AZ Coach Pascal Jansen Looks Ahead to Competition Cracker Against Feyenoord

The day after the lost Conference League match against Aston Villa (2-1), AZ coach Pascal Jansen already set his sights on the competition cracker against Feyenoord next Sunday. Despite the loss in Birmingham, Jansen was optimistic. “I saw yesterday that we have recovered after a series of poor matches. We will take that with us to the match against Feyenoord,” he said in Algemeen Dagblad.

Jansen expects a similar intensity in De Kuip. “Because Feyenoord is also known for playing with a high intensity, such as a match against a Premier League club like Aston Villa is also one with a high intensity. Let it be clear that you have to be very good to fight Feyenoord.”

Admiration
Jansen emphasizes his admiration for the Rotterdammer’s way of playing. “They really have a great squad. Its skeleton has remained intact. For example, the goalkeeper and the last line and in midfield they have added Ramiz Zerrouki and Calvin Stengs.” Jansen still worked with Stengs at AZ. “I’m happy that he is now doing well at Feyenoord. It is good that he plays a lot,” says the trainer.

Top scorers
The two top scorers of the Eredivisie will also cross swords in De Kuip: Santiago Giménez and Vangelis Pavlidis. Both have scored thirteen league goals so far. “The balls go in quite easily for both players. They both have a great instinct and are in a good phase of their career,” says Jansen, who thinks that both attackers cannot be compared. “Pavlidis has developed recently in the depth game, Giménez is better at that. He is the best at running away from a defender’s back at the last moment. Giménez may be able to learn something from Pavlidis when it comes to playing football. It will be a fascinating and interesting competition.”