Thomas Ouwejan: More ticket requests than usual

Thomas, the final pre-season friendly is in just a few days. Our opponents are FC Twente, a club from your home country. Have you had to sort out more tickets than normal for this one?
My family and a lot of my friends regularly come to the VELTINS-Arena because they love the atmosphere here. I normally have to sort out eight tickets for every game. I have received more requests than usual for the game against FC Twente though. Everybody is looking forward to the match, including myself.

There has been a fan friendship between the two clubs for a number of years now, so there will be a special atmopshere at the VELTINS-Arena. Does that make Twente the perfect opponent for the final pre-season game?
Definitely. It will feel more like a competitive game due to the bigger crowd and the fact that they’re an attractive team to face too. They will play a Conference League qualifier against Hammarby IF from Sweden just a few days after our game, so it’s an important test for them as well.

You faced FC Twente in five competitive games whilst with AZ Alkmaar between 2016 and 2020. Four of them were in the Eredivisie and the other one was a cup semi-final. Can you remember the results?
I think they were pretty good. I can’t remember dropping points to them. We won every game, didn’t we?

That’s correct – with an overall aggregate scoreline of 15-1.
And I scored one of those goals – well at least half of it! A cross of mine ended up in the back of the net in the last minute in Enschede in December 2016, but I think a Twente player got the final touch. I definitely remember that we won 2-1, so it was an important goal, especially as it came so late in the game.

FC Twente finished fifth in the Eredivisie last season. What are their strengths?
They have developed massively as a club over the last few years. They actually spent time in the second division recently after winning the league back in 2010, but are now once again one of the sides regularly fighting to play in Europe. FC Twente played nice football last season, however a few key players have left the club. Ramiz Zerrouki has gone to Feyenoord and Vaclav Cerny has joined VfL Wolfsburg. The past has shown that Twente can deal with departures though. I’m excited to see how they do in the league this season.

Is there anyone in the Twente squad that you have played with before?
Yes, Michel Vlap. We played together for the Dutch youth sides. He’s a good attacking midfielder and I’m looking forward to seeing him at the VELTINS-Arena.

What are the biggest differences between German and Dutch football?
The intensity of the games, it’s a lot higher here in Germany and you really notice it. The higher the intensity, the more pressure is put on the ball and the opponent. There is a greater focus on technique in the Netherlands, whereas in Germany pace is more important.

What do both nations have in common?
Definitely the passion for football. We’ll see that on show in the game against Twente.