AZ mainly makes it difficult for themselves, sees Jansen: ‘Absolute conviction lacking’
NOS Football–
Jansen lacks conviction at AZ: ‘At the moment we are not scoring so easily’
AZ had to deal with the hard laws of European soccer on a visit. They themselves did not exploit the chances and on the other side Anderlecht hurt the Alkmaar players twice (2-0).
The latter was unnecessary, coach Pascal Jansen thought. “We were not ruthless enough in defense.”
Four duels without a win
“I thought we played reasonably at times. But the absolute conviction was missing,” continued Jansen, who failed to win for the fourth game in a row with AZ. “At the moment we are not scoring easily. We get chances that normally go between the posts.”
At AZ, Jesper Karlsson was not yet fit enough to start, the striker who can break open and decide games with his actions. For Jansen, that was no excuse for the defeat. “The guys who are in there now can do it too,” he said.
Midfielder Tijjani Reijnders spoke of “a frustrating evening,” but holds out hope for the return next week. “We know we can score two goals at home. Or even three.”
Watch comments from Tijjani Reijnders and Bart Verbruggen here:
The only Dutchman who stepped off the field with a big smile was Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.
Verbruggen is considered one of the bright spots in a team that is having an extremely disappointing season with a ninth place finish in the Belgian league. He was even rewarded by national coach Ronald Koeman with a selection for the Dutch national team.
Breakthrough
“I do try to just stay sober,” Verbruggen said of his breakthrough this season. “I’m grateful to be on this stage.”
He is still relatively unknown to Dutch audiences, but that may change next week. “We go to Alkmaar with the feeling that it is 0-0 and we have to go super hard,” he said.
