Football Season Guide

AZ Alkmaar managed to claim the third spot in 2015, which was an excellent achievement, but John van den Brom's men weren't able to repeat this a year later. The main goal was to finish in the top five however and the fourth position satisfied the fans and the staff. AZ Alkmaar was 'the best of the rest' once again, which will be their main mission as well during the 2016/17 season. A big problem however is Vincent Janssen's departure to Tottenham Hotspur. The striker impressed the nation to say the least, especially after the Winter break, and his 27 goals in his first season in the AFAS Stadium even resulted in matches for the Dutch national side. Janssen only played one season for the Alkmaar outfit, but keeping the striker proved to be a mission impossible for the club. Tottenham Hotspur added Janssen to their squad and replacing him will be a goal this summer. The scouting staff already did some work, which resulted in new attackers in the squad. Wout Weghorst, a physical striker, came over from Heracles Almelo and Mats Seuntjens, who played for Jupiler League side NAC Breda last season, joined AZ Alkmaar as well. The Dutch strikers have the potential to improve, but AZ can’t expect 27 goals. Fred Friday could be a revelation as well. The Nigerian striker was the top scorer for Lillestrom in Norway and he will get the chance to show his qualities on a higher level. The midfield could become a problem as key player Markus Henriksen is set to leave the club before the transfer deadline. The Norwegian attacking midfielder was one of the better AZ Alkmaar players last season and he will be missed if he decides to leave the club. AZ Alkmaar will have funds available to buy new players due to Janssen's transfer and adding a quality midfielder will be a mission from now on. The defence should contain enough quality to compete for the top spots again. The experienced Ron Vlaar will lead the line and Rens van Eijden, NEC Nijmegen's team captain last year, could claim a spot as well. Stijn Wuytens, Mattias Johansson and Ridgeciano Haps are decent Eredivisie defenders and Van den Brom won't hesitate to award them with starting spots. The Europa League will be a goal as well this season and AZ Alkmaar will have to show their qualities from the first moment on to participate in that tournament. The fourth spot was enough to seal a ticket for the Europa League, but they will have to survive one play-off round to reach the group stage. Van den Brom will start the season with confidence, but really pushing for a top three spot could be too difficult.