In the upcoming UEFA Europa League quarterfinals on July 7, Beijing time, the Netherlands will usher in an intense showdown with Turkey. Prior to the match, the key player of the Dutch team, Blind, attended the press conference and gave insights on his role as a substitute, his views on the Turkish team, and his game strategy.
Brind started by talking about his adaptation to the substitute role: "As a player, I am always eager to play in every game, but I also understand that it is the coach's choice based on the tactical needs and the player's form. I need to adapt to my substitute role, which is equally challenging. Now it's my job to keep my teammates sharp and make sure they're at their best in games. Playing for the Dutch national team is always a great honor and I never thought of turning down this opportunity."
Talking about the upcoming match against the Turkish team, Blind showed full attention: "Turkey is a very passionate team, they bring a lot of fighting spirit. Their players have outstanding individual abilities and we have to be on our toes. It's going to be a tough game, but we're confident that we can meet the challenge. After the group stage, we did have some good luck with our opponents, but that doesn't mean we can take it lightly. We have to take each opponent head on and go all out for the win."
On adjusting his mindset as a substitute, Blind said, "Every player approaches the substitute role differently. I think the key is to keep a positive mindset and contribute to the team. Sometimes teammates may be depressed because they can't play, and that's when we need to support each other and face the difficulties together. It's an important tournament and we work our asses off every day to give our all to the team."
Finally, Brind spoke about the game strategy, "The key in the game is to inject the right emotion and passion but also focus on the tactical setup. We need to choose good positional tactics to counter the Turkish offense and keep them quiet. We can't be led by the nose by them, but we have to be proactive and get positive energy out of it. They may make a lot of noise and disruptions, but we must not be surprised or flustered by this, but remain calm and focused and respond to their challenge with our strengths."
