Axel Desjardins

[BLennard]

This is the kid they brought in to train with the u20 squad from Italy last week. A lot of people were wandering why he traveled that far just to train as he is not eligible for the qualifications, and I suggested it was probably because they did not have enough information about him and wanted to test him out. He has made it to the bench for the first team (Serie in quite a few games as the second keeper (albeit in an injury plagued team), but usually is considered as the 3rd or 4th goalie. Here is the paste of what I wrote on the other topic: 

"Ive had the chance of seeing him play against my brother when he was younger and still playing in Canada, and this guy, Im telling you, is something else. I started following his stats back then, and he would not let in more than 3-5 goals a season, and then boom, he suddenly disappeared and I forgot about him. It s only a year back somebody on this forum found him again and Ive been following him since. Yeah I know his stats from last season arent the most impressive, but who are we to judge, maybe his team in front of him isnt all that good. 

Im also following the AC Spezia page on Instagram and he seems to be regularly training with the first team. The team and the fans seem to like him a lot too. They even wished him a good training camp in Florida, and the post got relatively a lot of likes compared to their other posts. I wouldnt be surprised if he eventually took over the first spot as GK (u20 team). I think the management forgot about him as did i, and that s why he has only been invited to the camp now. He s also the fifth most valuable Canadian born in 2000 according to transfermarkt. "

Then people started comparing MLS academies with Serie B academies, and who should be on the squad, Hasal or Desjardins. And the main argument was that we did not have enough footage for the latter. So I dedicated this whole day in searching the deepest parts of the internet for some primavera Spezia footage and made a quick compilation. This compilation was made with basically only three games and the rest is filled with what I call potato footage (footage that looks like it's been filmed with a potato).

By the looks of it, he looks like a solid, confident keeper and isn't afraid to jump into the action. He seems pretty good at penalties too, which is always important in Finals. He also has that weird Neuer feel to him. I would love to see more of Axel, and maybe one day he can lead the senior squad.  (sorry for the 360p)

 

 

[soccer.shocker]

This is good stuff. Thank you for putting it together. Him being called in for training is a good sign. Flashback to summer 2018...Herdman et al. had heard about this Busti kid playing at Juve...so they called him to Toulon, he impressed and is now capped at senior level in less than 6 months.  

CSA has known about Desjardins. CSA peeps also seem to rate Hasal very highly, so to those that follow youth teams his selection is not a surprise. IIRC he played as underage in last U20 qualifiers  

That  Herdman / Biello / Olivieri have taken the opportunity to bring in another keeper prospect that they rate highly enough to fly across the pond for an in person assessment is great news to me and a very positive move in the scouting department compared to the likes of Zambrano and Floro. With all the usual clamouring about budgets etc, this move shows me the brass are seriously about assessing players in person. IIRC we learned after he fact that Breza was in Toulon for a bit as a training keeper?

I hope Desjardins is impressing this week. If he does, who knows, maybe we’ll see him called in for March Nations League or more likely Toulon if Canada ends up going back next year (assuming he is age eligible as Toulon is U21 I think). 

[aloyol]

1 hour ago, soccer.shocker said:



CSA has known about Desjardins. CSA peeps also seem to rate Hasal very highly, so to those that follow youth teams his selection is not a surprise. IIRC he played as underage in last U20 qualifiers   

 

Yes, Hasal played all 3 games in 2017 CONCACAF U20 Championship.

[jpg75]

On 10/15/2018 at 12:42 PM, jpg75 said:

Busti doesn't play for the Primavera team because he would be behind Italian youth keeper Leonardo Loria. He has been moved up to the Reserves to train with older players until likely next season when Loria will be too old for Primavera and Busti will get his chance as #1 with the youth team.

