2015–16 AZ Alkmaar season
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2015) |
 | |
| Full name | Alkmaar Zaanstreek |
|---|---|
| 2015/16 season | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chairman | René Neelissen | |
| Manager | John van den Brom | |
| Ground | AFAS Stadion | |
| Eredivisie | 4th | |
| KNVB Cup | Semi-final | |
| Europa League | Group stage | |
|
| ||
During the 2015–16 season AZ competed in the Eredivisie for the 18th consecutive season the KNVB Cup and the Europa League after qualifying for the 3rd qualification round due to finishing 3rd the previous season.
Background
[edit]European football returned after a one-year hiatus. John van den Brom finished third last season with Marco van Basten his assistant. Several key players moved elsewhere including captain Nemanja Gudelj and fan favourite Simon Poulsen.
Several youth players were promoted to the first team the same year the club won the Rinus Michels award for best youth academy and youth development programme in the Netherlands, beating Feyenoord who won this award each of the five preceding years.
Transfers
[edit]Arrivals
[edit]- The following players moved to AZ.
| Name | Position | Previous club | Fee | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
 Joris van Overeem |
CM | Dordrecht |
Return from loan | June 2015 |
|
Fernando Lewis |
LW | Dordrecht |
Return from loan | June 2015 |
|
Raymond Gyasi |
RW | Roda JC |
Return from loan | June 2015 |
|
 Denni Avdic |
ST | Heracles |
Return from loan | June 2015 |
|
 Eli Babalj |
ST | PEC |
Return from loan | June 2015 |
|
 Jonas Heymans |
LB | Willem II |
Return from loan | June 2015 |
|
Jop van der Linden |
LB | Go Ahead Eagles |
Free | June 2015 |
|
Gino Coutinho |
GK | Excelsior Rotterdam |
Free | June 2015 |
|
 Levi Garcia |
FW | Central FC |
Undisclosed | June 2015 |
|
Vincent Janssen |
CF | Almere City |
€100,000 | June 2015 |
|
 Alireza Jahanbakhsh |
FW | N.E.C. |
Undisclosed | August 2015 |
|
 Rajko Brežančić |
LB | FK Čukarički |
Undisclosed | August 2015 |
Departures
[edit]- The following players moved from AZ.
| Name | Position | New club | Fee | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Nemanja Gudelj |
CM | Ajax |
€6 million | June 2015 |
|
Wesley Hoedt |
CB |  Lazio |
Compensation | June 2015 |
|
 Simon Poulsen |
LB | PSV |
Free | June 2015 |
|
 Esteban Alvarado |
GK | Unattached | Free | June 2015 |
|
Yves de Winter |
GK | Sint-Truidense V.V. |
Free | June 2015 |
|
Steven Berghuis |
FW |  Watford F.C. |
undisclosed | July 2015 |
|
 Aron Jóhannsson |
ST |  Werder Bremen |
€5 million | August 2015 |
Loans
[edit]- The following players moved to new clubs whilst under contract at AZ.
| Name | Position | New club | Loan period | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Eli Babalj
|
CF | Adelaide United
|
30/06/2017 |
Pre-season friendlies
[edit]The first training session for the new season began on 28 June. Friendlies were arranged with smaller teams in the Netherlands as well as two additional friendlies against foreign teams touring the Netherlands. A training camp was also arranged the week before competitive football in the Europa League by 30 July.
