AZ, champions of patience…

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.