Axel Desjardin played 15 matches for Spezia Primavera last season in the 2A division (2nd tier) and let in 25 goals. He was replaced for the last 3 games of the season which Spezia won all 3 to qualify for the Primavera play-off with Ascoli. Desjardin played the away leg which Spezia lost 2-1 and forced to remain in 2A this season. He has played once this year and let in 2 goals in a loss. His rival, Francesco Mazzini has let in 2 goals in 3 games (2 wins 1 loss).

Posted the above in the Busti thread

Edited October 30, 2018 by jpg75

[BLennard]

I think these stats aren't so reliable. The reason why Axel didn't play in the last the 3 games was because he was called into the first squad. And as you can see, his defence seems to be making somewhat a lot of turnovers. There are actually some highlights from the Ascoli game  in my video.

I personally would prefer him and Hasal as the two main goalies for our u20 squad, because whether or not we like it, Busti spent only 10 months as a child in Canada, and there is a language barrier. Communication is key with the team in front of him, and if there is a lack of it, things can go south really quick. 

And looking at goalie stats isn't all that reflective of who's best. I'll give you a few examples:

Spurs have a better win rate and let in less goals on average when Gazzaniga is in nets, but would you pick him over Lloris?

Jordan Pickford was playing for relegated side Sunderland and beat the transfer record for a keeper the same summer. 

Ederson won the Premier League title with the best defence in the league, yet Alisson was picked in front of him for the WC.

As Canadians we can also see this phenomenon in hockey, where the back up goalie tends to have better stats in the short run. What is important is how consistent and reliable the player is. 

This is my opinion. If you have anything to add, I am open to discuss.

[BLennard]

Oh and btw, his first squad jersey number is 12, which isn't a shirt you give to any academy player. I thought that was quite interesting.

[El Diego]

1 hour ago, BLennard said:

I think these stats aren't so reliable. The reason why Axel didn't play in the last the 3 games was because he was called into the first squad. And as you can see, his defence seems to be making somewhat a lot of turnovers. There are actually some highlights from the Ascoli game  in my video.

I personally would prefer him and Hasal as the two main goalies for our u20 squad, because whether or not we like it, Busti spent only 10 months as a child in Canada, and there is a language barrier. Communication is key with the team in front of him, and if there is a lack of it, things can go south really quick. 

And looking at goalie stats isn't all that reflective of who's best. I'll give you a few examples:

Spurs have a better win rate and let in less goals on average when Gazzaniga is in nets, but would you pick him over Lloris?

Jordan Pickford was playing for relegated side Sunderland and beat the transfer record for a keeper the same summer. 

Ederson won the Premier League title with the best defence in the league, yet Alisson was picked in front of him for the WC.

As Canadians we can also see this phenomenon in hockey, where the back up goalie tends to have better stats in the short run. What is important is how consistent and reliable the player is. 

This is my opinion. If you have anything to add, I am open to discuss.

I don't know who I prefer as our u20 keepers as I have never seen any of them play, other than Busti vs Dominica and Hasal for parts of the last u20, neither of which viewing showed me anything to go by. I would guess that there isn't a single person on here that has seen any of the three keepers (Busti, Hasal, and Desjardins) enough to make any sort of reasonable conclusion, let alone all three of them. I don't think an issue like communication is a valid concern.

I do agree those statistics are meaningless.

[Toje]

November 10 - Italian Primavera 2a

Axel Desjardins started and played 90 minutes in goal for Spezia U19 in a 3-2 loss vs Spal U19.

He has played in three matches so far this season for Spezia U19 on October 6, October 20th and this past weekend.

[Toje]

He played for Spezia U19 on Nov 24 in a 1-1 draw with Parma U19.  He also played on Dec 1 in a 3-0 loss vs Bologna U19.

[BLennard]

Just found this picture while browsing Instagram. Been a month or so since I last saw or heard anything about him. Nice to see Axel still training with the first team, all smiles most importantly! (3rd from the left)

Edit: It'll also be interesting to see if he'll be invited straight up at the beginning, this time for the Olympic squad.