| 4 July 2015 | Dirkshorn Regional Selection XI | 2-7 | AZ | Dirkshorn |
De Bruin  26' De Bruin 44' |
[1] | van Overeem 32' Janssen 54' Janssen 74' Gyasi 81' Janssen 86' Lewis 87' Lewis 90+1' |
Stadium: Sportcomplex De Veersloot Referee: Luca Cantineau |
| 8 July 2015 | AFC '34 | 1-8 | AZ | Robonsbosweg, Alkmaar |
Inecia 45' |
[2] | Janssen 5' Janssen 19' van Overeem 22' Janssen 27' Van der Linden 38'(pen.) Mühren 46' Helmer 78' Helmer 88' |
Stadium: Gemeentelijk Sportpark Referee: Sander Brito de Roque |
| 11 July 2015 | Fortuna Sittard | 0-5 | AZ | Sittard |
| [3] | Janssen 35' Dos Santos 44' Janssen 52' Van Overeem 55' Luckassen 79' |
Stadium: Offermans Joosten Stadion Referee: Jeroen Sanders |
| 14 July 2015 | AZ | 3-1 |  Dundee United | Dirkshorn |
| Henriksen 21' Luckassen 56' Gouweleeuw 78'(pen.) |
[4] | Spittal 28' |
Stadium: Sportpark Veersloot Referee: Danny Makkelie |
| 18 July 2015 | AZ | 3-0 | SC Telstar | Alkmaar |
| Janssen 24' Luckassen 50' Janssen 66' |
[5] | Stadium: AFAS Stadion Referee: Martin van den Kerkhof |
| 24 July 2015 | AZ | 1-0 |  Al Wasl | Putten |
| Mühren 75' |
[6] | Stadium: Sportpark Puttereng Referee: Steven van der Vrande |
Statistics
[edit]|
Top goalscorers
|
Goals conceded
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Europa League
[edit]AZ qualified for the 3rd qualification round of the Europa League after finishing the league in 3rd position in the previous season. Due to previous runs in the competition, the club had a high coefficient and was seeded for the draw meaning a favourable draw against weaker opposition was likely. The first game was scheduled for 30 July with the return leg on 6 August.
| 30 July 2015 Europa League Third Qualifying Round, First Leg | AZ | 2-0 |  İstanbul Başakşehir | Alkmaar |
Van der Linden 17'(pen.) Janssen 63' |
[7] |  Babacan (GK) |
Stadium: AFAS Stadion Attendance: 11,723 Referee: Kevin Clancy |
| 6 August 2015 Europa League Third Qualifying Round, Second Leg | İstanbul Başakşehir | 1 - 2 (1 - 4 agg.) | AZ | Başakşehir, Istanbul |
| Doka Madureira 45' Gençer Cansev  74' |
Summary | Henriksen 21' Johansson 74'van Overeem 75' |
Stadium: Başakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium Attendance: 5,289 Referee:  Carlos Clos Gómez |
| 20 August 2015 Europa League Play off, First Leg |  Astra Giurgiu | 3 - 2 | AZ | Giurgiu |
| Fernando Boldrin 25' Oros 30'Alibec 41'Dandea 45+3'Enache 52'Pedro Queirós 72' |
Summary | van Overeem 9' Henriksen 11' 22'Janssen 13'Luckassen 40'Johansson 73' |
Stadium: Stadionul Marin Anastasovici Attendance: 3,712 Referee:  Slavko Vinčić |
Statistics
[edit]|
Top goalscorers
|
Goals conceded
| ||||||||||||||||||
Eredivisie
[edit]| 9 August 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 1 | AZ | v | Ajax | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 15 August 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 2 | Excelsior | v | AZ | Rotterdam |
| Stadium: Stadion Woudestein |
| 15 August 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 3 | AZ | v | Willem II | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 30 August 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 4 | AZ | v | Roda JC | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 12 September 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 5 | De Graafschap | v | AZ | Doetinchem |
| Stadium: De Vijverberg |
| 20 September 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 6 | Groningen | v | AZ | Groningen |
| Stadium: Euroborg |
| 26 September 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 7 | AZ | v | Heracles | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 4 October 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 8 | AZ | v | Twente | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 4 October 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 9 | Cambuur | v | AZ | Leeuwarden |
| Stadium: Cambuur Stadion |
| 25 October 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 10 | Feyenoord | v | AZ | Rotterdam |
| Stadium: De Kuip |
| 1 November 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 11 | AZ | v | NEC | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 8 November 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 12 | Vitesse | v | AZ | Arnhem |
| Stadium: GelreDome |
| 21 November 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 13 | AZ | v | Heerenveen | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 29 November 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 14 | PSV | v | AZ | Eindhoven |
| Stadium: Philips Stadion |
| 4 December 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 15 | AZ | v | ADO | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 13 December 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 16 | PEC | v | AZ | Zwolle |
| Stadium: IJsseldelta Stadion |
| 19 December 2015 Eredivisie Matchday 17 | AZ | v | Utrecht | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| Winter Break | v | 22 December 2015 - 14 January 2016 |
| 16 January 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 18 | Roda JC | v | AZ | Kerkrade |
