5 years ago...
It has been 5 years since the 2019 - 2020 season ended due to COVID-19, after Arne Slot's team defeated ADO Den Haag to get the same number of points as Ajax in the leading position of Eredivisie (Netherlands). AZ was once thought to be a matter of time. Slot has passed on such courage and enthusiasm that their confidence has grown every week.
What makes this fairy tale even more incredible is Slot, in his first season as a top-level coach, defeated his opponents with a team consisting mainly of players who had grown up from the academy. But with only 2 months left until the end of the season, the mission is over. AZ players felt the problem when, ahead of the Den Haag match on 7 March 2020, they were asked for the first time not to shake hands with opponents over concerns about the virus spreading. Six weeks later, Eredivisie became the first major European football tournament to cancel the season in response to the pandemic.
For the first time without the Dutch champions and for those involved with AZ, that has left an "unhealthy wound" that has not yet recovered...
Under the shadow of the "Big Three"
Headquartered in Alkmaar, a 40-minute drive north of Amsterdam, AZ have always been in the shadow of the "big three" in the Netherlands - Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord - even though they, along with FC Twente, are the only club outside that trio to win the Dutch championship in the past 60 years. They have won a total of two titles, in 1981 and 2009. Since then, apart from the 2019-2020 season under Slot, AZ have rarely created challenges. That is why the feeling of "anything can happen" still haunting many people involved in the club, even though they accept that there are bigger threats in the context of the pandemic.
People did not expect much from AZ at the beginning of the season after the departure of Guus Til - an academy graduate player and a valuable asset, to Spartak Moscow worth 18 million Euros. Fans were not initially impressed with the appointment of Slot, who was promoted from the role of assistant after the departure of John van den Brom, but those doubts were quickly appeased.
Impressive from the beginning
In front of the players on the first day, Slot gave a speech for life. Slot, then 41, has researched Pep Guardiola's methods and accumulated many years of research from his time as a player and coach at Cambuur - a Dutch lower-level club, and is eager to put those principles into practice. Ron Vlaar, 35, was drawn to the idea of playing under the new coach.
Vlaar, the oldest member of the team, is like a father to some young players, but Teun Koopmeiners, just 21, is the group gathering and acts as a bridge between Slot and the players. He put everyone in the right place, top scorer Myron Boadu recalled, We had a great combination.
Slot has known about the skills of Boadu - an 18-year-old new striker with explosive speed and energy, since his first year at the club and put his faith in him when he returned after a 7-month absence due to an ankle injury. When he became the head coach, he came to my house in the number 9 shirt, Boadu said, He talked to me and my parents, saying that he trusted me as much as he could, but there was a lot of responsibility. He asked and of course I said yes!.
Boadu need the right coaching to develop their qualities and Slot is there to provide this. Slot has begun to change the culture and playing style at the club. Those who listened to his first speech remember his clarity and confidence, a comment that matched the impressions he had on the Liverpool players. Everyone was startled by the way he appeared to us, Boadu recalled, It was a big moment. Although we have known him, we feel that he will become special and this is the beginning of something.
From potential to challenge
Slot's 3-0 win over Feyenoord in September showed potential early, but it was not until late October that Slot's awareness of AZ began to change. The attacking style and high pressing have begun to surprise opponents and Slot has changed his lineup in matches, confusing even the top teams in the Netherlands. The key to their success is the training Slot has adjusted from the start.
The devastating 4-0 win over PSV on 27 October warned Ajax of AZ's growing threat. Slot's side have scored 26 goals in eight games in all competitions. Boadu scored 8 of those goals. However, the team's attack is reinforced by resilience. Pantelis hatzidiakos lost two teeth in an tackle in the win over PSV. Fredrik Midtsjo, a resilient and fiercely competitive midfielder, has brought the team strong resistance and set the standard during training.
That is very important for a young squad. Slot has brought on half a dozen players under the age of 25, many of whom have worked together to promote to youth teams and have clear connections. There are 4 key players in the first team who have all graduated from the academy, which is an interesting story. Just like eating and partying together outside of football, they all know what victory means. The beauty of their relationship is that everyone can talk openly about any issue and make constructive criticisms when needed.
In December, AZ had the opportunity to balance their points with Ajax when they took the top spot in a match of special significance. 5 months before, the Af Af Afars roof collapsed, so home matches had to go to ADO Den Haag's Kyocera 1 hour away. Meeting Ajax was their first match back to Alkmaar and fans were treated well when Boadu scored the winning goal in the last minute for AZ to equal the score.
The best praise that many players have for Slot's management is his ability to explain the opponent's strengths and how the home team can overcome them. Slot has asked the coaching staff to gather reports on opponents, but his focus is on finding solutions and relying on his team's strengths.
In March, the game against Ajax - then out of both the Europa League and Dutch Cup - gave AZ the chance to gain control of the title race. Slot focused on exploiting Ajax's high defensive line and building a perfectly executed match plan, as Boadu and Idrissi brought home a 2-0 victory in Amsterdam. By then, Slot had beaten the Dutch "Big Three" away from home and built a reputation as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe. With their beneficial motivation, fans are starting to trust them.
A turning point
Then came the decisive turning point. A week after AZ beat Ajax, they host Den Haag as COVID-19 cases increase in the Netherlands. When the final decision was announced, there was dissatisfaction, especially regarding the awarding of tickets to the European Cup. AZ not only missed the opportunity to win the championship but also were denied the right to participate in the Champions League ( Ajax topped thanks to an extra goal difference).
For AZ, there is nothing to shake the belief that if the season continues for a few more weeks, the championship will belong to them. Perhaps the saddest thing for AZ is what happens next. Not only was their chance to win the championship denied but they were also eliminated from the third qualifying round of the Champions League by Dynamo Kyiv in the following season...
The formation also quickly disbanded. However, the biggest blow came in December 2020 when Slot was sacked for secret talks with Feyenoord. Two years later, Slot won the Dutch championship with a club in Rotterdam. It is no surprise that Slot will succeed at Liverpool. But it is still unacceptable to miss something that should have been a lifetime memory.
