AZ Alkmaar claimed the 'best of the rest' title this season by claiming the third spot after 34 matches, which is actually a more than satisfying outcome. This club can't compete with PSV Eindhoven and Ajax budget wise, but they managed to keep up with the top sides for long. AZ Alkmaar even played the best football at some point during the season, but John van den Brom's men somehow failed to deliver in the matches against the top teams.
The Alkmaar side recorded six defeats in the six matches against PSV Eindhoven, Ajax and Feyenoord this season, which showed that AZ failed to show their best football against the traditional top three in The Netherlands. The KNVB Cup could have resulted in a morale-boosting trophy, but the final against Feyenoord resulted in a disappointment as well as AZ recorded a well-deserved 0-3 defeat.
It was a positive season despite these defeats though as Van den Brom managed to claim the third spot with entertaining football. Players like Marco Bizot, Guus Til and Wout Weghorst even got included in the Dutch squad this season, which is something to be proud of to say the least. Alireza Jahanbakhsh was the best AZ player by far though. The Iranian winger produced 21 goals and 14 assists.
Key players like Jahanbakhsh and Weghorst are set to leave the club during the summer and finding suitable replacements won't be an easy mission at all. It will be difficult to repeat this season's results as the best players are expected to leave Alkmaar yet again.
