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EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 3

August 23, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK THREE – 21ST-23RD AUGUST 2015

Ajax and Feyenoord maintain their 100% records as PSV slip up again. Will Burns is on hand to give you the lowdown of all this weekend’s action.

Ajax continued their perfect start to the new campaign by easily dispatching N.E.C. Nijmegen, although it took a while for Frank de Boer’s side to get going. The deadlock was finally broken just after the half-time break as Nijmegen’s new goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson underestimated Arkadiusz Milik’s effort from outside the area and the ball sailed into the net. The points were confirmed with four minutes to go after Rens van Eijden turned the ball into his own net to double Ajax’s lead. Yet to concede a goal this Eredivisie season so far, the Amsterdammers sit top of the league on nine points with Feyenoord behind them on goal difference in second.

Also with a 100% record is Feyenoord, who hosted Vitesse in the final game of the weekend and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men left it late to defeat Peter Bosz’s outfit 2-0. After a poor first-half, Vitesse started the second period the brighter side but it was hosts that claimed all three points.

‘Captain Dirk’ Kuyt continues his fine form notching again, making it three goals in as many games, with another goal from the penalty spot after Guram Kashia bundled Terence Kongolo in the box. Vitesse hardly had a chance to reassign themselves before Bilal Başaçıkoğlu took advantage of some lapse defending by the Arnhem side to make it 2-0 and send De Kuip into raptures.

Reigning champions PSV had Luuk de Jong to thank for salvaging a point against sc Heerenveen on Saturday night. It was a slight improvement on PSV’s last three visits to the Abe Lenstra Stadion, as Heerenveen had previously won the last three meetings between the two. The hosts caused problems for Philip Cocu’s men throughout with the pace of wingers Sam Larsson and Luciano Slagveer made life for Joshua Brenet and Santiago Arias especially difficult.

It was ten minutes into the second half before we saw the first goal and it was young left-back Caner Cavlan successfully converting a penalty that opening the scoring. PSV midfielder Davy Pröpper held Lucas Bijker in the area and referee Eric Braamhaar pointed to the spot and although Jeroen Zoet dived the right way, Cavlan powered the penalty home.

Ten minutes later, PSV were level. A long ball out the back from Jeffrey Bruma met the head of Adam Maher in the Heerenveen area. Maher nodded the ball down for De Jong to volley home and clinch a point for the Eindhoven outfit. PSV may look at this as two points dropped as they now sit four points adrift of Ajax and Feyenoord in the title race after three games. After the contest, De Jong was interviewed by Fox Sports and slammed Braamhaar for giving Heerenveen a penalty, while rejecting many PSV appeals. He stated: “I really do not understand why they get a penalty for holding, while many of our players were held throughout the whole match.”

FC Groningen began the weekend clinching their first victory of the season in Friday night’s game hosting Excelsior. Edwin van de Looi’s men were held by the Rotterdam side for 70 minutes until substitute Mimoun Mahi opening the scoring. Mahi has just been on the pitch for five minutes before finding the net, replacing the disappointing, but visibly upset, Albert Rusnák. The Slovakian, formerly of Manchester City, booted the subs bench in anger after being replaced.

Back to the goal, after Jarchinio Antonia was pulled down by Kevin van Diermen on the edge of the area, with the defender lucky to escape a red card, Mahi set-up a free-kick. The winger hit a skimming low effort towards goal that creeped inside Filip Kurto’s near post to make it 1-0.

The 21-year-old Mahi, whose only other goal came in a 2-2 draw against FC Twente last March, managed to seal the winner with a lovely goal with just minutes to go, although with a suspicion of offside. The hosts broke on the counter as the Rotterdam outfit searched for an equaliser, and Jesper Drost threaded the needle for Mahi, who kept his composure and slotted home to cement the win.

Our player of the week has to be Heracles attacking midfielder Oussama Tannane who netted FOUR times in the first-half to help his side onto a 6-1 thrashing away to SC Cambuur. Along with Tannane’s quadruple goals, Wout Weghorst and Thomas Bruns added to the tally with Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche grabbed a consolation for Cambuur.

In a battle of two of the promoted sides, Roda JC ran out 1-0 winners against De Graafschap. A Tom van Hyfte first-half goal gave the Kerkrade side all three points.

In Sunday’s opener, PEC Zwolle defeated FC Twente by 2-1 at the IJsseldelta Stadion. Striker Lars Veldwijk converted a spot-kick to give Zwolle the lead, before Hakim Ziyech equalised just after the break. However, Ron Jans’ side would take all three points when Ben Rienstra scored the winner just after the hour mark.

Mike Havanaar was the hero in The Hague as he rescued a point for ADO Den Haag in their home game against FC Utrecht. Frenchman Sébastien Haller had given the visitors the lead on the half-hour mark scoring his fourth goal of the season.

AZ Alkmaar and Willem II finished goal-less in a disappointing contest for both side, both looking for their first win of the season.

RESULTS

Friday 21st August

FC Groningen 2-0 Excelsior

Saturday 22nd August

Roda JC 1-0 De Graafschap

sc Heerenveen 1-1 PSV

SC Cambuur 1-6 Heracles

Sunday 23rd August

PEC Zwolle 2-1 FC Twente

ADO Den Haag 1-1 FC Utrecht

N.E.C. Nijmegen 0-2 Ajax

AZ Alkmaar 0-0 Willem II

Feyenoord 2-0 Vitesse

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 2

August 16, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK TWO – 14TH-16TH AUGUST 2015

Ajax and Feyenoord lead the way as PSV picked up their first win of the new campaign and Will Burns is on hand to give you the lowdown of all this weekend’s action.

Ajax sit top of the pile and are yet to concede a goal with their second 3-0 win in two weeks, this time over Willem II on Saturday evening at the Amsterdam ArenA. Anwar El Ghazi shined the brightest of them all, adding another two goals to his tally, but again like last Sunday against AZ Alkmaar, the score flattered the Amsterdammers as they did not seem to be at full tempo as of yet this early into the season.

