AZ, champions of patience…

April 20th, 2009 | by: Jan |

Van Gaal happy… The funny bloke behind him is uber-billionaire Dirk Scheringa

Willem van Hanegem (former AZ player and coach) in the AD:

“This championship of AZ is mainly a championship of patience. I personally feel they deserve it. There’s only one team in the Eredivisie which can claim the title and since the third match day, AZ led the standings. The first two games, against NAC and ADO, you could see the old, adventurous and playful AZ. Games in which AZ only looked to attack and create things. But they lost both matches.

I don’t think they panicked, but I do think Van Gaal decided to change his tactics. It didn’t work in the third match against PSV, because they won that game with sheer luck. But, the game did mean the turnaround for them.

AZ would become the best and most consistent team of them all. The opponents didn’t know how to handle Van Gaal’s team in the first season’s half.

AZ pulled back when they lost possession and allowed the opponent to come and create space. When they turned around possession, they’d build up via Demy De Zeeuw on the right flank, with a lot of power and agression. Opponents thought they were happily playing along, but AZ waited for the mistake and was ruthless in the counter attack.. El Hamdaoui, Dembélé and Pelle and Ari took advantage of the space allowed and finished the job.

In the second competition half, it was harder for AZ. The opposition understood their new tactics and the defensive tactics of the opponent would take the gravy out of the game. First, AZ canceled the entertainment value and then the opponents started to do the same.

This champion didn’t make our competition more attractive, but they do deserve this title. Louis van Gaal said in an interview recently, that he’d love to play more adventurous but the results needed a more realistic approach. Let’s hope it’s temporary.

Two yeats ago, they had to win the title, but the pressure was too much. Last year, Schaars was out and they had a dramatic season. They needed to change things. Van Gaal surrendered to realisme and I understand that totally.

What I didn’t understand is that no one was allowed to use the word “champion” in a radius of 1000 meters around the DSB stadium. I didn’t get that. Ridiculous. They won everything, and I’d say…chest out, chin up and tell the world you want to set things straight. I think it’s that mentality that made them lose against Vitesse.

There was stress. We didn’t see the new champs playing, last Saturday. That was sad, because AZ deserved to win the title at home.

And now they had to wait a day to see Ajax stumble. But, that all fitted in the scenario of AZ’s season… They had to be patient. Let the opponent make the mistake. And that’s what happened.

Tags: AZ, Background stories, Dutch Eredivisie, van Gaal, Van Hanegem

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Comments

By Jan | April 20th, 2009 at 5:20 pm

Strong words in Alkmaar: Van Gaal wants to keep all his players for next season and wants to invest in width. “If the players look to make a big jump abroad, I’d suggest they wait one more year. With this group, we can make a difference in the Champions League. We’ll surprise Europe!”

By Jan | April 20th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

This was said after some glasses of champagne… .

Here’s a clip of Van Gaal slapping the camera when interviewed after the loss against Vitesse…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-AGo5Y5s9I&feature=player_embedded

By bobotoh | April 20th, 2009 at 9:03 pm

It is good for a team who wants more trohpies. I Hope that AZ can do something. They’ll surpirse Europe! I am sure about that as long as they still together.

Posted from Indonesia

By Jan | April 20th, 2009 at 10:36 pm

Scheringa today declared he want to use the ManU model with AZ and keep Van Gaal on for as long as possible. “If Louis wants to coach a nation to the WC, he’s allowed to do so. Hiddink combines it now and I think Michels coached Barcelona back in 1974. I’m more than happy to allow Van Gaal his ambitions but I do want to keep him here at AZ.”

By Alex | April 21st, 2009 at 3:55 am

That defeat against Vitesse was just unlucky, two lucky goals that came out of nowhere. AZ isn’t too blame for that. Schaars defenitaly forms the spine of this team, together with De Zeeuw. But Moisander, Moreno, Romero, El Hamdaoui, Dembele, Mendes da Silva, played a big part in it as well.
BTW i heard people still complaining about lack of fresh blood in oranje defence. ? V.d.Wiel, Braafheid, Marcellis, isn’t that fresh blood. I agree if you say V.Bronckhorst and Ooijer need to be gone as soon as possible. But for now the ones coming closest to Ooijer are exhausted: Zuiverloon, injured: Vlaar or coming back from serious injuries: Luirink. I bet you if Luirink wouldn’t have gotten injured he would have played for AZ almost every match and would have been in oranje now, guaranteed.

