together. But as I said, it's ultimately up to the coaches.
If this actually happens, what adjustments would you need to make? Would it be completely different compared to playing alongside a different type of player?
No, I don't think so. As I said, I believe good players can always play together. I think Joey has a good understanding of football and good tactical awareness. I think his technique is excellent, so overall, it's actually easy to play with such a player.
Yesterday, the national team coach also said that if you ask players and coaches, they would all say that De Jong is the best midfielder. This summer, you said something impressive: "They are watching, but they don't see." Is this a similar situation? He also said that you might be underestimated. Do you feel that way yourself?
I don't know. Of course, people have different opinions, which is what makes football interesting. Everyone has their own opinion, and there isn't only one answer. I think as a player, it's easy to feel a bit underestimated. But I think it also depends on who you ask. Some people don't think that at all, others have different opinions, and you yourself don't agree with their opinions.
As I said, I think it depends on who you ask. For some people, I think I do feel that way.
Then can you explain why players and coaches can see these things? What is it about your playing style that they can see, but the general audience cannot?
I've talked about this before. I think people don't really watch the game. Very few people actually watch a full 90-minute game from start to finish. There are also some people who do watch for 90 minutes, but as I said, they don't really understand what they're seeing. They don't really understand what's happening on the field, why players make certain decisions, or what constitutes a truly good play, or not, or what is a good pass, or not.
The simplest way to evaluate football, of course, is to see if someone scores goals or assists. And my numbers in those areas are, of course, much lower. So, I think that's why.
Mainly because people really look at facts, numbers, and things like that, and some of the things you do might be less flashy, but they are very important for the team, the coach, or your teammates, is that right?
But I don't know if those things are not flashy enough, but not everyone is like that. I don't know. I think if you watch my game, if you really watch the game, you can see if I'm a good player.
If you understand football, you can see it.
Just watch, watch carefully. Yes.