VERBEEK SACKED

AZ Alkmaar has terminated Gertjan Verbeek from his post of manager. The owners of the club took this decision earlier today.

This is really surprising for everyone who follows Netherlands football quite closely. Verbeek had been doing fine as manager and just a day ago; his team had secured a win over PSV Eindhoven which is currently at the top position in the Eredivisie points table.

A statement released by AZ Alkmaar says, “Gertjan Verbeek is no longer the manager of the club. His chemistry with the players in the squad wasn’t that good and because of that, the board has taken the decision that he doesn’t need to carry on.”

Verbeek had been the manager of Alkmaar since the last 3 years. He had joined the club at the start of the 2010-11 Season after leaving Heracles Almelo.

Verbeek did a decent job during his tenure at Alkmaar. Under him, Alkmaar made it to the Europa League thrice including the last season.

In this season also, Alkmaar had been going well. They had moved up to no. 4 in the points table after their win against the table toppers Eindhoven yesterday.

Verbeek’s contract had been extended at the start of the last season and he was not supposed to leave Alkmaar in the near future. But, nobody knows what happened all of a sudden that the owners had to take this decision of sacking him.

It’s not clear yet who is going to succeed Verbeek. A press conference is scheduled to take place later today. May be, an announcement regarding Verbeek’s successor will be made by the club in that press conference.

Alkmaar’s next game is a Europa League encounter against the Greek club PAOK Salonika. That game will be played on Thursday.

JOHANNSSON MAKES DEBUT

AZ Alkmaar star Aron Johannsson recently made his debut for the national team. He was picked by United States national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann for the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina and played for 30 minutes in the match after the US managed a 4-3 victory. Johannsson was also named as one of the favourites to start, according to the sports betting markets.

Johannsson has said that he is happy with his performance on the pitch, but he is confident that he can deliver more for the national team in the future. He is obviously delighted at making his debut, and he is hoping to be on the first-team regular basis. Continue reading “JOHANNSSON MAKES DEBUT”

ONE OF THE BEST

AZ Alkmaar goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado has been one of the best goalkeepers in the Dutch league over the last few years. This has led the interest in the 24-year-old amongst clubs from Italy. It is believed that the likes of Udinese and Real Betis are interested in signing him. Real Betis have been interested in him for quite a while now, but Udinese will now pose a strong competition for the la Liga side. Alvarado has confirmed that Udinese have now entered into the race to sign the player. However, he has also confirmed that the offers are yet to materialise into strong interest.

Unless the interest turns into a strong force, Alvarado plans to continue with AZ Alkmaar with the highest possible commitment. He has ruled out the possibility of moving to England because work permit restrictions may be that the 24-year-old will not be able to play for a Premier league club. Udinese recently lost their number one goalkeeper Zeljko Brkic to a serious shoulder injury, and they have reportedly identified the Costa Rican as the man to replace him. Alvarado was a first-team regular for AZ Alkmaar last season and he managed to help them secure the Dutch Cup title with a win over PSV Eindhoven.

“As for my [future] I know that there has been talk of Udinese and Real Betis. In England I cannot go due to the regulations on foreigners, but the opportunity to go to another club exists. It has presented itself in the past and we will see if it will return in the future but will also depend on my performance,” said Alvarado. He will, however, be looking to change the disappointing domestic campaign for the club. They finished only in the 10th position outside the European qualification places after having taken just 39 points.