BTW Bouma has to have a second operation so he’ll be out until next season. Too bad, he’s our best leftback at the moment, makes hardly any mistakes defensively.

Posted from Netherlands

By sonneveld | April 21st, 2009 at 6:57 am

———van der sar

v.d.wiel–heitinga–chivu–maxwell

——-de jong

sneijder–van der vaart–babel

–huntelaar—-Ibrahimovic

just of the top of my head!! Ajax could contend for the champions league with that offense.
Ibra and KJH with sneijder and vdv is a world class attack.

By 3ric | April 21st, 2009 at 11:50 am

I can’t see AZ resist the temptations of selling El Hamdaoui and/or Dembele if lucrative offers come in (which I believe, it will). Same with De Zeeuw, although offer for him will perhaps be much more modest (HSV Hamburg?). I don’t see anybody else is going to move. Schaars is obliged to pay the trust of Van Gaal and AZ after last season’s injury nightmare, so he is going to stay. Look for AZ next year to unleash Marko Vejinovic (formely known as Marko Matic). Such an exciting talent!

Posted from United States

By Jan | April 21st, 2009 at 5:04 pm

I feel that most players will stay. The WC is coming up next summer and players always risk not settling in at bigger clubs when they move. See Babel at Liverpool, Vaart at Real… El Hamdaoui, De Zeeuw, Mendes Da Silva.. they all want to play CL, they all want to go to the WC (Belgium is out of course, Morocco I don’t know really…).

I also hope the players realize that they’re not that good without Van Gaal. I mean, that Louis knows how to squeeze the best out of players WITHIN his system. Once De Zeeuw moves for instance, and become a midfielder in a different made up team, he might not reach that AZ level.

Look at players like Jenner, Kromkamp, Koevermans and further back Bogarde, Oulida, Finidi, Litmanen…

By Igor | April 21st, 2009 at 9:50 pm

@Jan and others who like a good van Gaal story, here’s an article from soccernet’s Dutch correspondent, Ernst Bouwes on Champions AZ and their coach.

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=639095&sec=europe&root=europe&cc=5901

Posted from Canada

By Jan | April 22nd, 2009 at 2:19 am

Thanks Igor!

By Miguel Rosado | April 24th, 2009 at 8:28 pm

Jan, you are very right about Louis he really squeezes the best out of his players. Hopefully most of them stay next year.

By Jan | April 25th, 2009 at 2:41 am

Van Gaal recently said he might be on his way out. This season took a lot from him. If a big club comes knockin’ (Bayern) he’s out. He said “I realize the players won’t like it, but they can’t expect me to stay forever and they should be able to do well without me too.”

An incident in the media has probably tipped the scales. While preparing for an interview (after the Vitesse defeat) Van Gaal handed out a knock on the camera. The NOS broadcasters demand apologies. Van Gaal has refused and put a ban on the NOS!! His claim: this was a short pre-interview talk and the deal is they don’t film that. The camera man said the camera was off, but he lied. They taped that conversation. They screwed me over. Again! So, I gave the camera a little nudge. No one got hurt. The camera man didn’t get it in the eye or anything like that. It’s a witch hunt again.

Won’t be surprised if things like this will drive Louis to Germany or England. Sad… In this case, I support and back Louis!

By 3ric | April 25th, 2009 at 7:25 am

Sucks! If Van Gaal goes, expect a massive exodus of players .. there are no shortage of suitors of El Hamdaoui, Dembele, Schaars, De Zeeuw, and Mendes. This will surely deplete the squad, and AZ will fall flat on their face on Champs League. Needless to say, Holland’s European coefficient will stumble down. Bad new for Eredivisie.

Anyway, if any of you like healthy discussions in and around Dutch soccer, check out this forum. We need more readers and posters.

http://www.soccerpulse.com/forum/index.php?s=381487e44066458c0530d06af52290c1&showforum=101

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