Legenda - The career of Luka Elsner

2020-06-08 08:11#273547 Griffo : Four points off the lead, keep chasing!!

How exciting! A couple of results in that month that were draws, converted into wins and you're right on Ajax's tail. Not long to go now and assuming Ajax continue a string of good form, you will need to maintain your own unbeaten run.

Woah! Massive changes here, Ajax dropping points is great. Hopefully that continues and you can capitalize!

Hope you can catch Ajax in the end, would be nice to see their apparent unending hegemony broken!

2020-06-08 14:28#273569 grismosw7 :

2020-06-08 08:11#273547 Griffo : Four points off the lead, keep chasing!!

GET IT! GET ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT!

PEC Zwolle continues to play well and gave us a very competitive match, we were fortunate to get a draw. Our lone goal was by Guerra in the 46th minute, assisted by Leao. It took a while to get going against FC Twente but we get a goal from dos Santos and a penalty converted by Til to see us through to the Final.

Excelsior was up for a fight holding us off until the final 15 minutes before goals by Hatzidiakos (assist by Danchenko) and Guerra (assist by Leao). They added a goal in the final minute to make, what a match by them - we were lucky to get all 3 points. A brace by Guerra (Leao with another assist) allows for a rather easy win at NAC Breda. We get a much deserved goal by Guerra (assisted by Danchenko) in the 82nd minute against VVV-Venlo to get the three points, we were dominate but could not put one in the back of the net.

A nearly perfect month. Thankfully pesky PEC Zwolle lost to FC Utrecht in the other semi-final of the KNVB Beker.







Jasper Schendelaar

Schendelaar suffered a damaged shoulder in training on the 9th of March. We were able to manage the injury with injections and pain killers before the international break but he ultimately missed the match against VVV-Venlo and will likely miss the first week of April as well.





We actually were in first place prior to match day 30, on goal differential. Ajax had a terrible month, losing away to NAC Breda (4-1) and away to sc Heerenveen (4-0). They also lost to Torino in the Europa League Second Knockout Round, 4-2 on aggregate. Opening the door for an exciting final month to the league. They sold three of their top players in the Winter Transfer Window, including Dennis James (Winger, sold to Hertha BSC) and Brahim Benali (Striker, sold to AS Monaco). At the time James was leading the league in goal with 10. Benali has 7 goals in 9 matches for AS Monaco in Ligue 1 play. In total they brought in €75M, not bad for the bank account but the product on the field has suffered.





A difficult end to the season, highlighted obviously by the match with Ajax. The other 3 matches will be a challenge as well.

Ajax plays NEC (away), us (home), Willem II (away), and FC Groningen (home) to finish the season.

So close now! The game against Ajax will potentially decide the title.

This game against Ajax is now HUGE!

With just four matches to play in the league and one match in May, I have opted to combine the April & May updates into just one post.





With the Ajax match looming there was a chance of us looking past sc Heerenveen but the boys came to play today. We opened the scoring with a goal by Nicolas Guerra in the 1st minute, assisted by Oleg Danchenko. Later in the first half off a free kick, Felix Eboa Eboa converted the rebound for his 2nd goal of the season in the 35th minute. A just before the half Danchenko connected again with Guerra to give us a 3-0 advantage into the break.

The second half was a little less exciting but we continued to dominate. We scored the final goal of the match in the 68th minute - once again Danchenko found Guerra for an easy goal. We cruise from there on out to the victory, the scoreline gives us the top of the table with a +1 GD advantage as we head to Ajax.

AZ 4, sc Heerenveen 0



A rainy afternoon in Amsterdam did not disappoint, with plenty of action throughout. However, Guerra left the match in the 23rd minute with a leg injury - he was replaced by Ole ter Haar Romeny. As great as Guerra has been the rest of the squad has not really been scoring much. We had a chance to take the lead just before half as Danchenko place a beautiful cross to the far post, where Rafael Leao headed it into the cross bar. We head to break goalless.

