The Celtic Park atmosphere is incredible and it could intimidate AZ just like it spooked Goram .. he asked the bus driver to drop him off on 18-yard line
AZ ALKMAAR may have lost their best players and been left with a squad of youngsters.
However, it’s still unlikely this attack-minded side will come to Parkhead tomorrow night and ‘park the bus’ on the edge of the penalty area.
It might not be the worst idea in the world though, according to Michel Doesburg given his recollection of his trips to Glasgow’s east end.
The former AZ defender and then youth supremo has fond memories of his time in Scotland with Motherwell and Dunfermline and, while it’s been 20 years since he was part of the Dutch invasion in the SPL, he knows some things remain the same.
Doesburg – now part of the renowned Ajax academy – reckons his former club have a good chance of getting past Celtic in the Europa League play-off showdown but only if they can cope with the thunderous atmosphere.
That’s where the team coach trick could come in, but not in the way Jose Mourinho meant when he uttered the famous phrase.
Doesburg said: “When I was at Motherwell we had Andy Goram in the side and I remember going to Celtic Park. There was a crowd even shouting at us on the team bus on the way in.
“The Goalie went over and said to the driver ‘can you drop me off right on the 18-yard line?’.
“When we jumped off the bus and eventually got on the pitch it was like ‘wow’. The atmospheres at Celtic Park and Ibrox are incredible. I didn’t mind whether it was You’ll Never Walk Alone on one side or Tina Turner on the other. I didn’t care about the background or the rivalry, I just love football, and the atmosphere in these stadiums is so special.
“I was in my 30s and had played in some big games but I was still blown away. It was always difficult going there, but we did manage to win at Celtic once with Motherwell.
“That was special. My best friend is Arthur Numan, who now works for Alkmaar, and we talk about it all the time and I know the atmosphere is exactly the same now.
“Can it be intimidating for AZ? Yes. No doubt. It can be a factor. This is a young, inexperienced squad, with around 60 or 70 per cent coming from the youth academy. They have done well in the last year or so at home and in Europe but they might not be used to this kind of atmosphere.
“It can be an issue and it is something they will have to deal with. The first leg will be vital.”
Doesburg – who spent two seasons at Fir Park before joining Jimmy Calderwood for another couple of years with the Pars – watched AZ sell some of their top performers this summer, with top scorer Myron Boadu heading to Monaco, winger Calvin Stengs signing for Nice and keeper Marco Bizot departing for Stade Brest, with the Dutch outfit banking up to £40million in the process.
But the man responsible for finding much of the talent on the books of the club doesn’t believe
they look any weaker despite the high-profile exits.
AZ have been title challengers in Holland in recent times – and are still smarting from the way the league was called when the pandemic hit.
But they will be back up there again this term and Doesburg is convinced his old club will also be in the Europa League.
Speaking to the Record’s Celtic Podcast, he said: “They are a very strong side – even though they have sold some of their best players.
“They have lost three very important players and could lose more with talk around the captain Peer Koopmeiners [linked with Arsenal].
“It’s a huge blow to AZ because these boys had been at the club since they were nine or 10. They know the club and they come in to the first team, do well for a couple of years and then they are sold for a lot of money. They will be missed. “But if you look at their replacements, players such as the Greek striker Evangelos Pavlidis from Willem II, and
Aslak Fonn Witry from Norway, they are international players.
“The don’t look like they have been weakened too much. They managed to beat Real Sociedad and Torino in pre-season, as well as Panathinaikos. They have looked pretty good.”
But AZ went down to Waalwijk in their Eredivisie opener at the weekend and star man Owen Wijndal hasn’t featured since coming back from the Euros.
Doesburg revealed they play a high-pressing, high-intensity game, and they don’t like taking a backward step.
It sounds familiar to the Celtic style and it could lead to a classic.
He said: “They love to attack and I don’t think they will adapt too much to the opponent. They will play their own game.
“Can they outplay the pressure of Celtic and cope with the atmosphere? It will be interesting to find out but I do think AZ have the quality to get through the tie.
“I might be at Ajax now but I will always go with my old club. Plus I will always go with my pal Arthur, who is from the blue half of Glasgow.”