Wieffer: I have more confidence now

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Dutch international is adapting well to the Premier League.

Matthew Bishop

2024-12-10T06:00+00:00

Mats Wieffer had his best game in an Albion shirt against Leicester City on Sunday. 📷 by James Boardman.

Midfielder Mats Wieffer says he is growing in confidence after he impressed against Leicester City on Sunday.

The 25-year-old joined us from Feyenoord in the summer but arrived with an injury that has restricted the appearances he’s been able to make.

He started on the opening day at Everton after missing the whole of pre-season, but the Dutchman’s best performance in a Brighton shirt came at the King Power Stadium in the 2-2 draw.

“I’m feeling a lot better now.” said Wieffer. “I am still adapting, especially after my injury and missing pre-season. At the start, I felt that I didn’t always have the legs to do the things I wanted to do on the pitch.

“But now I’m getting better and have more confidence with and without the ball. I have a better understanding now of what I need to do and how to position myself tactically.

“It’s a big change to Holland, the league is really different and I needed to get to know my teammates. We have a really good group here – including a few other Dutch players – so they’ve all helped me settle well. I’m happy to get more minutes and help the team. Hopefully it continues this way.”

Mats Wieffer is understanding all the time about adapting to the Premier League. 📷 by James Boardman.

Despite his solid performance against the Foxes, Wieffer was frustrated to see another 2-0 lead slip away and said he and his teammates will work hard to put it right ahead of Crystal Palace’s visit Sunday.

“It’s happened two times. After the first time, we said we had to learn from it but after the second time, we have to look at ourselves. If you are 2-0 up late on, you have to win the game. It’s that simple.

“We are a bit lower in the table now but we are still a good team and play good football. The result at Leicester has triggered us so we are now all focussed on the next game. It’s a derby so we have to be ready and we will be.

“I heard a little bit about the rivalry with Palace. We had similar derbies in Holland so I’m used to these matches, but I’m curious to see what Sunday is like. Everyone is really focussed on winning that match.”