Polish striker Arek Milik opened the scoring on 18 minutes after some sloppy passing from Willem II defender Stijn Wuytens. Jurgen Streppel’s side, throughout the game, played the ball from the back and on this occasion, Wuytens laid the ball straight into the path of Ajax midfielder Nemanja Gudelj. The Serbian spotted Davy Klaassen sitting on the right of the attack and played the ball into the playmaker. Klaassen whipped a ball into the back post where the unmarked Milik headed home to give Ajax the advantage.

Ajax went in at half-time a goal up and the second-half began slowly and very cagey as never team looked like they wished to take the risk to go for the next goal. After hitting an effort from close range on the post minutes later, El Ghazi finally brought the second goal for the hosts on the 67th minute lashing a powerful curling shot into the net from the edge of the area.

Frank de Boer’s men looked comfortable and the game seemed wrapped up, so he handed a debut to Czech Republic youth international Václav Černý with 15 minutes remaining. The 17-year-old winger appeared only twice last season for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie but notched an impressive two goals in those outings.

In added time, Ajax put the cherry on top of the cake with El Ghazi’s second goal with a clinical counter attacking move. Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo, whom came on late in the second-half, held the ball up well in the middle of the pitch as Černý sprinted down the right-wing. The young Czech collected the ball and hit a first time pass into the path of Lasse Schöne. The Danish international fired the ball across the edge of the area to find El Ghazi who powered a shot at goal and the effort was far too strong for Willem II stopper Kostas Lamprou to keep out. El Ghazi (number #9 in the TDF Top 50), has four goals in just two appearances and looks to be the Amsterdammers’ main man in this year’s title charge.

Ajax and their bitter rivals Feyenoord are the only two teams with back-to-back wins as the Rotterdammers made a successful trip to SC Cambuur on Sunday afternoon. Marking his arrival with a goal was Michiel Kramer, who replaced Colin-Kazim Richards just after the hour mark. The €1.5m signing from ADO Den Haag netted with a diving header after a cross from the right from Bilal Başaçıkoğlu. The result finished 2-0 to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men after Dirk Kuyt, took his tally to two in two and doubled the lead deep into stoppage time.

Also on Sunday, defending champions PSV easily dispatched FC Groningen with a 2-0 triumph. After a wonderful deep through ball from Maxime Lestienne, fellow winger Luciano Narsingh breached Groningen’s offside trap to finish coolly after just six minutes of play to put the Eindhoven side in front. Philip Cocu’s side pressed for a second goal and looked comfortable throughout with Groningen failing to break down the PSV midfield, commanded by the industrious Andrés Guardado.

After being spoilt rotten last year with the championship-winning performances, the Philips Stadion was fairly silent until Narsingh hit the winning goal deep into the second-half. It was a run-of-the-mill outing for PSV and their upcoming match with Feyenoord on August 30th is a mouth-watering prospect, and could be a real thriller in the title race.

Vitesse opened up the weekend’s festivities thrashing ten-man Roda JC by 3-0 after Ard van Peppen was dismissed on the stroke of half-time for a handball on the line. Lewis Baker, on-loan from feeder club Chelsea, converted the penalty. The visitors fought and had chances to claw back the game, however on 68 minutes, after a wonderful through ball from teenage full-back Kevin Diks (TDF Top 50 #33), Nigerian striker Abiola Dauda slotted home first-time to double the lead. The third and final goal was sublime and a beautiful effort from another Chelsea loanee, Nathan. The young Brazilian cut inside from the left wing and curled the perfect shot past Roda stopper Benjamin van Leer.

FC Twente suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at home to ADO Den Haag to leave head coach Alfred Schreuder under immense pressure this early into the season. ADO debutant Mike Havanaar got the ball rolling just 12 minutes in. Ruben Schaken made it 2-0 on 27 minutes before Hakim Ziyech gave the home fans hope on a comeback after notching just before the hour mark. ADO central defender Vito Wormgoor cemented the points before French striker Edouard Duplan added a fourth with ten minutes remaining to add insult to injury for Twente.

Excelsior held AZ Alkmaar to a 2-2 draw in the late Saturday night game in a very even contest that could have went either way. Jeff Stans opened the scoring for the hosts however, the lead only lasted five minutes as Norwegian midfielder Markus Henriksen levelled the game up with an excellent counter attack goal. Tom van Weert put the Rotterdam outfit back in front just after the half hour mark. Substitute Robert Mühren nabbed an equaliser on 64 minutes as AZ pressed for a winner. However, never side could find that all important winner as the sides shared the points with Excelsior boss Fons Groenendijk was the happier of the two manager at the full-time whistle.

PEC Zwolle swept past De Graafschap on Saturday with three goals in sixteen second-half minutes to win 3-0 in Doetinchem. Wouter Marinus, Bart van Hintum and Sheraldo Becker scored the goals in a comfortable victory for Ron Jans’ men.

FC Utrecht and sc Heerenveen drew 1-1 with Luciano Slagveer scoring with just ten minutes to go to cancel out Sébastien Haller’s opener.

Finally, in their first game inside the brand-new Polman Stadion, Heracles handed N.E.C. Nijmegen a 3-0 defeat after the Eredivisie newcomers were reduced to ten-man as Marcel Appiah was dismissed before the hour mark. Oussama Tannane scored an early goal five minutes in to give the Almelo outfit the lead with Thomas Bruns adding a second before Appiah’s sending off. Wout Weghorst wrapped up the win and gave John Stegeman a boost after last weekend’s appalling defeat at the hands of Roda JC.

RESULTS

Friday 14th August

Vitesse 3-0 Roda JC

Saturday 15th August

De Graafschap 0-3 PEC Zwolle

Ajax 3-0 Willem II

FC Twente 1-4 ADO Den Haag

Excelsior 2-2 AZ Alkmaar

Sunday 16th August

PSV 2-0 FC Groningen

FC Utrecht 1-1 sc Heerenveen

SC Cambuur 0-2 Feyenoord

Heracles 3-0 N.E.C. Nijmegen

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE Week Two Preview and Betting Tips

August 15, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

With eight games over the next two days, Will Burns is here with the best way to make a profit this weekend and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Saturday 15th August

EXCELSIOR vs. AZ ALKMAAR – 17:30 BST

After the disappointing start to their campaign, AZ Alkmaar head to Rotterdam to kick start the season against Excelsior.

