Kenneth Perez understands little of Devyne Rensch’s sliding in AZ’s equalizer against Ajax. Like his fellow analysts at ESPN the Dane believes that the action of the right back was not necessarily necessary to prevent goal scorer Mees de Wit from scoring. Moreover, Perez does not hide his general opinion about making slidings: “I hate defenders who do that.”
After Mohammed Kudus had given Ajax the lead, AZ’s equalizer started with Jordy Clasie. The midfielder tried to send Mees de Wit away on the left, where Rensch seemed to intercept. However, the right back slipped over the ball, giving an unintended assist to Mees de Wit. De Wit, who, like teammate Yukinari Sugawara, played as an occasional striker, did not suspect that he was originally a defender and shot hard and low under Pasveer: 1-1.
?? @AZAlkmaar shows Ajax: after Mees de Wit’s 1-1, Jens Odgaard scores the 2-1 just before half time! ??
?? ESPN2
#?? #azaja pic.twitter.com/6Cot8eXki7— ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) September 18, 2022
“I hate defenders who make a lot of sliding tackles,” Perez pleads. Although fellow analyst Arnold Bruggink does not generalize his opinion in such a way, he does have an opinion about Rensch’s action: “It was completely unnecessary.” The table company also agrees that AZ is well-deserved (a 2-1) lead. “They put much more energy into the game than Ajax, which has relatively little energy and input into the game. Based on commitment and will, the lead is well deserved for AZ,” said Perez.
The 2-1 of Jens Odgaard can also count on praise to the ESPN-table. The AZ striker was on the lookout for a long ball from the back, while Calvin Bassey lifted offside on the other side of the field. Odgaard could only approach Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer and finished in a controlled manner: 2-1. “It’s not easy, because the field is wet and your shoes are just wet,” says Bruggink.