It’s the best defender in the Premier League’s turn. He isn’t a chess player, but once on a football pitch Toby Alderweireld (27) thinks, calculates, anticipates and reacts like one. Using his brain rather than body as his first defence. In five moves, the Tottenham player initiates us in his art of defending: “Simeone taught me to enjoy a clean sheet.”

“Sensational” – said with some emphasis. On Sky’s Monday Night Football, they again sang the praises of Toby Alderweireld, the only Belgian in the PFA Team of the Year. Ex-Liverpool player Graeme Souness called him sensational and added that Jan Vertonghen wouldn’t be the same without his defensive comfort blanket beside him. Jamie Carragher, the other pundit and former defender, once called him the best defender in the Premier League. Yet another bouquet of compliments for the linchpin of the best defence in the Premier League. “I’m not a player who needs recognition if I’m honest,” says Alderweireld. “It’s nice to hear those compliments, it makes you feel good, but I don’t get a kick from praise - if you know what I mean. I’m happier that I have played two good seasons in a row in England. That’s something to be proud of.” From behind a chessboard, he talks us through the crucial moves in his career.





Iron Mike

“As a child I never played with the idea of becoming a defender. Like most young footballers with some talent, I started up front. I scored goals and already had a good kick. I don’t remember a lot from that period, but my grandpa often comes up with one particular story. During one match, after scoring a goal, the referee came up to me and said (imitating a voice) "Hey kid, you have a powerful kick”. And I apparently replied: “Watch out though, I can kick it much harder ” (Laughs) Those are nice anecdotes.“

"Unlike others, I never had European football heroes. I was a fan of Mike Verstraeten because he played for Germinal Ekeren the local first division team. You had Tomasz Radzinski, Gunther Hofmans, but I liked Iron Mike - a strong, robust defender. I don’t really know why – there was no real reason behind the idolatry. He had charisma and perhaps I also idolised him because he went to the World Cup in France with Belgium. (laughs) I think I still have his signed picture somewhere - pretty funny. He was my idol long before I became a defender.”

“When I was eleven or twelve years old, a coach decided to play me at the back because I was pretty tall. Germinal Ekeren had already merged with Beerschot. It was there that I mastered my first defensive skills and also started to appreciate the art of defending. At some point the club had doubts about whether I was good enough. They almost got rid of me, but these are the times that make you – when you have to survive. I’m not the greatest talent in the world who does things with his hands tied behind his back. In the end they discovered that I had talent. To improve my mobility, passing skills and vision the coaches started playing me as a midfielder – there was a clear plan behind it. That’s how I became a better football player.”





Jaap Stam’s Successor

"I’ve always set small goals for myself. When I was playing for Germinal, I wanted to move up from the provincial squad to the nationals. Something I achieved. Then I wanted to play in a higher age category. I did it. Succeeded. The best players at GBA were allowed to go to Ajax. I was one of them. Same story at Ajax: I proved myself, I went into the U19s, got a professional contract and made my debut in the first team. The other Belgians at Ajax and their policy to give youngsters a chance, inspired and encouraged me. When I saw Thomas Vermaelen making his way up, I wanted to get that opportunity too. In the end I realised my ultimate dream. I’ve always thought I could reach the highest level, to be honest. That’s not arrogance, but rather an objective opinion. Something that encourages you to work harder. Because in life nothing comes for free. I’ll never be the best player in the world, but I want to be one of the better defenders.”

"At Ajax, Frank de Boer described me at one point as the new Jaap Stam. A nice compliment, but you can’t compare two players – everyone is different. I’m a different kind of defender than Stam. When he ended his career at Ajax, I got my chance. Three months later I made my debut in a friendly game against Internazionale - that infamous game in which I gave up Materazzi’s shirt because I’d promised it to my brother back home. Suddenly I was playing against the likes of Ibrahimovic, Adriano and Figo - the good Inter Milan. That step in my career was too big, but I got a taste of the top level. It fueled my hunger. The following year became my breakthrough season, under Martin Jol. ”





Simeone’s masterclass

“If you look down the list of coaches who I’ve worked with, you will see that Marco van Basten is the only striker. The rest are mainly former midfielders or defenders: Jol, De Boer, Diego Simeone, Ronald Koeman and now Mauricio Pochettino. Even though De Boer, Koeman or Pochettino were top defenders, I never got into details about the art defending with them. Purely defensively I think Winston Bogarde, defensive coach in Ajax’s youth ranks, and Diego Simeone influenced me the most. The training sessions at Atlético were completely new for me. I came from a club where they played total football and where they encouraged you to find a solution with the ball. I’d never played football to grind out results.”