Excelsior themselves tasted defeat at the hands of newly-promoted N.E.C. Nijmegen and will look to this game to grab their first points of the season, however, I see John van der Brom’s side will prove to be strong. The Roodzwarten will be without usual first-teamer Luigi Bruins with AZ coming into the game with a full-strength squad.

Vincent Janssen (TDFTop50 #31) should receive plenty of chances this season with Alireza Jahanbakhsh, Joris van Overeem and Guus Hupperts ready to supply the striker and with the weak defensive that Excelsior possesses, he may attract some value this evening. For him to score anytime is valued at Bet365.com at 7/5, but for him to notch two or more, you can grab that at a huge 15/2.

Meanwhile, the best value, and less risk I see is AZ to win at 3/2. I cannot see anything else happening in this apart from AZ leaving the Stadion Woudestein with all three points

BEST BET: AZ to win (3/2 at Bet365)

OTHER TIPS: Vincent Janssen – Anytime Goalscorer (7/5 at Bet365)

Vincent Janssen to score two or more (15/2 at Bet365)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 1… Part Two

August 12, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK ONE (PART TWO) – 11TH AND 12TH AUGUST 2015

So a goalkeeper scored an equaliser in the dying seconds with an outstanding back-heeled flick in the Eredivisie this week – Will Burns is here to report on the remaining five games in the Dutch top flight from week one.

Danish goalkeeper Martin Hansen was the toast of The Hague this past Tuesday after scoring an injury-time winner for ADO Den Haag in their opening day clash with defending champions PSV. Now anytime a keeper sprints up the pitch for a last minute set piece, it is always an exciting time to see if the big man can rise above all others to smash a header home past his opposite number.

However, this was no header – a poor free-kick from Kenji Gorre gave Hansen the option of instinctively flicking his boot up for a back-heel, which he connected perfectly with to skim the ball past Jeroen Zoet for the draw.

PSV had started well and took the lead, dubiously, through their new number ten, Adam Maher. Replays of the goal showed that Maher was offside when he received the ball on 23 minutes to put PSV in front. However, minutes later the score was all level. Colombian right-back Santiago Arias bundled over Aaron Meijers which looked outside the penalty area, but referee Richard Liesveld pointed to the spot and Ronald Alberg converted.

Luuk de Jong opened his account for the season just after the hour mark, simply pushing a header past Hansen after the ADO defence left the big striker unmarked until Hansen clinched a point with his dramatic leveller. A disappointing start for PSV’s looking to retain their Eredivisie title.

In Tuesday’s late game, Heerenveen were impressive in their 3-1 win over newly promoted De Graafschap. The Eredivisie new boys found themselves two goals down by half-time after Simon Thern took advantage of a defensive mix-up by Lion Kaak to slot past Hidde Jurjus in the De Graafschap goal. Debutant Mitchell te Vrede, a signing this week from Feyenoord, notching the second after some great work down the wing from the industrious Luciano Narsingh.

It was more of the same after the break and Thern headed home on 53 minutes for his second and Heerenveen’s third. A Vincent Vermeij header was just a consolation for the visitors and they look to turn things around on Saturday as they host PEC Zwolle.

Wednesday’s games began with a poor game in Groningen, as Edwin van der Looi’s side faced FC Twente which ended all square at 1-1. Twente took the lead when Renato Tapia was left alone at the front post and headed home a Hakim Ziyech corner just before the break. However, Groningen replied in the 83rd minute to salvage a point through a Michael de Leeuw goal after being played through on goal by substitute Danny Hoesen.

SC Cambuur battled back from two goals down to a 2-2 draw away at PEC Zwolle. Zwolle’s new defender Dirk Marcellis grabbed the opening goal on 31 minutes after some great footwork evading the Cambuur defence by fellow new signing Lars Veldwijk (on loan from Nottingham Forest). Minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead with a tremendous left-footed long drive from Sheraldo Becker giving Leonard Nienhuis no chance in goal. The Leeuwarden-outfit fought hard and clinched a lifeline with twenty minutes to go through Erik Bakker and seven minutes later the scores were level. Sjoerd Overgoor finished beautifully after Bakker laid it on a plate for the midfielder to secure a point.

In the final game of the week, N.E.C. Nijmegen left it late to defeat Excelsior. It was a uneventful and un-entertaining affair that ended with a Navarone Foor goal with just minutes remaining.

RESULTS

Tuesday 11th August

ADO Den Haag 2-2 PSV

sc Heerenveen 3-1 De Graafschap

Wednesday 12th August

FC Groningen 1-1 FC Twente

PEC Zwolle 2-2 SC Cambuur

N.E.C. 1-0 Excelsior

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EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 1… Part One

August 10, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK ONE (PART ONE) – 8TH AND 9TH AUGUST 2015

The opening weekend of the Dutch league season was severely affected by police strike action, and due to this, the nine Eredivisie games are to be spread across the majority of the week. Will Burns is on hand to give you a rundown of all the action from the first four matches.

In an amazing contrast on Sunday morning, after watching the European performances of the past fortnight, the disappointing Ajax travelled to Alkmaar to face the promising AZ and the tables were turned. The Amsterdammers left the AFAS Stadion with a 3-0 win after an Anwar El Ghazi brace followed by Nemanja Gudelj notching against the club he left in the summer.

Ajax scored all three inside the first-half with El Ghazi opening the scoring on 14 minutes with a sublime effort after some quick thinking from Mitchell Dijks. A quickly took free-kick allowed El Ghazi some space some 30 yards out and El Ghazi, after meeting his hero in the summer, hit a Ronaldo-like dipping shot giving AZ stopper Sergio Rochet no chance of saving.

It was a close affair with AZ hitman Vincent Janssen look the most likely to threaten for the John van der Brom’s side but it was his goalkeeper Rochet that handed the game to Frank de Boer’s outfit. El Ghazi got his head on the end of a whipping Gudelj free-kick and Rochet, although the Uruguayan stopped the effort, he failed to control and ended up fumbling the ball into the net to make it 2-0.

The third and final goal by Gudelj was also another that Rochet would not like to watch in the highlights that evening, after parrying the Serbian’s long range effort into the top corner of his goal.

AZ coach Van der Brom stated he felt sorry for his supporters that sold out the stadium for this match, but will look to make amends next weekend in Rotterdam against Excelsior. For De Boer, his side showed no Euro hangover as they look to challenge to regain the Eredivisie crown taken from them by PSV last season.

