With a convincing victory, AZ prevented a disgrace against Ilves Tampere in the Conference League qualifiers on Thursday. The Alkmaar team hopes that the setback in Finland last week will be a valuable lesson for the rest of the season.
Half an hour after the 5-0 victory, Jordy Clasie shakes his head in the catacombs of the AFAS Stadium. The defensive midfielder finds it difficult to explain how AZ could have lost to Ilves last week.
“Sometimes it’s hard to explain,” says Clasie. “We’ve often had bad starts in Europe. But when you see the level we reached tonight, it’s hard to imagine what happened last week.”
The difference between the AZ of Thursday evening and the AZ of last week was immense. Coach Maarten Martens’ team sank below the minimum last week, leading to a 4-3 defeat against the moderate Ilves.
Thursday was totally different. AZ grabbed Ilves by the throat from the first minute and impressed with fast and dynamic attacking play. The Finnish visitors had no chance. The 5-0 final score was still low.
“We wanted to take revenge. This was the only right response,” said defender Wouter Goes afterwards. “I also don’t understand what we did there (in Finland, ed.). If I’m honest, you absolutely shouldn’t lose to this team.”
‘We played at 80 percent’
In the days after the defeat, there were harsh words at AZ. The players and staff came together on the training complex on Friday and Saturday to watch images of the loss. “We weren’t ourselves,” said Clasie.
“It was hot, we played on artificial grass and the ambiance was different than tonight. But you can’t play at 80 percent like we did. Then you won’t win any games.”
According to Clasie, the images showed that the AZ players didn’t always go all out. “With some sprints you thought: are we really doing this at 100 percent? And are we covering 100 percent? It was half-half.”
Coach Maartens Martens also noted that his team was not sharp, but quickly focused on where opportunities lay for the return. Clasie also emphasized to his teammates that there were plenty of opportunities against Ilves.
“Actually via the left, right and through the middle. Provided we ourselves would be good in possession and play fast. That’s what we did today. And then you see that you maintain control fairly easily, create chances and win.”
FC Vaduz next European opponent
AZ will play against FC Vaduz in the third Conference League qualifying round. The Alkmaar team will start the double-header at home on Thursday and play the return match on August 14.
‘Want another great European campaign’
Thanks to the big victory, AZ remains in the race for the main tournament of the Conference League. In recent years, the Alkmaar team has run several fine European campaigns, including a semi-final place in the 2022/2023 season.
The AZ players want to achieve something like that again, says Clasie. “We all know how beautiful a European campaign can be. The expectations among outsiders are high. We have to embrace that.”
“We also have a team that can do something special again. But then we have to be sharp. Let this double match be a wake-up call.”
Goes also hopes that the double-header with Ilves can help AZ for the rest of this season. “That defeat in Finland is absolutely not justifiable. But let it be a lesson for the rest of the year.”