| Stadium: Parkstad Limburg Stadion |
| 24 January 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 19 | AZ | v | Feyenoord | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 27 January 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 20 | AZ | v | Cambuur | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 30 January 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 21 | NEC | v | AZ | Nijmegen |
| Stadium: Goffertstadion |
| 6 February 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 22 | AZ | v | Vitesse | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 13 February 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 23 | Heracles | v | AZ | Almelo |
| Stadium: Polman Stadion |
| 20 February 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 24 | AZ | v | Groningen | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 28 February 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 25 | Ajax | v | AZ | Amsterdam |
| Stadium: Amsterdam ArenA |
| 5 March 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 26 | AZ | v | Excelsior | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 12 March 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 27 | Willem II | v | AZ | Limburg |
| Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion |
| 20 March 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 28 | Twente | v | AZ | Enschede |
| Stadium: De Grolsch Veste |
| 2 April 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 29 | AZ | v | PSV | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 10 April 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 30 | Heerenveen | v | AZ | Heerenveen |
| Stadium: Abe Lenstra Stadion |
| 16 April 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 31 | AZ | v | PEC | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 20 April 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 32 | ADO | v | AZ | The Hague |
| Stadium: Kyocera Stadion |
| 1 May 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 33 | AZ | v | De Graafschap | Alkmaar |
| Stadium: AFAS Stadion |
| 8 May 2016 Eredivisie Matchday 34 | Utrecht | v | AZ | Rotterdam |
| Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard |
Statistics
[edit]|
Top goalscorers
|
Goals conceded
| ||||||||||||||||||
League table
[edit]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ajax | 34 | 25 | 7 | 2 | 81 | 21 | +60 | 82 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 3 | Feyenoord | 34 | 19 | 6 | 9 | 62 | 40 | +22 | 63 | Qualification for the Europa League group stage[a] |
| 4 | AZ | 34 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 70 | 53 | +17 | 59 | Qualification for the Europa League third qualifying round |
| 5 | Utrecht | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 57 | 48 | +9 | 53 | Qualification for the European competition play-offs[b] |
| 6 | Heracles Almelo (O) | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 47 | 49 | −2 | 51 |
Source: Eredivisie, NUsport, Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off (only if deciding champion, European competitions, or relegation); 8) Draw.[8]
(O) Play-off winners
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off (only if deciding champion, European competitions, or relegation); 8) Draw.[8]
(O) Play-off winners
Notes:
- ^ Feyenoord qualified for the Europa League group stage by winning the 2015–16 KNVB Cup.
- ^ Four teams played for one spot in the UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
KNVB Cup
[edit]| 23 September 2015 Second round | AZ | 6–1 | VVV-Venlo | Alkmaar |
| van der Linden 8' (pen.) Tanković 37' 82'Mühren 70'Henriksen 78' 80' |
Summary | Kristiaan Haagen 7' Kruijsen 13'Fleuren 48'van Crooy 69' |
Stadium: AFAS Stadion Attendance: 7,188 Referee: Richard Liesveld |
| 29 October 2015 Third round | Telstar | 0–1 | AZ | Velsen |
| Zonneveld 78' Serrarens 83'van Berkel 85' |
Summary | van Overeem 68' Haye 83'Ortiz 90' |
Stadium: Telstar Stadion Attendance: 3,200 Referee: Dennis Higler |
| 16 December 2015 Round of 16 | Kozakken Boys | 1–3 | AZ | Werkendam |
| Jesper Hogedoorn 39' Tecleab 58'Grot 67'Bryan Jongeneel 72'Quentin Jacoba 83' |
Summary | Gouweleeuw 41' (pen.) 83' (pen.) Luckassen 67'Haye 73'Mühren 88' |
Stadium: Sportpark De Zwaaier Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Siemen Mulder |
| 2 February 2016 Quarter-finals | AZ | 1–0 | HHC Hardenberg | Alkmaar |
| Janssen 8' Garcia 59'Henriksen 82' |
Summary | Koos Werkman 40' Stijn Pol 86' |
Stadium: AFAS Stadion Attendance: 7,623 Referee: Pol van Boekel |
| 3 March 2016 Semi-finals | Feyenoord | 3–1 | AZ | Rotterdam |
| Henriksen 15' (o.g.) Toornstra 58'Kramer 78'Kuyt 85' (pen.)Elia 86' |
Summary | Luckassen 1' Henriksen 46'van Overeem 89' |
Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 47,500 Referee: Danny Makkelie |
Statistics
[edit]|
Top goalscorers
|
Goals conceded
| ||||||||||||||||||
Squad Performance
[edit]| Player | League starts | (pen.)
|
|
|
Cup starts | (pen.)
|
|
|
European starts | (pen.)