In the opening game of the season, Roda JC made a return to the Eredivisie with a hefty 3-1 win over Heracles even though the Almelo outfit went ahead after the half-hour mark through Iliass Bel Hassani. Although, the lead did not last long as four minutes later, Edwin Gyasi managed to weave his through to equalise. Early in the second half, Roda took the advantage with Tom van Hyfte scrambling the ball home after Gyasi’s header hit the post. Heracles pressed to level the game up but in the final moments, Hicham Faik smashed home a long range effort to cement all three points.

Dirk Kuyt also made his return to the Dutch top flight leading Feyenoord to a 3-2 victory over FC Utrecht at De Kuip on Saturday evening. Even though the Rotterdammers were reduced to ten-man after young right-back Rick Karsdorp was harshly dismissed by referee Kevin Blom early in the second-half. Turkish striker Colin-Kazim Richards gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst a great start to his managerial career heading home debutant Marko Vejinovic’s free-kick to make it 1-0.

After Karsdorp was shown his marching orders for his hard tackle on Christian Kum, Utrecht levelled the scoring through French striker Sébastien Haller, whom signed permanently from Auxerre last month on 75 minutes, however the score was only 1-1 for a few moments.

The equaliser fired up Van Bronckhorst’s side and they regained the lead two minutes later when substitute Tonny Vilhena, rumoured to be leaving the club, was at the back post to knock home Karim El-Ahmadi’s cross. With the De Kuip faithful in full force, Feyenoord pressed to kill the game off and Bilal Başaçıkoğlu was tripped in the area by Yannick Cortie, and Kuyt marked his return with a successful penalty conversion. Haller nabbed an injury-time consolation through a penalty kick of his own but it was Feyenoord that ended as the victors by three goals to two.

Looking to build on a successful campaign last season, Willem II boss Jurgen Streppel lead his team out full of confidence on Sunday afternoon against Peter Bosz’ Vitesse in a game that ended tied at a goal apiece. The Tilburg side took the lead just after the hour mark through new recruit Erik Falkenburg before Ukrainian midfielder Denis Oliynyk.

A further five contests will make up week one of the Eredivisie to take place Tuesday and Wednesday this week… if the police do not decide on another strike?!

Check back later this week for ‘Part Two’ of the Eredivisie report.

RESULTS

Saturday 8th August

Roda JC 3-1 Heracles

Feyenoord 3-2 FC Utrecht

Sunday 9th August

AZ 0-3 Ajax

Willem II 1-1 Vitesse

FIXTURES

Tuesday 11th August

ADO Den Haag vs. PSV

sc Heerenveen vs. De Graafschap

Wednesday 12th August

FC Groningen vs. FC Twente

PEC Zwolle vs. SC Cambuur

N.E.C. vs. Excelsior

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PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Football nomad James Efmorfidis MUST fulfil his potential at AZ

July 30, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

At the age of 19, James Efmorfidis has completed his move to – his fifth professional club – AZ Alkmaar. He has put pen to paper on a one-year contract at the Dutch club with the option to sign another two-year contract after the coming season writes Jeroen Adriaanse.

In 2011, the film ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ hit the cinemas. In it, there is a scene in which Gandalf reads out his letter to Frodo. It says: “Not all those who wander are lost.”

Efmorfidis turned fifteen that year and despite his young age, he had already seen a lot of Europe. In fact, he had lived throughout the continent due to his father’s work and his football skills – Efmorfidis was a promising teenager, who impressed in continental youth tournaments.

Of Greece and Dutch descent, Efmorfidis was born on 18th January 1996. He lived in Greece initially but soon moved to the Netherlands with his family to begin his youth team career at Ajax Amsterdam.

However, his time at Ajax was a brief one because he moved to the youth academy of Spanish giants Real Madrid after just one year. This move was more based on family issues than on his performances on the pitch, as Efmorfidis was labelled as a huge talent at that time.

The young Greek played two years at Real Madrid and then decided to move to their rivals FC Barcelona, because he and his family were not happy with the academy. So the whole family hit the road, on the move again, and settled themselves in Barcelona. However, after two years at Barca and one at AEK Athens, his father had to return to Amsterdam, so Efmorfidis turned down Barcelona’s contract offer and moved back to Holland.

Luckily for him Ajax were keen on signing him up, so he was able to re-join their youth academy. Back in the Netherlands, he reinvented himself and took full advantage of the opportunity to train with the Under-19 squad.

Efmorfidis can play as a central midfielder as well as an in the advanced role behind the striker, but has been known to have a sort of a free role. His passing and movement are superb and moreover, his mentality and his vision are well advanced for his tender age.

He is an extremely smart player and is capable of finding the right teammate with every pass he makes. He is also a specialist regarding set pieces, especially when it comes down to striking the ball against the back of the net from a direct free-kick.

Unlike many left footers, Efmorfidis is not afraid to use his right foot to cross and finish in the box. Obviously his right foot isn’t as strong as his left, which is something he can work on- but at least he isn’t completely one-footed.

Nevertheless, he will have to step up his game as he is expected to spend this season with the reserve team, so if he fails to convince the board of his qualities, he will most likely has to add another team to his list at the age of 20.

However, due to the fact that he has already wandered through most of Europe and has experienced all kind of setbacks, he will naturally fight for his place at AZ. With his mentality and qualities he should not have any problems to become a key player at the reserves and eventually at AZ’s first-team squad.

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FEATURE

How does PSV replace Memphis Depay?

May 11, 2015 Will Burns 3 Comments

The announcement last week of the transfer of Memphis Depay to Manchester United has left PSV with a significant hole to fill. Luckily for PSV, they have money in the bank now in order to try and fill this hole. We all know and appreciate Memphis’ talents and he might be one of those once in a generation footballers but PSV need to ask the question “How do we Replace Memphis”? Even with Memphis leaving, PSV still have a very talented side but they will certainly miss the X-Factor that he provided. Replacing Memphis will be a hard task but there are some options at PSV’s disposal. Rogier Waalder looks at the candidates:

Jesus Manuel Corona (FC Twente)

One of the only players in the Eredivisie this year who catches the eye as much as Depay does, is the Mexican winger Jesus Corona, who plays for FC Twente. A very tricky and skilful winger, he certainly has the ability to turn a game like Memphis does. He has scored 13 goals in his 32 games this season and his dribbling, first touch and technique are in the same class as Memphis. He does lack the power and free-kick abilities of Memphis but is only 22 years old. FC Twente will be holding a fire-sale in the summer to clear their debts and so Corona is very much on the market. A big stumbling block, though, is his wage demands with a recent poll showing that 85% of PSV fans do not think he is worth the reported 1 million EURO salary that he is after.

