His 2015 form brought a heatwave of hype, and even fooled yours truly into buying his jersey in Amsterdam, but Riechedly Bazoer now has the chance for a fresh start. After a great start, Bazoer’s form faded, as Frank De Boer’s Ajax capitulated to Cocu’s PSV in the Eredivisie title chase. De Boer was sacked, and Peter Bosz soon locked Bazoer out of the XI, preferring his captain and new signing Hakim Ziyech. Bazoer transferred to Wolfsburg with weeks to go before the transfer window opened. He has the chance for a fresh start, even with Hecking recently sacked, and with the managerial situation at Wolfsburg uncertain. He’s already broke into Holland’s first team, and with Julian Draxler already gone, and Luiz Gustavo possibly leaving too, Bazoer must accept the responsibility of becoming the German side’s creative hub. It seems he has attitude problems, but away from the rigorous standards of Ajax schooling, he now has the chance to not only reinvent himself, but also decide his own destiny. He must remind the world why he generated so much hype, and do everything he can to return Wolfsburg to the helm of German football. Versatility is Bazoer’s biggest plus, but also his biggest minus. Is he a controlling DM? A shuttling B2B? A ball-playing center half? It seems Bazoer is too languid on the ball, he doesn’t have the intelligence to play further forward, his ball-playing skills aren’t good enough to turn him into a volante that can test opposing defenses and really make his mark on matches. All of these questions are unanswered, and it isn’t a good sign when your club team and national team are both immersed in cesspools of uncertainty and turnover. Still, Bazoer has the potential to be one of the first Dutch talents to actually fulfill his potential this decade. We’ll see if he can prove the doubters wrong, and make me stop regretting my purchase at the Amsterdam ArenA’s Fanshop.
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