Dean Hammond Brighton
Albion defender Joel Veltman believes his experience of playing in the Champions League with Ajax has helped his to cope with intensity of the Premier League. The 29-year-old made 30 appearances in the Champions League during his time at the Dutch giants. Veltman has likened the intensity of the Premier League to playing ‘in the Champions League every week’ and admits it has taken him a bit of time to get used to.
Speaking Joel veltman said: “The quality and the tempo is very high in the Premier League, it’s the same as the Champions League. I played in the Champions League every three weeks with Ajax, now it feels like I am playing in it every week in terms of the intensity. That’s something you have to get used to – around January time I felt like I had found my rhythm. I have had to play in a few positions and that’s something I have had to add to my game, but the rest I have found okay. You have to adapt to the gamesmanship as well, because I have always been the player to give a little push in the back or something like that! But you have players doing it back to you in every game in the Premier League. In Holland you can be smarter than your opponent to get the better of them, but here they know what you’re going to do already.”