Sam Larsson (SC Heerenveen)

Swedish international Larsson is a new arrival to Heerenveen this season, after joining from Goteburg in the off-season. He has proven to be yet another potential Scandinavian jewel that the Heerenveen scouting team has delivered over the years. Has all the same hallmarks as Corona but represents a more powerful, cheaper option. Larsson has contributed 8 goals and 6 assists in his 20 games this season. Heerenveen have already offered him a new contract, but he has refused to consider this at present. He has a contract until 2018 so Heerenveen aren’t in any rush to sell but PSV might be tempted to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Ricardo Kishna (Ajax)

Yes he plays for Ajax presently and yes this is probably the biggest obstacle in Kishna going to PSV, but transfers between PSV & Ajax are not unheard of. Kishna is a year younger than Memphis and despite his young age has already proven that he can light up the Eredivisie. His flair, trickery, dribbling and pace are very comparable to Memphis and he has a return of 5 goals and assists from 20 matches this season. This current Dutch youth team player only has 1 year to run on his Ajax contract, so he could force the issue if PSV make a serious play for his services.

Elvis Manu (Feyenoord)

Plays for Feyenoord, so again some question marks surrounding a desire to sell him to PSV but he also has the hallmarks of someone who could replace Memphis. A 21-year old natural Left Winger, Manu has had a good season for Feyenoord with 14 goals in 34 matches, including some great performances in the Europa League. Manu has great pace and strength but his overall technique and consistency would need some improvement to reach Memphis levels but definitely a great raw talent.

Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar)

Berghuis has been a standout performer for AZ this season with 10 goals in 22 appearances. The former Twente youth player can play on either wing or as Striker and has excellent technical and passing abilities. He has a strong desire to succeed (much like Memphis does) and would arguably be the cheapest of the options presented thus far. He probably isn’t quite at the standard that Memphis is but would be a good squad player, in conjunction with another big name signing.

Bilal Ould-Chikh (FC Twente)

If PSV are looking at a longer term prospect that they can bring up to Memphis’ standard then Ould-Chikh might be their guy. Only 17 years old he has already played 15 full games for FC Twente this season. An out and out winger with great technique, pace and dribbling abilities Ould-Chikh certainly has the potential to rival Memphis one day. FC Twente might be needing cash to satisfy their creditors at the moment, but surely they’ll want to hang on to their star prospect and try and build a team around him.

Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United)

Januzaj has been on the outer at Manchester United since Van Gaal’s arrival and was rumoured to have been offered as part of any deal taking Memphis to England. It doesn’t look like this has eventuated but a cashed up PSV could do a lot worse than taking the talented Belgian to Eindhoven, even if it is on loan. Even though he has not scored in the Premier League this year, the footballing world is very aware of Januzaj’s abilities with a ball at his feet and his technique and flair do rival those of Memphis. He is on a massive salary at Man Utd and this is why a loan move but be the best for both teams, particularly as Memphis will certainly be a direct rival for Januzaj.

Serge Gnabry (Arsenal)

Another potential loan option is the Arsenal youngster, Serge Gnabry. Like Januzaj Gnabry burst onto the scene last season before injury curtailed his plans and has had limited game time since. He may be best suited to a spell in the Eredivisie, whilst also getting guaranteed Champions League action. Gnabry has fantastic physical attributes and his attacking tendancies would be very well suited to this PSV side.

Ola John (Benfica)

For a 22-year old John seems to have been around for a long time, and certainly his club movements would indicate the same. Currently at Benfica, the lure of returning home to PSV may be one that suits John as he looks to break back into the Dutch national team setup. Another out and out pacy winger John could be the perfect provider for Luuk de Jong.

Filip Kostic (Stuttgart)

22-year old Serbian Kostic played 2 seasons in the Eredivisie with Groningen before earning a move to Stuttgart in the off-season. He has played reasonably well in a struggling side with 3 goals and 7 assists thus far. He has tremendous cross abilities and is also an accomplished finisher. If Stuttgart do get relegated this season this might be enough to convince Kostic to return to the Netherlands and the lure of Champions League football.

There are some options available internally at PSV at present headlined by the wantaway Zakaria Bakkali and the raw but very inconsistent Florian Jozefzoon. A long term potential replacement is the exciting young Steven Bergwijn, who made his Eredivisie debut on the weekend at the age of 17. Bergwijn is very highly thought of at PSV and has tremendous pace and acceleration. If his technical abilities continue to develop over the next few seasons he is definitely one to watch.

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EREDIVISIE, FEATURE

Eredivisie: The Race For Third

May 9, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

This weekend’s fixtures are set to have a massive bearing on the race to finish third in the table and guarantee Europa League football for next season. With the league title already sown up by PSV, Ajax securing second place and Dordrecht guaranteed to finish bottom, there is not much else to play for this season. All that remains is to find out which of the teams will contest the relegation play-off, to cement the teams who will play in the Europa League play-off and which of the teams will finish third.

On Sunday AZ Alkmaar host NAC Breda in what could potentially be a trickier fixture than it looks on paper with NAC looking to secure their survival in the league. Thanks to a police strike the big game of the weekend between Feyenoord and Vitesse is now to be played on Monday night. A point for Feyenoord in this game will take Vitesse out of the equation and it will also be enough to secure third place if AZ lose. Even if both Feyenoord and AZ win Feyenoord will most likely still finish third thanks to their far superior goal difference. A win for Vitesse will shake things right up and force it to go right up until the final day.

