The Netherlands: Pieters finds himself again as a midfielder: ‘Super Proud’

After he died at the very last moment before the Olympic Games in Paris, Terrance Pieters (28) was in one of the darkest periods of his career. The Kampong -striker regained his fire thanks to a new challenge: he himself had retrained as a midfielder. ‘I have worked extremely hard to also show my qualities in midfield.‘

On the holy green carpet at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen last Friday, the Arrow Points International shows a glimpse of the ‘new’ Terrance Pieters. During a game form during the training of Orange, he is played, not so well -known during rush hour, but much lower on the field, in the left half position. Like a rocket, he runs along the left flank with the ball on his stick, past not one, but two defenders, and then continues the attack with a razor-sharp Backhand-Kruis. It fell in one go why the national coach Jeroen Delmée sees a role for him at the European Championship in Mönchengladbach, not only as an attacker, but also as a midfielder.

“In the beginning it was all new to me, yes,” Pieters told me, sitting on a chair in the main standard of the Wagener Stadium. ‘But I actually enjoyed it very quickly. After a few games I felt: there is really potential here. ‘

In a gray past, Pieters already made meters in midfield, but since his transfer in 2019 from his childhood love Almere to Topclub Kampong, he focused entirely on his development as a striker. He has never been the type of striker that is on the far post and lurking a Nick. As a striker he also leans on his explosiveness and his dribble. He often lets himself sink back a bit, just to kick the accelerator pedal from there and to storm into the circle with an action.

It is precisely these qualities that, since the appointment of Delmée in 2021, yielded him a place in two beautiful last tournaments: the World Cup in India (Bronze) and the European Championship in Mönchengladbach (gold). But when Delmée had to reduce his selection from 18 to 16 players before the Olympic Games in Paris, he still fell along the road.

‘I had completely lost the pleasure’

Delmée noted that each of the four other attackers had an indispensable specialty. Thierry Brinkman and Duco Telgenkamp are cold -blooded finishers who know how to find the net without failing, Tjep Hoedemakers fulfills the role of first out runner in the penalty corner and Koen Bijen is the engine that exerts the pressure. As a result, they had a little more plus points behind their names than Pieters, so they were finally chosen.

For three years he had put everything aside for the Dutch team, but now his Olympic dream criticized in a thousand pieces. “That blow came very difficult,” said Pieters, Who previously said he went through a dark period afterwards. “I had completely lost the pleasure.”

Terrance Pieters also made minutes in midfield after the winter in Kampong. Photo: Willem Vernes

Pieters, with more than 33,000 Instagram followers, one of the most popular players in the Dutch national team, regained the holy fire after a conversation with Delmée about his future with the Orange, after the competitions.

“In October I wasn’t busy at all: I have to make that European championship,” he says. I especially wanted to have fun again. And a new challenge always gives me that. So I thought: where is there still room for development? Especially since I had only focused on the front line for three years. In that conversation Jeroen said: Boy, we see a nice role for you in midfield. Something you can take steps. Just like an experiment, to see if it’s something for me. And to be honest, it immediately gave me new energy.

Jeroen said: ‘Yes, we see a great role for you in midfield. Something you can take steps. Just like an experiment. Terrance Pieters

With a nod he points from the stands to the green mat in Wagener Stadium. There, last November, he experienced his baptismal fire in the Orange in the left half position, during the Pro League matches with Germany and Belgium. The try -out immediately went down so well that it was continued in Sydney in February, when the Netherlands played four international matches against Australia and Spain.

In particular, one of the matches against Australia gave Pieters a positive feeling about his retraining as a midfielder, he says. ‘Those Australians often played high on the field, with man coverage. That often put me in a one-on-one position, with a lot of space for me. At such moments my speed and dribble are at their best. That comes close to how I play as an attacker. During that competition I had a few of those moments and they worked well. Then I realized: okay, this is also my strength in midfield, “says Pieters, who regularly spread his wings in midfield after the winter in Kampong. At the same time, he remained faithful to his familiar role in rush hour, just as he did with the Dutch national team.

After they have been taken over for the Olympic Games in Paris, Terrance Pieters were selected for the European Championship in Mönchengladbach. Photo: Willem Vernes

‘I am very proud of it’

In the meantime, Delmée is completely convinced: he sees Pieters as a so -called ‘hybrid’ player, who can perform effortlessly in different lines. ‘At the EC he will function as both a midfielder and a striker’, Delmée said after his announcement of the EC selection. ‘What appeals to him is his power and the action he has. He is one of the fastest players in our selection. At that speed he can cause danger from outside. He has shown all that threat in Kampong this season. ‘

Thanks to that new versatility, he earned an extra plus after his name at the selection moment for the European Championship, Pieters knows better than anyone else. He expects his playing time to be split between attack and midfield at the EC.

He is satisfied with a broad smile. ‘I took on the challenge last year and really made big steps. Added new things to my game and worked very hard to show my qualities in midfield. I am very proud of that. Gluing: ‘And that I was also selected for the European Championship? Yes, that is of course the icing on the cake. ‘