Prior to the final training session, Phillip Cocu and Jeffrey Bruma looked ahead to the third UEFA Champions League match, Wednesday night against VfL Wolfsburg.
Cocu: "Something extra is asked "
When asked, Cocu looked back at the draw against Excelsior. "We obviously looked back at this match and if you see that match, you can see that we created a large number of chances but struggled to finish. In the last phase of a game you have to weigh risks and in the end you have to get the result. There's definitely a win there for us. Against a strong opponent like Wolfsburg, we can't afford many mistakes." Cocu explained that in this kind of match, just a little more is demanded than usual. "It's clear that against teams in the Champions League you can't make many mistakes. Different things are asked in top-flight football and we will have to bring that. We showed that against Manchester United, if we are not optimal in that then it will be a tough battle." As to who will replace the suspended Santiago Arias, Cocu left it unclear. "Simon is fit and deployable and let me say that he is one of the candidates."
Jeffrey Bruma at the press conference prior to training at the Wolfsburg ArenA | © Pics United
Bruma: "Trying to exploit weaknesses "
Jeffrey Bruma played two seasons at Hamburger SV, so he is familiar with the league. "The Bundelisga is a very strong league. I have good memories here. It it are physical and strong opponents." Possible opponent in the match for Bruma is Dutchman Bas Dost. "I know Bas. I experienced him with Oranje the other day. He is a big physical striker, we will have to guard against that. Like Luuk de Jong, it's a real striker. I think De Jong has more to offer soccer-wise, but he's just a good player who also scores a lot here." The game against Excelsior no longer plays a role ahead of the game with Wolfsburg, according to Bruma. "Excelsior we have put behind us, we have to forget about that. We have to focus on Wolfsburg now. The most important thing is that we win tomorrow. Wolfsburg is a good club, but so are we. In the Champions League, anything is possible. We know the strengths and weaknesses and we will have to try to exploit those weaknesses."