Let’s now have a look at all three teams chances of finishing in that final league position…

FEYENOORD

Feyenoord should have had third place sewn up by now, but after a stuttering finish to the campaign there are now in danger of losing it after doing so well to get themselves up there in the first place. Were also, up until a few weeks ago, looking up the table at catching Ajax in second but are now forced to look down after gaining only two points from their last nine. A 2-2 draw with Willem II didn’t look to be too damaging at the time but that was followed by a surprise first defeat at De Kuip since September to relegation candidates Go Ahead Eagles. Go Ahead had only won twice away from home all season and it was a damaging defeat that could have a big impact on their final league position. Before last weekends break in play a point away to Groningen would otherwise have been seen as a good one but in their current situation after going 1-0 they will be disappointed not to see it out.

With manager Fred Rutten and potentially several playing staff such as Clasie, Boetius and Te Vrede all linked with moves away it is easy to see why they may have tailed off towards the end but you would hope that they would like to put Feyenoord in as good a position as possible for next season, especially captain Clasie. Coach Rutten is already guaranteed to guide Feyenoord to their worst league position in three years but he won’t want to make it any worse. After scoring four goals in three appearances at the end of March, Anass Achahbar has failed to score in his next three. They will hope he can return to this form to guide them through the next two games. They will also be boosted by the fact that they have signed striker Colin Kazim-Richards on a permanent deal from Bursaspor. Feyenoord will be confident of securing the right result at what will be a crowded house against a Vitesse club that has looked slightly out of sorts this season. Terence Kongolo will be back after missing the game at Groningen and the only absentee will be Khaled Boulahrouz who was sent off in the dying seconds last time out. With expectations high the only thing that is likely to cost Feyenoord is their nerve in the big games which, barring PSV at home and AZ away, has sometimes hindered them this season.

AZ ALKMAAR

Nearest and most likely challengers to Feyenoord for third place, AZ are currently sitting in fourth with three points separating them and a place above. The team from Alkmaar could potentially miss out through their poor goal difference, which would need to see a twenty goal swing between them and Feyenoord in the final two games if they finish level. This has not been helped by a defense that has conceded a massive 53 goals this season, the worst record inside the top 11 teams. This year itself they have shipped four to PSV, six against Utrecht, three against Vitesse, four at home to Feyenoord and five at Heerenveen, a cut down on these figures would have seen them right in amongst it at the top.

Utrecht alone have put nine goals past them this season. Like Feyenoord it has been a fairly inconsistent season for AZ and they have never really been able to put a good run of results together. Good results such as the 2-2 draw away to Feyenoord, the 1-0 win at Ajax and 4-2 success at Groningen have been cancelled out by defeats at home to Feyenoord and both games against PSV. A run of seven games unbeaten from the end of October to mid-December seemed to put them on the right path until it was inexplicably ended with a 3-0 defeat at home to Utrecht. Straight after this game it again looked as if they had dragged themselves back in it with a run of one loss in eight leading into March. During this time they looked like serious challengers to Feyenoord and even an outside bet of a Champions League place a run of one win in five though showed their inconsistent nature. They go into the game on Sunday with two wins in a row including a crucial three points away at struggling Twente.

However, the fans will be disheartened by the sale of captain Nemanja Gudelj to Ajax this week, though he will be suspended for this weekend’s fixture anyway. Whether this will have an affect on the players themselves though remains to be seen. With Gudelj, their main source of goals, out it will now be up to the rest of the squad to pitch in with striker Steven Berghuis looking to add to his tally of nine goals this term. AZ will gain confidence from the from the fact the have already beaten NAC Breda this season 1-0 away from home, but teams fighting relegation at the end of the season can be a very different animal to the one at the start, so they can’t afford to be complacent.

VITESSE ARNHEM

Vitesse can count themselves unlucky that they seem to have just a very outside chance of reaching the top three. Their season seems to have gone the opposite from their two rivals’ as their poorest form seems to have come in the middle of the campaign. They would have found themselves in with a great chance of grabbing third spot with a win at De Kuip on Monday if they had won against ADO Den Haag in their last game. This defeat put an end to a truly spectacular run of 12 games without a loss including ten wins, but the shock defeat has left their hope of gaining entry in the Europa League automatically hanging by a thread. Anything but a win on Monday and they will have to go through the play-offs, and with what looks like Zwolle, Heerenveen and one of either Feyenoord and AZ joining them in there, nothing is certain.

Aside from the defeat at Den Haag, Vitesse can point to a disappointing start to the season where they failed to win in August and only had four points from their first 18. It looked as if they had found their feet between September and October when they recorded three straight wins, scoring 16 goals in the process but a run of one win in ten was to follow that though as their season fell away before them. The much needed unbeaten run that followed was vital and set them up in a good position coming into Monday nights game before the defeat to Den Haag. The team does posses some truly quality players in Marko Vejinovic, Davy Propper, Valeri Kaziishvili and Bertrand Traore and are capable of beating any team in this league on their day. Traore has 11 goals to his name and will look to add more before he presumably returns to Chelsea in the summer.

Vitesse can also take heart from Feyenoord’s recent slump in form and after seeing Go Ahead Eagles come away with three points; they are likely to be in a confident mood.

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TRANSFERS

Ajax signs the Gudelj brothers

May 6, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

Eredivisie giants Ajax today announced a double Serbian signing from the same family reports Will Burns. The much anticipated transfer of AZ Alkmaar midfielder Nemanja Gudelj finally was confirmed this afternoon when he put pen to paper on five-year deal however, he did not arrive alone as his younger brother Dragiša joined from NAC Breda as well-reknowned coaching father Nebojsa posed for photos with the pair today in Amsterdam.

***Dragi, Nemanja and father Nebojsa Gudelj during the tour of the ArenA – picture courtesy of Ajax.nl***

NEMANJA GUDELJ

Central midfielder Nemanja Gudelj was born on November 16th 1991 in Belgrade and has plyed his trade in the Eredivisie since the summer of 2009, first with NAC Breda for four campaigns before moving onto AZ.

While in Breda he netted eight times over 79 appearances and also made 15 runouts for the Serbian Under-21 side during this tenure. During this time, his father Nebojsa was head coach of NAC and sold him in the summer of 2013 for a cool €3 million to Alkmaar. During his time at AZ over the past two seasons he has appeared on 64 occasions while scoring 17 goals. In 2014, he made the full Serbian international team nine times.

