February is over. Reason enough to look back at what happened in the past month. As every month, reporters give their opinion on sports events of the past weeks in the NH Sportforum.
Will AZ continue to perform well in March?
AZ had an excellent month. The Alkmaarders took the full loot every game and won against PSV (1-2), RKC (0-4), Go Ahead Eagles (1-4), Heracles (2-1) and Feyenoord (2-1). Pascal Jansen’s team will play in March in the competition against NEC, FC Twente and Willem II. AZ does not have to worry, according to presenter Stef Swagers. “It looks very good in the competition, in principle you should be able to win those matches. That is why I am going for nine points this month.” Sports chief Edward Dekker and reporter Frank van der Meijden agree.
Conference League
The eighth final in the Conference League is also scheduled this month against the Norwegian FK Bodø/Glimt. “Those Norwegians are good, they won 6-1 against AS Roma in the group stage and knocked out Celtic in the previous round,” Swagers said. Van der Meijden looks a little more nuanced at that big result and expects AZ to continue. “I think they get over it at home. They are also used to playing on artificial grass, the Italians were of course not that.” Swagers thinks AZ will die against Bodø/Glimt. “They are a bit underestimated, I have the feeling. If they are, they will be eliminated.”
“They are a bit underestimated, I have the feeling. If they are, they will be eliminated.”
One of the most important matches is next Thursday when AZ plays against Ajax for a place in the cup final. According to Swagers, AZ is the favorite, partly because of the bad match against Go Ahead Eagles of Ajax† “I think it will be a very exciting match and that the Alkmaarders will go to the final.” Dekker and Van der Meijden share that opinion, but the latter expects an extension to be necessary. “AZ is completely in the flow through that series of unbeaten matches and they already defeated Ajax earlier this season in the Johan Cruijff ArenA†
Suddenly many goals against for Ajax
“This is a surprise”, says Van der Meijden about the shameful defeat of Ajax in Deventer. The reporter does not think that the away game against Benfica played a role for the players. Swagers finds it striking that they first conceded almost no goals and now they do. “Suddenly they had to fish twice against Benfica and now against Go Ahead Eagles also two. This is the first defeat in a year and a half and normally they concede few goals. Something seems to be going on in the defense at Ajax.”
Van der Meijden: “First they only had five goals against in the competition and now four in two games. the goalkeeper change The reporter wonders aloud. “In Deventer they had two other defenders (Perr Schuurs for Jurriën Timber and Devyne Rensch for Noussair Mazraoui ed.). So things have changed in the back. I don’t know if that really has anything to do with the goals against,” says Dekker.
Will Ajax continue against Benfica?
“It should be fine in a full ArenA”, Swagers expects. “Ajax ruined it earlier in the group stage against Atalanta Bergamo last season and against Valencia a year earlier. It should work at home in such a ‘do or die contest’.”
Dekker is afraid that the team from Amsterdam will be beaten in the switch. “That naivety at 2-2. It was completely open and I’m afraid that will also happen in the ArenA.”
“That naivety at 2-2. It was completely open and I’m afraid that will also happen in the ArenA”
Just like Swagers, Van der Meijden thinks that Ajax will continue. “I think they are so strong at home with the public behind it that Benfica is impressed.” According to Dekker, the Portuguese will not get off the ground there. “This year it was almost clear at home against Dortmund, Besiktas and Sporting”, counters Van der Meijden. “I’m confident they’ll get this job done.”
FC Volendam on championship course
FC Volendam remains unbeaten in the first division. The counter now stands at 25 games without defeat. Nevertheless, Van der Meijden is careful not to underestimate. “They still have to play against VVV-Venlo, Excelsior, FC Emmen, ADO Den Haag and De Graafschap. You don’t just win that.”
“If you are 25 matches unbeaten, why would you suddenly lose all matches?” counters Dekker. “I don’t think the game is always good, they don’t always play like a championship team,” Van der Meijden answers. “Volendam will take the points, but the dominance that I have in the first half against Helmond Sport I haven’t seen much in recent months.” He holds his heart a little that they don’t just take three points against the top teams.
“I don’t think the game is always good, they don’t always play like a championship team”
Reporter Erik-Jan Brinkman expects that the promotion can hardly go wrong. “Given the long series without defeats. In addition, they have so much experience with, among others, Robert Mühren, Daryl van Mieghem and Boy Deul. They certainly do not get hot or cold if they lose once.” By the way, all reporters think that the Volendam people are getting a PhD.
From two to seven duels in a month
It was a crazy month for Telstar. The Velsenaren played only two matches against De Graafschap (0-3) and Helmond Sport (2-2). Through storm damage to the stadium ADO – Telstar fell to pieces. Brinkman had expected that AZ would offer a solution. “Given the many matches they played in The Hague after the roof was blown off. I understood that there has been contact between Robert Eenhoorn (general director AZ ed.) and a director of ADO, but that did not help. know well in advance that you can play, so you can probably find another location.”
Swagers understands the choice of the KNVB. “ADO wants to play a full stadium of its own. Then you do not move and certainly not to North Holland. Telstar then suddenly plays at home for you, so Alkmaar was a ridiculous option. They now have to play seven matches in 27 days, that is very much. The KNVB does not want that.”
Listen to the next NH Sportforum on NH Radio on Sunday 27 March!
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