Boulahrouz sounds the alarm after Sunderland v AZ: ‘If he wants to go to the Netherlands national team…’ | Goal.com

Veröffentlicht am 16 Sep 2026 | Lesezeit: 2 Minuten

Khalid Boulahrouz believes AZ should have taken more from their Europa League opener against Sunderland, which ended in a 1-0 defeat. The Alkmaar side created more than enough chances but failed to score. Mexx Meerdink carried part of the blame. 

Ten minutes from time, the striker had a huge chance to pull his side level, but waited too long and hit the ball against the outstretched leg of Robin Roefs. It left Boulahrouz frustrated. "At this level, at least one of them has to go in," Boulahrouz says in the Ziggo Sport studio about all of AZ's chances. 

"This chance from Meerdink. It is just hit too weakly, low to the ground. If you are ruthless, you just smash it into the roof of the net. Theo (Janssen, ed.) rightly said: you have to become a killer as a striker. Especially if he wants to get to the Netherlands national team. Then these are the chances in which you can set yourself apart."

"Delaying it once more, taking another touch, that means you are not quite in the right position yourself. Because of that, you can no longer strike it the way you want. This is simply wasting a 100 per cent chance," an irritated Boulahrouz feels. "These are things he really has to cut out. Looking at the whole match, he was simply too sloppy, not good as a focal point... And the chances he got, you have to finish them." 

Meerdink also knows he has to improve. "I think at some moments I lost the ball a bit too easily, but I also had a number of good moments. My area for development is that I have to keep doing it consistently," said Meerdink, who agrees with the analysts in the Ziggo studio. "That ball at the end, I have to smash it in. Not think and just hit it with the instep. In the box I have to be, become, deadly." 

Despite Meerdink accepting the blame himself, Theo Janssen then turned critical of his interview. "Interesting. He has the feeling that he still played quite a decent match. He is quite satisfied. I would advise him to calmly watch this match back again, because it comes down to a number of moments in which, as a striker, you have to be deadly and in which you have to be strong to give your team some calm. Those few moments are not enough, my friend," Janssen says bluntly. 

Janssen concludes: "He is a very enjoyable footballer, he is technically refined, has all the attributes to be a good player. Only he lacks that hunger. You have to do everything for it. He must always give everything for it, and I miss that a little with him sometimes. He has so much potential, but he is not getting everything out of it."

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