Joey Veerman on playing for Borussia Dortmund, Serhou Guirassy and closing the gap on Bayern Munich
Borussia Dortmund have made a perfect start to the new Bundesliga season, but Joey Veerman believes defending champions Bayern Munich are still the team to beat.
Veerman, 27, made his competitive Dortmund debut in the season-opening Franz Beckenbauer Supercup loss to Bayern, and has since helped his new employers go on a run of five straight wins in all competitions.
In an exclusive interview with the Bundesliga, the Dutch midfielder spoke about his first impressions of BVB, the club's ambitions for the season, the challenge of dethroning Bayern and what Serhou Guirassy brings to the table.
Bundesliga: After playing your club football entirely in the Netherlands, the summer move from PSV Eindhoven to Dortmund was clearly planned and well thought out, is that right?
Joey Veerman: "Yes, of course, I had a few options before. It was not the right moment because I had a good time in Eindhoven for five seasons. And then Dortmund came and that was the right step for me."
Bundesliga: Why is that?
Veerman: "Because it's a very big club and they play [in the UEFA] Champions League, and I wanted to play Champions League like I did in Eindhoven. So it was Dortmund, a very big club in Germany."
Bundesliga: What are your first impressions?
Veerman: "It was very nice to make my debut against Bayern already. To start is for me easier than to come on the pitch because then you can show what you can [do] from the beginning of the match. The last game we played, Villarreal in the Champions League, it was a very, very good game for me, and also the game against Hoffenheim was also good. Second half, we turned the game the other way and we won 3-2, so that was also very nice."
Bundesliga: Against Villarreal it was clear you always wanted the ball, but you were always involved. Is that your style?
Veerman: "Yes, I've been doing this for a long time. This is how I want to play, so I want the ball often, and I ask for the ball always. It's my style of play."
Bundesliga: How did being born in Volendam shape you, and are you still connected to the place?
Veerman: "The people there are very nice, and I had a very good time growing up. I also played for the first team in Volendam, so they raised me up a little bit. My family is living there and my friends, but now I am in Germany, it's difficult to go back often. I try to go back when I, for example, have two days off. But now it's, I think, six weeks ago, the last time I was in Volendam. Maybe in a few weeks I will go back to see my friends and family."
Bundesliga: What was it like playing at Signal Iduna Park for the first time as a BVB player?
Veerman: "When you come on for the warm-up, when the fans are singing very loud, then you're getting goosebumps."
Bundesliga: How would you describe the playing style of the team?
Veerman: "How we played against Villarreal, I think we played on the ball, we played very well, aggressive, a lot of small passes, a lot of passes in behind. This is what I like. Everyone played well and it is how we have to continue."
Bundesliga: What do you know already about the Bundesliga?
Veerman: "It's very intense, like I said in the first weeks, in training also we do a lot of running. In Holland, we just play with the ball in training, so that's different than playing in Holland, but yes, it's very intense also, like the game against Hoffenheim. How they press us, that's different than in Holland."
Bundesliga: That's interesting that you do more with the ball in Holland than in Germany...
Veerman: "Here we do the warm-up and maybe in some other teams in Holland as well, but with my former coach Peter Bosz, it was only a Rondo and then a possession game. So we didn't really do a warm-up. Here it's more based on intensity. That's good for me because in Holland we try to play with the ball, but here in Germany it's more intense."
Bundesliga: Did you talk with Peter Bosz about Dortmund?
Veerman: "Yes - he said that it was a very big club and that he likes the club as well. He had a good time here, but it was not so long, I think. But he said that he was impressed by the club."
Bundesliga: Are you aware of the rivalry with Bayern?
Veerman: "Yes, for sure. We have to close the gap on Bayern. We have to win a lot of games to do that."
Bundesliga: You've started the season well...
Veerman: "Yes, that's true. Next week is [VfB] Stuttgart away. That's also a difficult game, but yes, we will go for the win."
Bundesliga: Talking about Serhou [Guirassy] - how good is he?
Veerman: "I'm impressed by his quality. I can always find him. He always moves towards the ball to connect with the players. This is what I like, and also in front of the goal he's really sharp. He is a top striker."