Edited January 10, 2019 by BLennard

[BLennard]

Missed this yesterday. The club wished him happy birthday on their Instagram and Facebook page. Shows the club and the fans rate him. I'd really wish Primavera games were more accessible, so we'd be able to see what he truly is all about. 

-If I'm right with the little Italian I know, the post says happy birthday to him, celebrating his 19th birthday. They call him the pillar of their primavera squad and mention his U20 tryouts with Canada. And they also mention how he has made his way to the first squad since the summer. 

 

He has yet to feature in the starting 11.

 

[Toje]

He has played in 6 matches for Spezia U19 so far this season and has given up 12 goals.

His last match was on December 8 (last match before the winter break) in a 4-1 win over Cremonese.  The next Spezia match is on Jan 19th.

[BLennard]

Axel played today against Hellas Verona for Spezia U19 in a 2-1 victory.

For those who speak or understand Italian, here is the game recap:

https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-spezia-hellas-verona-2-1.19542.html

Based on this: He played pretty well, making a couple of really key saves. The goal he left in was an 'unfortunate deviation' from a free-kick. 

 

Looking at the table, it was a must win game, bringing them up to 4th place and 2pts from the 3rd spot. This is his second win in as many games.

[BLennard]

Once again he played today in a 1-1 draw. 

Here is the Italian game recap: https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-padova-spezia-1-1.19593.html

He made two exceptional saves; one being on a one-one and the other one at the last minute where he made (this is translated word for word) a MIRACULOUS save to keep it 1-1.

The goal he conceded was on a 'perfect' free-kick from the edge of the box.

 

Discovered these recaps last week, I will probably continue posting them here. Still haven't found game videos though.

Edited February 20, 2019 by BLennard

[BLennard]

Played in a 2-0 victory vs Venezia u19. 

Game recap: https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-spezia-venezia-2-0.19626.html

This time his name appears once; at the 15th minute, he makes an easy save. 

Funnily enough, I believe this is his first clean sheet of the season. Really shows how most GK stats are meaningless. Nonetheless, I bet he'll proudly take it. 

 

His team has been on fire lately with 13 points in 5 games, bringing them 1 pt from 3rd spot (playoff). They also have the 3rd best defensive record in the league.

[jpg75]

2 hours ago, BLennard said:

Funnily enough, I believe this is his first clean sheet of the season. Really shows how most GK stats are meaningless. Nonetheless, I bet he'll proudly take it. 

His team has been on fire lately with 13 points in 5 games, bringing them 1 pt from 3rd spot (playoff). They also have the 3rd best defensive record in the league.

Are they though? Consider that Axel has played in 4 of the 5 games during that Spezia point streak for 10 pts., and has let in 3 goals during that stretch. In his previous 5 games earlier this season he let in 11 goals and the team managed only 2 pts. His rival Mazzini has let in 2 goals in 5 games and Spezia have 13 pts. in those games. Seems like a huge correlation to me.

Anyways, good to see Axel playing well.

[Kent]

18 hours ago, jpg75 said:

Are they though? Consider that Axel has played in 4 of the 5 games during that Spezia point streak for 10 pts., and has let in 3 goals during that stretch. In his previous 5 games earlier this season he let in 11 goals and the team managed only 2 pts. His rival Mazzini has let in 2 goals in 5 games and Spezia have 13 pts. in those games. Seems like a huge correlation to me.

Anyways, good to see Axel playing well.

I think his point was that in this game he made one easy save and gets credit for a shut out. In other games (like his previous) he had more work to do, made some reportedly exceptional saves, but a goal was scored on him so he doesn’t get a shut out.

[jpg75]

2 minutes ago, Kent said:

I think his point was that in this game he made one easy save and gets credit for a shut out. In other games (like his previous) he had more work to do, made some reportedly exceptional saves, but a goal was scored on him so he doesn’t get a shut out.

Fair enough.

[BLennard]

2 hours ago, jpg75 said:

Fair enough.

Yes that was my point thank you. 

