Wieke Kaptein has played for Chelsea for all of one full season and yet she has already won every domestic trophy there is in England. The Dutch star is excited for another season with the undisputed champions.
Kaptein sits across from me in a makeshift set up, we’re in one of Chelsea‘s towering training facilities in their impressive Cobham base. She emits the magnetic charisma of someone at ease in their surroundings, an ease that belies her years. Chelsea’s number 18 enjoyed an extraordinary debut season in West London last term, breaking into the first team and never looking back.
Kaptein played in more UEFA Women’s Champions League games than any player in Chelsea blue last season, a testament to her growth as a footballer. The Dutch midfielder sat down with The Halfway Line to talk that wonderful debut season in England and what is in store for the sequel.
‘I know that I can do better’ Kaptein reflects on last season
By all accounts Kaptein had an incredible debut season at Chelsea. She started vital matches like the FA Cup final, the 3-0 comeback victory over Manchester City in the Champions League and the win over Manchester United that secured the League title. She was also shortlisted for PFA Young Player of the Season and the Ballon d’Or Kopa trophy. However Kaptein herself still sees room for improvement.
“I think it was quite a good first year for me” she reflects.
“I’ve played a lot of games, but to be honest, I think I can be a lot more than this. It was also my first year, so I needed to get in the team a little bit.
“I have a really good year also with the team, we won the treble of course! [And] The FA Cup was crazy to play in, just with all those fans here in England it’s incredible.
“So no, it was quite good year. But I know myself that I can do better than this also. We’ll see” she tells me while emanating an aura of relaxed determination.
Sonia Bompastor has helped add ‘confidence’ to Kaptein’s game
The Dutch midfielder was a revelation under Sonia Bompastor last season but the position she played in was not always familiar.
“I played in [the] 10. That was also different for me” she reveals.
“Sonia [Bompastor] sees me as a 10, so I’m trying to do my best to develop myself now as a 10, for the team.
“Of course, I just want to try and help a team. But by myself, I like to play eight, like box to box, I can go also a little bit lower. But like what I said, we have such a good players, if she sees me as a 10, then I try to do my best there.”
Clearly the move to the 10 has benefitted Kaptein’s game, but we were intrigued to understand what other aspects of Kaptein’s game Bompastor has helped her to improve.
“I think a lot of things are about confidence. I think she learned me a lot about that, just to be confident in yourself and know what you can do. So I made huge steps, mentally last year on the game.
“I learned a lot also from Cami [Camille Abily] the assistant, of course, she’s a midfielder. She was a legend in the midfield so I’ve learned a lot from her.”
Aggie and Wieke: Two Peas in a Pod
As an 18 year old it must have been a daunting experience for Kaptein to leave her home country and move across the continent even if she did not show it. Kaptein told me about the people who helped her settle in.
“Well, Aggie [Beever-Jones], of course” Kaptein admitted with fondness.
“She’s a good friend of me she helped me a lot when I came here.” Kaptein begins to ponder, “it was like, we were, like, with two of us…” searching for the words that eluded her, “I don’t know how I’d say in English?” she asks.
“Two Peas in a Pod?” I offer in response, “Yeah, yeah!” she replied before continuing.
“She helped me a lot with it and I had a lot of fun with her. So I think I wasn’t ever alone also because Marissa Olislagers from Brighton and Victoria Pelova from Arsenal are [two] of my best friends. So we are almost always together and so it’s quite nice.”
“And my dog is here, Nalah” Kaptein adds with an air of relief, ensuring not to forget her four legged companion.
She concluded mentioning Veerle Buurman and Femke Liefting.
“It’s quite nice to have some Dutch players also with us too, so we can talk sometimes a little bit of Dutch. So that’s really nice.”
Kaptein ‘excited’ to work with new head coach Veurink
Netherlands have an abundance of talent at all levels of the women’s game, but this summer’s EUROs did not go to plan. With a head coach embroiled in a dispute with the KNVB (Dutch Football Association) the Dutch failed to make it out of a difficult group.
“It was a quite tough tournament for us as the Netherlands” Kaptein reflected.
“I tried to stick with myself and play as good as I could possibly. But yeah, I think it was a tough tournament. Yeah, in the team, like with the trainer we had, so I think, yeah, it was tough.
“But I think we played good. Hopefully we, I know we can do it better. But it didn’t come out the way we know it can. But it was really good experience.”
Kaptein remains the youngest Dutch player ever to make their World Cup debut and her bright future is mirrored by her national team, now directed by a new head coach. That head coach in question is former England and Netherlands assistant Arjan Veurink.
“I think it’s really good for us as Netherlands to get him” Kaptein affirmed with excitement.
“I think he’s a really good coach and also a really good person. I’ve seen him once before here, but like, I think on the first reactions all the girls from England, from Chelsea really like him. I am really excited to work with him.”
My brothers said to my Mom ‘she needs to go and play football!’
Kaptein grew up in Hengelo, a city in Twente with two brothers, and she told me about the part they had to play in her starting out in football.
“In the beginning I did athletics for one week, and then I saw my brothers playing a game” she told me with an air of intrigue.
“I ran onto the field, and then my brothers said to my mom: ‘she needs to go and play football!’ And then it just worked out by itself” Kaptein says with a smile.
Both Kaptein’s brothers Steff and Cas are footballers in Netherlands too Kaptein tells me.
“I’ve learned everything from my brothers. When I’m at home I train two times a week with them. So, yeah, I’ve learned a lot from them.”
Kaptein and Chelsea kick off their Barclays Women’s Super League campaign on Friday night when they host Manchester City at Stamford Bridge.