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | ||||||||||||
01. Sergio Rochet
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16.Gino Coutinho
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 25.Nick Olij
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Defenders | ||||||||||||
| 02.Mattias Johansson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 03.Jeffrey Gouweleeuw
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 04.Jan Wuytens
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 05.Rajko Brežančić
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14.Jop van der Linden
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 15.Donny Gorter
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17.Djavan Anderson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 23.Derrick Luckassen
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 24.Ridgeciano Haps
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
33. Pantelis Hatzidiakos
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 34.Joris Kramer
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Midfielders | ||||||||||||
06. Celso Ortiz
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 08.Joris van Overeem
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
10. Markus Henriksen
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 19.Dabney dos Santos
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20.Thom Haye
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26.Stijn Spierings
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
36. Alexander Sigurdarson
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 38.Thomas Ouwejan
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 40.Jeremy Helmer
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Attackers | ||||||||||||
| 07.Guus Hupperts
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 09.Alireza Jahanbakhsh
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11.Muamer Tankovic
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12.Vincent Janssen
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21.Robert Mühren
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22.Achille Vaarnold
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27.Raymond Gyasi
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 28.Levi Garcia
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 29.Fernando Lewis
|
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
International Appearances
[edit]The following first team players either played or were involved for their respective national teams during the season:
Three players were involved in this invitational tournament for youth teams throughout the world and all played for the Netherlands under 21s or Jong Oranje. The Netherlands team failed to progress from the group stages after two wins and two draws; France and The United States of America progressed from group A.
| Date | National Team | Player | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May 2015 | U21 |
3.Derrick Luckassen | U23 |
1 | 0 | U21 3-2 U23
|
| 8.Thom Haye | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 10.Joris van Overeem | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 29 May 2015 | 10.Joris van Overeem | U23 |
1 | 0 | U21 1-3 U23
| |
| 31 May 2015 | 3.Derrick Luckassen |  U23 |
1 | 0 | U21 5-1 U23
| |
| 8.Thom Haye | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 4 June 2015 | 3.Derrick Luckassen |  U21 |
1 | 0 | U21 0-4 U21
| |
| 8.Thom Haye | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 10.Joris van Overeem | 1 | 0 |
Aron Jóhannsson is the only internationalist from the CONCACAF association eligible to play in this tournament.
| Date | National Team | Player | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 July 2015 | |
9.Aron Jóhannsson |  |
0 | 0 | 2-1
|
| 11 July 2015 | 9.Aron Jóhannsson |  |
1 | 0 | 1-0
| |
| 14 July 2015 | 9.Aron Jóhannsson |  |
- | - | x-x
|
| Date | National Team | Player | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 June 2015 | |
17.Steven Berghuis |  |
0 | 0 | 0-2
|
Friendlies
[edit]| Date | National Team | Player | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 June 2015 | |
9.Aron Jóhannsson | |
1 | 0 | 3-4
|
| 5 June 2015 | |
17.Steven Berghuis | |
0 | 0 | 3-4
|
| 10 June 2015 | |
9.Aron Jóhannsson | |
1 | 0 | 1-2
|
| 4 July 2015 | |
9.Aron Jóhannsson |  |
0 | 0 | 4-0
|
UEFA Ranking
[edit]After the 2014-15 season where AZ did not compete in European competitions the club fell 8 places to 44th.
This places the club in third place overall in domestic terms: Ajax (26) lead PSV (30) following AZ (44), FC Twente (45) and Feyenoord (95).
| Rank | Country | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | |
Liverpool | 47.078 |
| 43 |  |
Metalist Kharkiv | 47.033 |
| 44 | |
AZ | 45.612 |
| 45 | |
Twente | 43.695 |
| 46 | |
Roma | 43.602 |
- As of 28/05/2015[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "AZ start met winst in Dirkshorn".
- ^ "Laatste nieuws over AZ".
- ^ "AZ haalt uit in Sittard".
- ^ Report [dead link]
- ^ Wedstrijdid [dead link]
- ^ AZ Al Wasl [dead link]
- ^ AZ vs. Başakşehir [dead link]
- ^ "Reglementen betaald voetbal Seizoen 2015/'16" [Regulations professional football 2015–16 season] (pdf) (in Dutch). Royal Dutch Football Association. p. 44. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
