Jozy in the Walhalla of soccer: sunday 4/29 Feyenoord vs AZ 14.30 CET

This sunday Jozy is going to experience soccer atmosphere at its best. He's going to play the best pitch surrounded by the most fanatic crowd he has ever encountered. And the stakes couldnot get higher. Both teams are battling for the second CL spot (unless Ajax folds in the last 3 matches...please, please..do so.. please). It was that experience as a guest of PSV player Damarcus to watch the Feyenoord - PSV game that made Cory Gibbs want to play there.
Nothing comes close to it when the stakes are so high as in this coming match. Jozy will be well advised to plug his ears as the noise will be deafening and unprotected he willnot be able to enjoy his I-player for the next week
So how will he handle himself in this intimidating environment?

Is this the pregame music?
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV8VlbmYLaI"]Led Zeppelin ? Immigrant Song [Valhalla M¡×] - YouTube[/ame]

(Warning: Don't play out loud in your cubicle, or in front of your pastor!)

Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uAyajKYk7sc

Okay, our top scorer is out. Guidetti has a virus born inflamation of his nerves in his shooting leg and is hardly capable of standing on that leg. Also our brains Karim in the midfield is out with a suspension.

AZ has Moisander suspended.

Jozy likes the big stage. Scores alot against top teams. Wouldnt be surprised if he scored

This isnot just a big stage, it is the best, home of the most European Finals played (forget about stadiums that have been torn down and a new one built with the same name, that's fake history).

AZ hasnot have a good record this season of the top 6 against each other in away games. They never managed to win. Feyenoord on the other hand is the best of the top six in away and home encounters against each other. Only AZ and PSV managed to beat us just at their home. AZ after a referee blunder that red carded one of our players and PSV in the dying seconds after an attacker pushed our defender of his feet and thus making it possible for his mate to score the winner.
AZ also is showing signs of wear and tear, as the Feyenoord squad is showing freshness.

It will be an all out battle for the full three points, as less is fatal for the second spot. And when Ajax is defeated by FC Twente the title is still possible for either of the two.

What will Jozy face in the Feyenoord defense? This weeks rating of the men he will battle with, De Vrij was rated 8 and Vlaar 7 in the center and the backs are Leerdam, 5 and Martins Indi 6 for this last weekends match.

Vlaar and Martins Indi are the muscle men in the defense. The other two are not that bulky.

He does score a lot against top teams.

But I think he can score against F-word too!

Ronald Koeman has proven again with this young and inexperienced Feyenoord selection to be the master of tactics against the 5 other top 6 teams and he has a score to settle with AZ as he was ousted in favour of Dick Advocaat by AZ. He already was the moral victorer in the away match in Alkmaar, dominating the game but robbed by the referee. He will dig deep in his tactical tricks bag to put Jozy on ice and especially preventing him to get any feed at all. So this will be a match that requires Jozy to move a lot.
So the most likely place on the pitch that is going to determine the outcome is the battle of the mid fielders. Unless Jozy or Fernandez scores out of the blue with a surprise strike from out of the box of course.
Wonder if Koeman will field the 17 year old Tonny Trindade de Vilhena for the suspended Karim El Ahmadi.

AZ has posted on their web site that Viergever (hamstring issues) and Beerens (ankle problem) could be out for the clash on sunday.

Koeman on the Feyenoord web site:
"Bring it on, AZ, we are ready for you!

This will be Jozy's 50th match for AZ!

Wow already? AZ is already the club where he played the most games - he only played 43 for RBNY.

is walhalla dutch for valhalla?

No. F-wordsoccerfan is Dutch for delusionally overselling his club.

According to Verbeek all the top matches AZ played this season have matured the players. He sees it in training when players discuss tactics and surprises like the fast development of Maher.
Roy Beerens sees that too. He read in the paper about Feyenoord being ready for AZ. He said he immediately thought:"We are ready for Feyenoord too, as we know how to deal with it. Becuase of all the quotes in the news papers you get an even bigger impression of the magnitude of this match."

Yes. 'Walhalla' is the Dutch word for Valhalla.

Ws are pronounced like English Vs in Dutch Dutch (as opposed to Flemish).

nonsense

You do know he's played against the Mexi nats in Azteca, right?

So did the former Mexican Nat team players of PSV and AZ and still they were intimidated by the "Kuip" atmosphere.

Botch coaches facing the club that ousted them. But they donot have bad feelings about that. Verbeek said that he was pleased with the resurrection of Feyenoord. The fans of Feyenoord still are fond of him, that's for sure, but this afternoon no goodies for him on the pitch to be given!!

I know how Dutch is pronounced. I was making a wisecrack.

I don't think most euros understand what that means. They're (in general) incapable of conceiving of an atmosphere outside of Europe being hostile. Maybe they'll consider Boca or River, but I think that most of them have no idea what Azteca is all about.

As amazing as the atmosphere at the Kuip is, I don't think it's anywhere near the Azteca in terms of intimidation.

I'm not sure the Mexican national team players would find Azteca as intimidating as the US national team players due to all the people wearing the same shirt as the Mexican players.

Also, Jozy started this game. It is 0-0 in the 25th minute.

With regards to the title race: [result] Janssen has just put Ajax up 1-0 from the spot at Twente. [/result]

To go even further OT for a second, I also happen to think that the altitude at Azteca isn't that big of an advantage either, considering most of the Mexican Nats don't play at altitude, iirc. But it's still a pretty intimidating place to play.

Back on topic: I hope Jozy scores, but I hope that this game doesn't end in a draw.

To keep going off topic (hey mods...we're soccer fans shooting the shit about soccer at half time) I really think the advantage doesn't come from your body being acclimated to playing at altitude (day of game acclimation), but rather the number of games you get to play at those conditions. You learn how to manage your body through 90 minutes. What it can and cannot do. How to properly pace yourself. Understand how aggressively you can play for how long, how to stand back, hold your ground and recover etc.

MNT players play 10 to 20 times per year in those conditions. USMNT players play in them 5 times in their entire career. Big big big difference.