I read this super great article a while back on why GK transfer fees were much lower than any other position. Because no matter how good he is, he can not win a game on his own. The best he can do is get you one point. The difference between a decent gk and a great one, is how clutch he will be when his team is hanging on by one goal. How reliable he is. This is exactly why Ter Stegen is so important to Barcelona, he never wins them games, but always keeps them in it.

Another example; today in the Man C-Chelsea game, literally anyone in the world could have been in nets and they would still have won. 

So for Axel's case, it's those key saves at 2-1 and 1-1 that make him a greater keeper than his rival (that's what I'm guessing, because yes you are right that on paper Mazzini is the better keeper).

 

[BLennard]

Played this weekend in a 2-1 loss to Capri.

Game recap: https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-spezia-carpi-1-2.19657.html

He played decent in this one. But they mention his defence looked nervy, which led to the first goal. The other was scored again from a free-kick.

 

His team stays 4th, still 1 pt from 3rd spot.

 

[BLennard]

On 2/2/2019 at 5:45 PM, BLennard said:

Once again he played today in a 1-1 draw. 

Found game footage against Padova, hurray!

He's the keeper in blue. And yes, they are indeed two very good saves. The free kick he lets in is a good one, off the post, but perhaps maybe his wall wasn't quite right. And considering he let in another one this weekend, seems to be a flaw in his game. 

Btw the field looks awful quality, reminds me of a non-turf Canadian field.

[BLennard]

Alright, got a lot to catch up, sorry for the delay.

After his 2-1 loss to Capri, he lost another game 3-2 to Brescia.

Recap: https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-brescia-spezia-3-2.19697.html

His team were losing 2-0, caught up but gave away a last minute goal. They only mention one save, so I'm guessing it was a pretty quiet performance from Axel.

[BLennard]

After conceding 5 goals in 2 games, the defence bounce back with a 0-0 draw versus Cittadella.

Recap: https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-spezia-cittadella-0-0.19749.html

Penalties were awarded on both sides. The first was in favour to Spezia, but the player shot over the crossbar. The second was awarded against them at the brink of halftime, but Desjardins saved it. Crucial save at a crucial time, and as you'll see in the next game, I think it gave a little confidence boost to the team.

[BLennard]

Alright finally caught up.

Played today in an exciting 3-1 home win against second on the table SPAL.

Recap: https://www.acspezia.com/news/primavera-2-1819-spal-spezia-1-3.19788.html

Okay, this seems to be Axel's best performance of the season, possibly motm worthy.

Spezia concede to a penalty in the first ten minutes after missing chances early on. Six minutes later, they concede a second penalty (I'm telling you this defence ?); same shooter but this time Desjardins saves it, as well as the rebound. At the 29th minute, Spezia get awarded a penalty and make it 1-1. Desjardins then 'denies' an attempt at the 37th minute, first half over.

Second half. 60 seconds in and Spezia make it 2-1. Desjardins is then brought into action at the 48th and 60th minute with two good saves. The home team finally score a third 7 minutes later. The final action of the game is a free kick save from our Canadian kid, which keeps their hopes alive for a play off spot with only 3 games remaining, still one point behind that third spot. 

The penalty king  :

On 10/30/2018 at 1:35 AM, BLennard said:

He seems pretty good at penalties too, which is always important in Finals. 

 

[BLennard]

The Viareggio Cup is coming up. It's a huge international u19 cup. Here are the teams involved with the groups.

https://www.flashscore.ca/soccer/world/viareggio-cup/

Axel Desjardins and Spezia will play against Carrarese u19 on their first game, March 12th. Second game against Milan u19, March 14th. And finally third game against Berekum Chelsea Youth (Ghanian team), March 16th.

Once again, if I find any highlights of the games involving Desjardins, I'll post them on here. I'll also post updates (I'll try to be more up to date, promise).

Hopefully their last win will give them confidence and inspire them to victory. They will most certainly be a lot of scouts there, so maybe Desjardins can catch the eye of one or two.