“Although I didn’t start every single game, I learnt a great deal at Atlético. Simeone taught me to enjoy clean-sheets. Or to take pleasure from a flawless game. Simeone likes to focus on every single detail. Everything is perfectly prepared for his players. During training sessions, he simulates every possible situation. It’s a drill. Defence against attack. What if the left-back has moved up the pitch, what if the right-back makes this move, what if there’s a long ball ? I’m not going to say that one football culture is better than the other, but I think it’s good that I’ve had a combination of both. Total -and results-based football. Many defenders can defend well, but they maybe are not so good with the ball at their feet. I’m comfortable in possession. I always know what to do. That’s the Ajax school. On the other hand, I have those Simeone principles somewhere in the back of my mind. One of those lessons that sticks : if there’s a high ball, never head it down, always up. It gives your teammates more time to get around the ball. I got the best from both worlds and at Tottenham I’m seeing the benefit of it.”





The total defender

“I could have gone for the easy option: staying at Atlético. I wasn’t the first choice defender, but I got good money and played my games at the highest level. I’m convinced I would have got opportunities too. I stood in the pecking order behind two world-class defenders who had played alongside each other for 4 years, Diego Godin and Miranda. But I was convinced of my qualities. In the games I played I thought: I can deal with this level. Instead of going for the safe option, I chose another league, another club. If I hadn’t been successful at Southampton, it would have been difficult for me, but I’m convinced that I have forged my own luck. Same story at Tottenham.”

“Here, at Spurs, we also train pretty tactically. The manager prepares us for every single situation, but we are more a ball-playing team than Atlético. Pressing football, where everyone works for each other, from the striker to the goalkeeper. We are a hungry team, without real stars. I have never worked so hard in my life as under Pochettino. It’s the end of April and we have just finished two training sessions: one in the gym and one on the pitch. In the beginning you don’t always see the fun of all those sessions, but the rewards are there: I feel fitter than ever. Our results show that the manager been right”

“In the football we are playing, you can see the manager’s influence. We have a clear plan, a philosophy too, and depending on the opponents we adjust some details. (starts moving the chess pieces) There’s no team that presses in the same way. Jan Vertonghen and I have to follow every move and try to find solutions. The fact we have played together at Ajax helps us a lot. We complement each other. Jan is the defender who fights out the one on ones. He has become much stronger at it and it’s his game too – he’s ruthless sometimes. As a defender you can try to be someone else but you will lose a lot of duels and make a lot of mistakes. I stay close to my personality. I try to resolve things with my positioning. I’m not the fastest and most agile player, so I’ve got to try and get the ball in a different way. I defend with my head. With my brain. I have to be clever and read situations. Some defenders can solve a lot with their speed, but if I’m caught out, I’ll get in trouble. If necessary I’m strong in duels, I’m good in the air and I’m quick enough too. Some people call me a total defender, but I don’t like to talk about myself like that. I’m not top at everything, but I am a complete player.”





Full back

“Many people are asking if I still have to play as a full back in the national team after two good seasons in England. My answer is a cliché: the manager decides and I do what the manager tells me. That’s the team player in me. I finally get respect as a right-back in Belgium and that’s perhaps something I’m most pleased about. In the beginning I wasn’t convinced about my performances either. I was confident, but there were doubts in my mind. I had to grow into my role: it took a while. A good World Cup in Brazil gave me an extra boost. I’m not a player like De Bruyne who can score five times in one game, but I now add a certain stability to a team. I have given three assists in the Euro qualifiers. That means that I contributed to the attacking play too, you know? Even if it was just a short pass to Fellaini, one to Mertens, but I was there. I have no actions, no dribbling or awesome skills, but I’m functional. In the years before my arrival the manager had to switch full backs every few games, but I’ve brought continuity. There are no doubts anymore. That satisfies me the most.”

© Het Laatste Nieuws, 30/04/2016 - Kristof Terreur