That is, at least, Kenneth Perez’s perspective. On a one-sided night in Alkmaar, the former AZ icon emphasized the significant differences between the hosts and their expensively assembled, masterfully coached visitors.
Aston Villa cruised past one of the finest teams in Dutch football, Leon Bailey, Youri Tielemans, Ollie Watkins and John McGinn all finding the net before Ibrahim Sadiq’s stunning consolation
And, for Perez, the nature of Bailey’s opener set an early marker, the £25 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen thumping into the bottom corner shortly before AZ talisman Vangelis Pavlidis choked at a similar opportunity.
And, for Perez, the nature of Bailey’s opener set an early marker, the £25 million signing from Bayer Leverkusen thumping into the bottom corner shortly before AZ talisman Vangelis Pavlidis choked at a similar opportunity.
Aston Villa cruise past AZ Alkmaar
Aston Villa is simply more skilled (than AZ). They play at a higher speed. That is the difference between these types of teams,” Perez, who also represented Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente during his playing career, tells ESPN.
“Villa can simply do things at a faster pace, while AZ takes too long. Aston Villa punishes them, AZ does not. Everything Aston Villa does compared to AZ is done with more speed, with more power.
“Like that shot from Bailey. Isn’t that really powerful (compared to) when you see Pavlidis’ shot later?”
Leon Bailey sets Villa on their way
Pavlidis, AZ’s top scorer and one of the most in-form forwards in Europe, let Villa off the hook a couple of times in the first-half, the Midland giants ruthlessly punishing the hosts for their profligacy
Now, Aston Villa has scored four goals in back-to-back contests. They have also scored eight goals in 2023–24, exceeding three times in a single game.
Tielemans, who has drawn a lot of criticism since joining Alkmaar from Leicester in the summer, put on his best performance for the new team. with poise and intent. At the back, Diego Carlos and Clement Lenglet made their claims in infrequent starts, while Matty Cash, Lucas Digne, and Boubacar Kamara provided another indication of their development under Emery.