Joining on a five-year deal, Ajax have themselves a creative midfielder with a great first touch and tremendous dribbling skills. He looks to be a snip at the rumoured €4.5million that Frank de Boer has sanctioned for the playmaker.

DRAGIŠA GUDELJ

Arriving at Ajax with his older brother is 17-year-old Dragi signing until June 2018. The young left-back will join the Ajax youth academy on a free transfer from NAC Breda on a three-year deal, and will aim to break through the first team within that contract.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: AZ Alkmaar 0-1 Heerenveen

September 14, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

AZ ALKMAAR 0 – 1 HEERENVEEN

AZ played host to coach Marco van Basten’s former club Heerenveen on Saturday with the Dutchman still unavailable on the touchline due to illness. Alex Pastoor once again barked out the orders as they fell to a 1-0 defeat writes Will Burns.

It was the first time that the home AZ fans inside the AFAS Stadion got to see summer signing Sergio Rochet and he impressed early on. The 21-year-old Uruguayan goalkeeper, arrived from Danubio in May, stopped early efforts from Mark Uth and Jordy Buijs inside a busy first half but seven minutes before the interval, his goal was breached.

Young midfielder Daley Sinkgraven has had a great and impressive start to the 2014/15 campaign and he was on hand to make it 1-0 after poor defending from AZ. Morten Thorsby found some space down the left-wing to find Uth on the edge of the area. Uth lost to the ball to Jeffrey Gouweleeuw who could not direct his clearance out of the path of Sinkgraven who hit a first time shot past Rochet, giving the young keeper no chance.

AZ barely threatened Kristoffer Nordfeldt at the other end but on 55 minutes they should have maybe had a spot kick awarded after Joost van Aken made a clumsy challenge in the area on Derrick Luckassen. Referee Bas Nijhuis waved away any appeals and Heerenveen rode the game out for the win that places them in second place, two points behind PSV.

TEAMS

AZ: Rochet, Luckassen (Elm 73), Gouweleeuw, Wuytens (Haps 54), Poulsen, Ortiz, Hupperts, Gudelj, Haye, Tankovic, Mühren (Johansson 64).

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, Henriksen, Hoedt, Rosheuvel.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Johansson 67.

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, Van Aken, Buijs, Van Anholt, Van Den Berg, De Roon, Sinkgraven (Schmidt 90), Slagveer, Uth (Dalgaard 86), Thorsby (Otigba 81).

SUBS NOT USED: De Fockert, Raitala, Varga, Van Amersfoort.

GOALS: Sinkgraven 38.

BOOKINGS: Sinkgraven 58, De Roon 76.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Sergio Rochet (AZ Alkmaar)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: FC Dordrecht 1-3 AZ Alkmaar

August 31, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 30TH AUGUST

FC DORDRECHT 1 – 3 AZ ALKMAAR

Without head coach Marco van Basten present, AZ Alkmaar bounced back from last weekend’s horrific showing against Willem II to a 3-1 win over FC Dordrecht writes Will Burns.

With Alex Pastoor looking after the team for this game, AZ were ahead early on as Guus Hupperts got on the scoresheet after six minutes of play. The summer signing from Roda JC, saw his effort saved by Polish keeper and former Roda team-mate Filip Kurto, but unfortunately for the new Dordrecht stopper could not stop the ball rebounding off Hupperts and into his net.

AZ found another goal on 22 minutes with another new signing Muamer Tankovic, a freebie from Fulham, scoring the second. Steven Berghuis put the ball on the plate for Tankovic, and the young Swedish striker lobbed a delightful goal over Kurto to double the advantage.

The hosts got themselves back into the game after half-time with an excellent counter move. Joris van Overeem hit a defence-splitting ball through to Mart Lieder who went onto finish in style past debutant Uruguayan goalkeeper Sergio Rochet.

However, AZ grabbed the third and final goal to slam the door shut for Dordrecht just before the hour mark with Tankovic crossing for Steven Berghuis to poke home for yards out.

AZ’s new striker Robert Mühren, this week signing from Eerste Divisie side FC Volendam, was introduced with twenty minutes to go and on his performance, he should have plenty chances created for him.

TEAMS

DORDRECHT: Kurto, Fortes, Haddad, Troost-Ekong (Ten Voorde 72), Peersman, Van Haaren (Van Deelen 46), Gosens, Van Overeem, Korte, Lieder, Pisas (Meulens 72).

SUBS NOT USED: Alisic, Te Loeke, Vet, Hamdaoui.

GOALS: Lieder 53.

BOOKINGS: Gosens 3, Haddad 68.

AZ: Rochet, Luckassen (Elm 85), Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Poulsen, Gudelj, Haye, Ortiz, Hupperts, Berghuis (Mühren 71), Tankovic (Haps 64).

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, Johansson, Hoedt, Rosheuvel.

GOALS: Hupperts 6, Tankovic 22, Berghuis 58.

BOOKINGS: Gudelj 53.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Steven Berghuis (AZ)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 4: Saturday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 29, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

The Eredivisie on Saturday brings four games and Will Burns returns to provide you of his top four bets to make an profit this weekend.

SATURDAY 30TH AUGUST

SC CAMBUUR vs. ADO DEN HAAG (17:30 BST)

After a great win last weekend demolishing of FC Groningen, ADO Den Haag travel to Leeuwarden to face a Cambuur side that are undefeated in three games including an away win to Heracles last weekend. Will Burns thinks this game could be a low scoring stalemate.

Sixth play seventh in the Eredivisie, and I see this being a game that is tight as those positions are. ADO added Timothy Derjick to their defensive options this week from PSV to tighten up a defence that has only concede three in three games, now in the Eredivisie, that is a great ratio!

This fixture has seen some goals in that past with Cambuur have seen over 2.5 goals in their last four matches against ADO Den Haag in all competitions at Cambuur Stadion. Although, I see these two competing in a midfield battle that may end a 1-1 or even, dare I say it a 0-0.

Betfair offer the draw at 13/5 and I see this being a price too good to ignore.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Draw (13/5 – Betfair)

FC DORDRECHT vs. AZ ALKMAAR (18:45 BST)

AZ Alkmaar will look to bounce back from their defeat to Eredivisie newcomers Willem II (3-0) last weekend with a trip to another newly promoted side, FC Dordrecht. Will Burns thinks Marco van Basten may find it tough on Saturday.

