With coach John Van Den Brom at the helm, AZ Alkmaar made the top 4 of the Eredivisie for the 4th time in the last 5 seasons but they might have gone for more, had they better performed in the first half of the campaign.
In fact, they only made the top 4 in week 19 and, thanks to their home performances, 7 wins in a row, they even reached the third spot between weeks 27 and 28. A 4-game winless run made them fall back to the 4th for good.
Having won 11 times, drawn 3 and lost 3, AZ were among the best hosts of the Eredivisie and they actually managed to beat both dominators of the season, Ajax and PSV. Their away performances were not as bright, though, as they lost 7 times and only won 6.
One wonders what might have happened had the 18-year-old Myron Boadu not injured himself for the season in week 5, after providing 3 goals and 2 assists in just 5 games. In fact, they lacked some firepower and their best scorer was Guus Til, a midfielder, who hit the back of the net only 12 times.
This certainly cost them dear in occasion of the KNVB Cup semifinals lost to Willem II on a goal difference.
Van Den Brom will quit the club in the summer and he will be replaced by his assistant Arne Slot. The latter is at his first experience as a main coach and it has to be seen whether AZ will be capable of repeating themselves also in the future.
