The Corner Flag were lucky enough to catch up with Socceroo and newly capped Eredivisie forward Eli Babalj as the former Melbourne Heart man opened up about his expansive journey through the European top-flight in both Serbia and Holland, and how he sees the state of affairs at his former A-League employers.
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Eli, you made your debut for Zwolle last weekend, coming on as a substitute for the last 20 minutes in your side’s 1-0 loss to Go Ahead Eagles. Despite the result, how positive was it to get back onto the park, even coming close to equalising?
It was a great feeling to make my debut for PEC Zwolle in the Eredevisie after not playing for a very long time. It was a difficult game to come into when you are 1-0 down and man down in a derby but I felt good out there and now I just want to build on those 20 minutes and keep getting as much game time as I can. Shame we couldn’t win in my first game for the club but nonetheless proud to make my debut.
How much of a relief was it securing the loan deal at Zwolle, given you were on the fringes at AZ after enduring a frustrating 18 months with injury and two surgeries disrupting your progress?
Big relief to have signed a loan deal with PEC Zwolle because I need games after not playing at AZ Alkmaar. I was unfortunate with injuries when I came to AZ and had two surgeries so missed out on almost the whole of last season because of it and this season, I’ve just have not been given a chance. I’m really fortunate that PEC Zwolle have given me this opportunity, I’m really excited as it’s been a positive start so far, and it’s been nice coming to a club that’s doing extremely well this season. There’s a great atmosphere at the club and I’m really enjoying my football again.
Was it made much easier by the fact that you didn’t have to change leagues and countries, and also the fact that you have your mate and former WA NTC teammate Trent Sainsbury there with you?
Yes of course. I was looking to find a loan deal this winter break and I always wanted to stay in Holland. Thankfully the chance to come to PEC Zwolle came around and I didn’t think twice. It’s fantastic having Trent at the club – we grew up playing together with the state teams, NTC programs, Joeys, Young Socceroos and went to the AIS together so I know him and his family well, so it’s great. He’s doing extremely well here and it showed with his performances at the Asian Cup. So I’m in a good environment to develop more and get increased game time.
How much of a step up was it initially moving to AZ from the A-League and do you believe that increased training intensity in Europe makes it hard for many A-League players to adapt, considering the lighter training loads here in Australia?
It’s always a challenge whenever you’re moving countries, and every player needs time to adapt to his new surroundings. But I’ll be honest in saying that the quality of training here is a massive difference from Australia as the players here have been in a professional environment since they were 11 years of age. They are built up step by step, so there development is structured and they keep growing and developing as players because they have professional trainings full-time at their clubs. In Australia you don’t have that. I would train twice a week at my local club in Perth and then try find academies to have extra trainings at or go to the park with my dad on the other days. Here, every player is technically sound, the level of the passing drills and possession games at training is at a top level and it is great. Even though I didn’t play at AZ, I still developed there because of the quality of the training sessions.