For his second match at the Stade Vélodrome in OM colours, the Dutch midfielder would love to experience a victorious atmosphere…

You’re taking on a Nancy side that has won its first 3 matches (against Rennes, Caen and Nice). Do you know much about the them?
It’s not essential to know your opponent – but getting a good result is. Whether its Nancy this weekend or some other team, it doesn’t matter. Only victory counts.

Are you obliged to win this match?
Obviously. We owe the win to our fans. Taking the 3 points would be very positive for the side’s confidence. Also we have to help our attackers so they can start scoring goals as soon as possible.

OM played a lot of good pre-season matches and scored a lot of goals. How do you explain the difficulties at the beginning of this league season, especially the ones in attack?
It’s very hard to say. If it were easy, we would already have figured them out and fixed them. We’ve scored 1 goal in 3 matches. The squad is full of good players. It’ll come bit by bit, I’m convinced. And you mustn’t forget that any team playing against OM is hell-bent on having a huge match.

Personally, how have you been feeling on the pitch and with the squad?
I feel great. I’ve been warmly welcomed and the atmosphere is excellent. ON the pitch, there are a lot of new players, like me, so we’re developing our understandings, but they’ll come bit by bit and make the team even stronger.

Are you at 100%?
I felt good in the first 2 matches, but for the 3rd one, against Valenciennes, I started the match with a fever. I wasn’t at 100% on Wednesday night insofar as I could only play 1 hour. That’s why I came off.

The match against Rennes must have been very special for you, as it was your first appearance at the Vélodrome. How was it in terms of the atmosphere in the stands and the welcome from the fans?
It was great to feel the fans spurring us on. The songs and chants just kept going, melting into each other. The flags were flying. There was even a Dutch flag, which was very cool for me. It was excellent to have an atmosphere like that in a packed stadium. On Sunday I would love to experience a win at the Vélodrome.

Check out the whole interview in OMmatch “OM-Nancy”