Though AGF Aarhus was among many teams caught up in the coaching musical chairs during the Danish Superligaen winter break, American Jeremiah White has seen the new face at the helm as a positive change.
Aarhus, waved goodbye to departing coach Ove Pedersen - now with league rivals Esbjerg - and began the new year under former FC Midtjylland skipper Erik Rassmussen.
As a result of the new direction, right-sided midfielder White has seen significant changes to his role on the field under Rassmussen, having already figured in as a starter for most of season's first half.
"Under Erik I am able to attack much more," White told YA. "I find myself in more threatening situations going forward because of our positioning on defense."
His increased presence on the attack has been noticeable as he has already assisted on a pair of scores in the team's first four games of 2009 - coincidentally the only two netted by Aarhus so far - and has been a constant figure in many of the team's affronts on goal.
Despite still searching for their first victory of the spring campaign, White has noticed an overall improved play by the team, even if it is not yet showing up in their points total.
"I think the team is coming together pretty well," he posits. "We are missing our three strikers which is a bit of a problem, but the team overall is playing at a much higher level than before."
The loss of the team's biggest offensive threat, Dioh Williams, to an Achilles injury and the temporary suspension of veteran starter Peter Graulund has left the team searching for goals, with only two scored in their last four contests.
White, however, feels that the team just needs to get a firm footing in their new coach's on-field style and recover from their recent rash of injuries, then the results will inevitably follow.
"Our goals are to get stronger within Erik's system," the former Wake Forest player explains. "We have a lot of injuries so I think that when we are full strength we can really make a push for a Euro spot."
Aarhus currently sit seventh in the Superligaen with 33 points, and will try to claw their way back into the upper half when they host streaking Aalborg on Sunday. |
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