On the way in the bus to the next away game, Des Kunst tells about his experiences in Sweden. The former AZ player is in his second season with Varberg, the number twelve at the highest level. “Since this season I feel at home.”
“It is a four-hour drive to opponent Degerfors,” Des Kunst told NH Sport. “We usually leave a day earlier for away games, although the previous away game against Sundsvall alone took two travel days.”
Kunst left AZ in the summer of 2021. A strange moment for the technical attacker, because he almost played his life for the Alkmaar club. “I left my familiar environment where I knew everyone. Fortunately, I left for Sweden with my girlfriend.”
fighting football
“In the beginning I had to get used to Varberg. Not only because of the language and culture, but also the way of playing football. I am more of a graceful footballer and they play more fighting football here. The long ball towards the strikers and then anticipate the second ball. Here I sometimes get a stiff neck from the long balls.” At the Alkmaarders, Kunst was regularly in the striker, but at his Swedish club he is mainly used as an attacking midfielder and left winger. “It’s now my second season with Varberg and it’s going much better. I notice that I’m free in my head. I think it takes some time when you’re in a new place.”
The Swedish league is 17 games underway and Varberg is twelfth. Art is regularly in the base, but that has not yet led to a hit. “If you look at my statistics, you think it’s not going anywhere. Although I have often been close to a goal. Only the post and bar were in the way. Moreover, we are not the biggest club in the league and get we don’t have that many chances. That doesn’t make it easy either.” On Sunday, Kunst plays with Varberg against Degerfors, who is number fourteen in the ranking.
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“I still follow AZ closely. It remains my club and always will be. My goal is to return to Alkmaar one day. Maybe in a few years or else at the end of my career. after all, several roads lead to Rome.” Art tells with a laugh when he throws out a cliché. “You should put this in the article.”
Owen Wijndal
“Of course I am sorry that I was not allowed to play for minutes in the main force of AZ. If you are in the youth, you dream of that. Although it is made clear every year that only one or two players make it to AZ 1.” Kunst was on the bench once, that was under trainer Arne Slot. The 22-year-old player from IJmuide mainly played matches in Young AZ. “I have always played together in youth with Owen Wijndal. It is very nice to see how he is doing now. That is actually the ideal picture, only that is not for every footballer.”