Van Basten will be looking to change AZ’s fortunes away from home after failing to win nine of their last ten games on the road in the league. The introduction of Guus Hupperts from relegated Roda JC has not seen the success that many were predicting, however, after just three games who am I to judge?

Dordrecht have made a solid return to the Dutch top flight with a win, a defeat and a draw so far. Going one better than their opponents after AZ have been defeated by Ajax and the aforementioned Willem II, after a opening day win against the poor-looking Heracles.

Once again, Betfair value the draw at 13/5 and this is worth a decent stake to gain some profit.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Draw (13/5 – Betfair)

EXCELSIOR vs. HERACLES (18:45 BST)

Excelsior’s first choice goalkeeper Jordy Decker is suspended for the visit of Heracles for his red card last weekend’s late defeat against Heerenveen. Debutant Alessandro Damen will replace him however, Will Burns does not think the new stopper will see much action as his side should overcome the boys from Almelo.

Heracles prop up the league with three defeats in three and are on a terrible running that continued at the end of the last campaign, totalling their seven losses in their last eight Eredivisie matches. Manager Jan de Jonge was booed off in last weekend’s home defeat to Cambuur and his job could be in jeopardy if they concede this game to newly promoted Excelsior.

The smaller of the two Eredivisie Rotterdam sides have performed above their station drawing against relegation contenders NAC Breda on the opening day and then defeating Go Ahead Eagles in a five-goal thriller the next week. Their last game was the 2-0 defeat to Heerenveen which they held strong until the 82nd minute dismissal of Deckers.

I predict Heracles’ dreary run to continue and Excelsior claim all three point which is available at 6/5 at Betfair.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Excelsior to win (6/5 – Betfair)

HEERENVEEN vs. FC UTRECHT (19:45 BST)

Dwight Lodeweges found his first win of the season in a ‘lucky win’ over Excelsior but with the talents of Daley Sinkgraven, Luciano Slagveer and Sam Larsson pulling the strings, Will Burns thinks Heerenveen could win again in Saturday’s late game.

Utrecht themselves have returned to winning ways, claiming all six points in their last two games (home to Willem II and away to Feyenoord). Last weekend in Rotterdam, could be seen as a ‘lucky win’ too with Feyenoord crumbling in the second-half to gift Utrecht the victory.

The sale of Jens Toornstra will not help matters for Rob Alflen’s side but signing Liverpool’s Kristoffer Peterson midweek may have calmed supporters nerves. Utrecht are capable of scoring goals however, they have failed to keep a clean sheet in the opening three matchdays and Heerenveen should find a way through here. Sinkgraven, Slagveer and Larsson all have sufficient talent to put Kai Heerings and Ramon Leeuwin under pressure and get past Robbin Ruiter in goal.

Betfair offer a great 2/1 for a Heerenveen win but Utrecht to score and this is my final recommended bet of Saturday’s matches.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Heerenveen to win with both teams to score – (3/1 – Betfair)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Willem II 3-0 AZ Alkmaar

August 24, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 23RD AUGUST 2014

WILLEM II 3 – 0 AZ ALKMAAR

Willem II blew AZ Alkmaar away 3-0 on Saturday evening to show that the Eredivisie newcomers are not pushovers writes Will Burns.

The hosts dominated throughout the first-half and nearly got off to a flyer after just three minutes had it not been for Robbie Haemhouts blazing over from just ten yards out.

The Tilburg side did take the lead after just 14 minutes of play through Brazilian striker Bruno Andrade after Ben Sahar capitalised on a terrible mistake by AZ right-back Matías Johansson. Caught in the corner with the ball with Sahar hunting him down, the Swedish international laid the ball into the path of goalkeeper Esteban. The pass did not reach and the Israeli striker nicked the ball away, laid into Andrade inside the box who tapped home. AZ coach Marco van Basten did not looked impressed as his opposite number, Pierluigi Collina-lookalike Jurgen Streppel, punched the air with delight.

Goalscorer Andrade did not last long after his goal picking up a calf strain and was replaced by the always energetic Charlton Vicento on 20 minutes. AZ had injury troubles too with Markus Henriksen being forced off with a knock for Thom Haye some six minutes later.

Streppel’s men nearly doubled their advantage on 28 minutes as Sahar and Ali Messaoud, formerly of AZ, linked up well before the latter rattled the foot of the post with a low drive, however a minute later Messaoud would have more luck.

A long throw from Tim Cornelisse caused major problems for the AZ defence and the ball fell perfectly in the area for Messaoud. Holding off the challenge of Jeffrey Gouweleeuw, the midfielder placed a shot which again hit the post, however the rebound landed at his feet to tap home to make it 2-0.

AZ obviously desperate for a goal pressed for the remainder of the first half but returning goalkeeper Kostas Lamprou, suspended last weekend, dealt with only weak efforts from the poor attack of Guus Hupperts, Mikhail Rosheuvel and Muamer Tankovic.

After a slow start to the second period, AZ came close. Substitute Thom Haye rose above everyone at the front post from a Hupperts corner but Lamprou did really well to tip the ball over as the 9,500 inside the Koning Willem II Stadion erupted out of their seats.

As AZ continued to press, Willem II sealed the game off with a third with five minutes to go. Caught out at the back, Charlton Vicento outsprinted Johansson and clipped the ball over the onrushing Esteban to confirm the win.

AZ were very poor here and will need to improve vastly away to FC Dordrecht next weekend. Willem II are also on their travels as they face Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer.

TEAMS

WILLEM II: Lamprou, Cornelisse, Peters, S. Wuytens (Van der Struijk 80), Heymans, Haemhouts (Ippel 75), Messaoud, D. Wuytens, Ondaan, Andrade (Vicento 21), Sahar.

SUBS NOT USED: Meul, Heerkens, Sporkslede, Derkx.

GOALS: Andrade 14, Messaoud 29, Vicento 86.

BOOKINGS: Ondaan 33.

AZ: Esteban, Johansson, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens, Poulsen, Gudelj, Henriksen (Haye 27), Ortiz, Hupperts, Tankovic, Rosheuvel (Elm 63).

SUBS NOT USED: Rochet, Luckassen, Hoedt, Haps.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Wuytens 37.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ali Messaoud (Willem II)

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