There is little sign of the disaster season that FC Groningen has had. All positivity seeps through from the training camp in Epe. A basic formation seems to be in the works and a child of the club dubs about a return.
Heap. That is the word that has been hanging above the FC Groningen training camp in Epe all week. Hope for better times. The mood in the rooms of hotel Villa Heidebad, in the middle of the Veluwe woods, is very good. Not that that’s blissful. The training camp of exactly a year ago in Barsinghausen, Germany, proved that, where there was hardly a discord. The outcome is known.
Act normal
Yet. With the new staff led by trainer Dick Lukkien, a breath of fresh air seems to be blowing at the northern football pride. Acting normal is the starting point. The players thrive on the clarity provided to them by the trainers about what is expected of them. And the fact that season ticket sales, almost 11,500 have now been sold, are still going well beyond expectations, which is good for the overall atmosphere.
The training camp mainly consists of hard work on the neatly milled football fields located near the hotel, but there is also time for relaxation. For example, the selection went sailing on the canals in the Hanzestad Zwolle for an afternoon. During the 3-1 friendly match against premier divisionist Go Ahead Eagles, the first signs of a possible basic formation became visible in the first half.
Eyeball
In the heart of the defense, the duo Marco Rente and Radinio Balker could count on a starting place. In midfield, space was made for Joey Pelupessy and Jorg Schreuders, who came from his own training, from whom a lot is expected this season. From an offensive point of view, Daleho Irandust in particular stood out. Lukkien is very fond of the Swede, who incidentally sustained a minor injury.
The trainer does not yet show the back of his tongue when it comes to a basic team. ,,The only thing you can say about it is that against Go Ahead Eagles there were eleven good names in the first half. Contours are always visible, but it is too early for conclusions. There were also good players on the field in the second half who also played well together. I would also like to see other combinations at work. What I see at least is an upward trend. The boys are getting fitter, they are positioning themselves better, but there is still a lot of ground to gain.”
Beukers
Someone who manifests himself positively in Epe is right back Daniël Beukers, who came over from AZ. The 19-year-old Spakenburger is having a good time, fits in well with the group and is very diligent. ,,The attacking playing style of FC Groningen suits me well”, he says. “Some things take some getting used to. I still have to work on some details, such as choosing the right time to stand high as a back or the timing when getting out to make room. But other than that I’m fine. The mentality at the club also fits really well with where I come from. In Spakenburg, don’t talk, but brush.”
And then there was the surprising newcomer, child of the club Leandro Bacuna. At the age of 21 he left Groningen to play in England for years. Ten years later, the midfielder maintains his condition at FC Groningen and there is just a chance that he will stay. Or he has changed? ,,At that time I got quite a lot of red cards, didn’t I?”, Bacuna says with a smile. ,,No seriously, of course I gained a lot of experience in England. The pace and level is very high there. Conditionally, you must also have a lot of content there. I now know how to play the game, have grown up. There is a different version of Leandro Bacuna here than the Groningen people remember from ten years ago.”
Coming home
The fact that he is wearing the FC Groningen shirt around his shoulders again, at least for a while, feels like coming home for Bacuna. ,,I will always play with pride for FC Groningen. The club trained me, it’s in my DNA, my parents live there, I also own a house in the city. It always feels like coming home. In the meantime I am looking for a new step. Whether that is FC Groningen remains to be seen. You never know what’s going to happen. I am transfer free. For now, it’s just training and then we’ll see what happens. I would also like a new foreign adventure in a country other than England for a year or two. But what I say, FC Groningen is always in my heart. I’m not ruling anything out. The longer I’m here, the more I get that old feeling back.”
FC Groningen closes the training camp in Epe on Sunday. On Saturday afternoon, a private exhibition game is first scheduled. The selection is off on Saturday evening.