Noël Korteweg14 nov 2024, 20:00
Last updated: Nov 14, 2024, 8:42 PM
252 days. Jurriën Timber was out for that long last season due to a cruciate ligament injury he sustained in Arsenal’s first league match. After a long rehabilitation, the 23-year-old defender is making his return the Gunners in the final Premier League game of the season. He has missed 53 games, including the Dutch national team. Not last year, but this year is actually Timber’s debut season in ‘the NBA of football’. “That’s how it feels, yes. Things are going well, the body feels good and I feel fit. I’m happy to be back.”
By Noël Korteweg and Jelle Kusters
Jurriën will return to the final selection of the Dutch national team in September, just like his brother Quinten. The right paw then indicates that it still feels a bit stiff every now and then. “That’s still somewhat the case. I had an injury that lasted three to four weeks at the beginning of October. Then I had to play against Liverpool straight away. It’s been basically non-stop since then. So it is logical that your body has to adapt to this. But I’m doing well, my body feels good,” Timber starts in Zeist on Wednesday morning.
“The fact that there are so many competitions is tough for everyone. For me – someone who has had a cruciate ligament injury – it is actually still my first season, so it is very normal. Do I really see it that way, that this is my first year? That I play in the Premier League, yes. Of course, I only played one league match before my injury. Things are going well, the body feels good and I feel fit. I’m happy to be back.”
Imago
While Mikel Arteta’s team had 24 points after 11 games last season, this campaign they have collected 19 points after just as many games. Timber has a logical explanation for the poor start to the season. “I think we had a difficult start with a lot of difficult games. A lot has happened, not always in our favor. We are now a long way behind Liverpool, of course, but there are still many games to be played in which anything can still happen. I still have a lot of confidence in the team.”
“It’s all very close together. We played against Chelsea on Sunday and they are much better than last year. Other teams are also developing, just like us. We’ve had some moments this season when things weren’t going well. We have to put that behind us. Now we continue,” continues Timber, who understands that many players call the Premier League ‘the NBA of football’.
“There are so many difficult matches. There is no easy duel. Of course we have had many difficult away games, but the home games are not easy either. Anything can happen in the Premier League. We just have to focus on ourselves and win our games.”
The Dutch national team
In September, Jurriën, like Quinten, will play against both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Germany. These are special images: two twin brothers who play together in the Dutch national team. “I received nice reactions from people from the Netherlands and England. Everyone asked what it was like, because it is of course quite special that you play with your twin brother in the Dutch team. That is quite special, so it is logical that everyone asks what that was like,” says Timber.
Imago
This international match, the right winger can hope for a starting place now that Nathan Aké and Micky van de Ven, among others, are absent. “I’m actually used in every position at the back. I think that will also be the case here at Oranje. We are indeed missing a few left-footed players, so I think the national coach will also use me on that side. We’ll see. I am available everywhere in the back.”
Timber, born in Utrecht, is often praised for his multifunctionality. “Whether I was also put down everywhere when I was young? I think I played a little bit everywhere. Not necessarily a lot at left back like now, but I could always play as a back or central defender. That has always been an advantage for me. With time you just get smarter and start to see the game better. It’s just a matter of maturing and learning more about the game.”
Ajax
Jurriën naturally follows the activities of Quinten and his old club Ajax closely. The seventeen-time international discussed the top matches of the Amsterdam team in the past period with the Dutch team. “On Tuesday evening I was chatting with Quinten, Noa Lang and Jorrel Hato. Then we talked a bit about Feyenoord – Ajax and Ajax – PSV. Whether Ajax is back? Yes, one hundred percent. That’s what I said to Noa and Quinten,” laughs Timber.
The ex-Ajax player visited the Amsterdam team earlier this season and spoke with Francesco Farioli. Timber immediately got a good feeling. “Did I expect Ajax to do so well again so quickly? With this trainer, yes. I immediately had an image of it. How did I get that image? Just the feeling when you talk to someone and you see and hear things. You only hear good stories from those players and then you get the feeling that things are going in the right direction again.”
Football zone spoke with Quinten Timber in September, among others about Feyenoord, Brian Priske and the Dutch national team.
