Scoring is AZ: Jozy at Alkmaar

AZ lose 2-0, Jozy plays the second half and fans on a sitter (though he may have been screened from the pass). He also plays this half in the two-striker set with Benschop... abysmal.

Looks to me right now that striker is the least of Verbeek's worries and that he screwed up by playing his little head games with a first place side - which, it bears noting, he had never coached until now.

 

Can't think of anyone that had a good game for AZ. That defense was absolutely abysmal.

Jozy really should have scored that cross though

 

Yeah, it was hard to tell if he didn't see it clearly until it passed the defender or just missed it because he assumed it wouldn't get through to him instead of focusing.

 

It's so true in many sports where coaches out smart themselves. Hopefully AZ can regain their form.

 

I'm guessing selling Wernbloom was a problem for them.

 

Yes, to an extent, but their slide started at the beginning of December. Frankly, I thought they needed another reliable DM even before selling him. It's not a deep team.

 

Only to be expected. AZ have performed well above their means first part of the season. A top 4 finish would be a very good result. The Roda game highlights the importance to the team of the suspended Elm.

As for Jozy, can't expect a player who has been a sub last few years to play all of AZ's 50+ games this season and a few call ups for the national team. Verbeek is bound to be extra cautious given his experience with AZ's previous striker and glass cannon Sigterson. I'm sure Jozy will remain first choice but Benschop speed can be tactically more usefull in games where AZ expects to play on the break.

Jozy is improving his passing game and link up play, is good at creating space for his teammates and he is still a decent finisher. Unfortunately he still doesn't use his physique very well in duels. He is prone to lose possession due to his poor ball handling and technique which makes him relatively easy to defend.

The teams good league performance has also been a bit of a problem for him as his development can't really keep up with fan expectations. Jozy's play doesn't compare too favorably against more talented and developed young strikers of rival teams like Luuk de Jong, John Guidetti or Wilfried Bony. Still, I'm sure he will get more time to improve his game nor is AZ in any hurry to replace him as higher grade strikers are well above the clubs budget.

 

Agreed on everything, but of course Bony and De Jong have tons more match experience at the club level. In reality, this is only Jozy's first proper full season of playing in Europe.

 

Yeah, that's true. There is still a lot of potential for growth left in Jozy. Just game experience alone will do him a world of good. The only limiting factor I can see is his technique, that's pretty much a combination of natural talent and youth development, much harder to train at a higher age.

 

Meanwhile, here in America, we have Al Davis, famous for "Just win, baby," and the immortal Herm Edwards

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMk5sMHj58I"]Herm Edwards- Greatest Coach Ever! - YouTube[/ame]

Seriously, Ffan, this is just a cultural difference here. Americans just are never going to agree with what you're arguing.

 

He made 28 appearances with Hull. Call it his second proper full season.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

You're right. For some reason, I was thinking he played 19 games that year, but that's how many starts he had.

Really though... 19 starts, 28 games about amounts to a full MLS season worth of games. He could still end up starting 30-40 matches this campaign, which is more along the line of a full Euro-season. The schedule is a good bit larger for clubs in Europe.

 

Idk, FCD played 46 competitive matches last season, LAG 46
If I didn't miss any matches Az played 47 last season.

 

Funny enough Ronald Waterreus quoted me almost completely sunday evening in the Soccer show Studio Voetbal. So it is nice to be confirmed by people in soccer shows.

 

A poor example. Al Davis was famous for turning players careers around, and for molding talent into wins. Ever hear of Jim Plunkett? Al Davis signed him when he was a backup on the niners, and he became a super bowl MVP on the Raiders.

So that my post is semi related to thread: Jozy should be used to playing as a lone striker, that excuse doesn't fly for me. I've seen him do it for the nats, and during his nomadic club years(albeit sparingly). All Jozy needs at this point is to come in off the bench and bag a goal, or change a game. He obviously showed his class at the beginning of the year, now its about recapturing it. This is where good players and average players are separated.

 

Yeah, and Al Davis was also known as a bitter, petty man, who could keep a grudge better than anyone, even if it meant benching a hall of fame running back at the peak of his career.

 

Followed by 2 decades of an inability to adjust to a changing environment and aspirations for mediocrity.

 

And wearing Depends.

 

Jozy scored two today, in the only time in history where a brace may have worsened his position in the team, as the person he was benched in favor of, Benschop, scored a hat trick.

 

Yeah he doubled his season's total in today's match. But I'm sure if Jozy can get him self in order, the manager will return him to his starting place. The team got so far using him up top. why mess up a good thing?

 

Jozy could spin it to say that he scored a goal per 7 minutes on the field while Benschop only scored one for every 25 minutes he played. That make Jozy more than 3 times better.

 

apparently the coach said some blunt things about jozy in the after match interview, anyone know anything about this?

 

Like what?

 

The coach is a real tool. Thats all i'll say.