The second half was not much different with both teams squandering chances when they were available, but our best chance to get on the board came in the 50th minute on a cross from Borna Sosa that Calvin Stengs headed off the cross bar - almost mirroring the play in the first half. In the 56th minute Pantelis Hatzidiakos was sent off with his second yellow forcing us to play out the match a man down. Their best chance came in the 80th minute with Ahmed Smit darting through our defense to a one on one with Jasper Schendelaar but Smit opted to pass instead of shooting and Maximiliano Gomez's shot was wide of the target.

Ajax 0, AZ 0

We will take it, not the perfect result but much better than the alternative - especially after being a man down for so long. Bad news though, we get word after the match that Guerra will miss the rest of the season and possibly the start of next season with a torn calf muscle.




Just days before the N.E.C. match we learn that ter Haar Romeny suffers pulled knee ligaments in training and will miss at least the rest of the Eredivisie season. We are now down our top 2 strikers but will rotate Leao into the striker role as we finish this out. Entering the match I was extremely concerned where we would get goals from but we quickly got the answer. Fedrik Midtsjo scores his first goal of the season in the 13th minute and Svetoslav Kovachev added another goal before the break to give us a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.

Leao scored right after the break and Midtsjo added his second goal of the day in the 66th minute. We let up a crucial go in the 85th minute that hopefully does not come back to haunt us. The team is playing really well heading in to the final match of the season with a chance to win the league.

N.E.C. 1, AZ 4

Midtsjo picked up his fifth yellow card of the season and will be suspended for our season finale with FC Utrecht.



What a way to end the season, with a league title on the line! I fully expected FC Utrecht to give us a battle and they sure did. We scored early on a free kick by Teun Koopmeiners in the 11th minute, his 3rd of the season. The rest of the half was relatively quiet but in Amsterdam things were different with Ajax jumping on FC Groningen with a 4-0 lead heading into the break. At this point we are now trailing on goal differential and need to press on with at least two second half goals.

We were unable to get anything going in the second half and FC Utrecht got an equalizer in the 66th minute. Leading us to pick up the pressure in the final 24 minutes but we were unable to get another goal.

AZ 1, FC Utrecht 1

Meanwhile, Ajax took a 6-0 lead with 10 minutes to play. FC Groningen did manage to add two goals in the final 10 minutes. A heartbreaking finish to league play but one we can look back at fondly some day as we overachieved dramatically and finished league play with a 17 match unbeaten streak.



A chance for revenge with FC Utrecht in the KNVB Beker Finals! The day before the match Calvin Stengs is injured during training, he will miss the match and possibly the start of training camp with sprained knee ligaments. With our attack quite decimated we struggled to make anything happen throughout the match but our midfield and defense played a tremendous match, never really allowing them to create anything either. This one was desinted for extra time and possibly penalties from the start. Rob dos Santos got sent off with his second yellow in the 77th minute making for a tricky finish to the match.

However, in the 119th minute our youngster left back Yannick Ploem played a great cross into the box and Kovachev volleyed it home for the winner!!!

AZ 1, FC Utrecht 0

The first win in the Finals for AZ since 2013 after 5 defeats!








Nicolas Guerra

Guerra getting injured against Ajax possibly cost us a title, he was playing so well. Scoring in each of his last six matches, a total of 9 goals over the stretch. He is expected to miss 2 to 3 months and we are expecting him to start rehab around the start of training camp.

Calvin Stengs

Stengs second injury of the season came just before the KNVB Beker Finals but we were able to cope without him. He is expected to be out for 4 to 7 weeks and should be healthy for the start of training camp. As always there are several teams interested in acquiring him from us.





The race for the title ended up more exciting than most expected but the race for 3rd through 7th was equally exciting with Europa League Qualification at stake. PEC Zwolle just missed going from relegation favorites to qualifying.

What an end to the season. Two results in particular which will bring out emotions at different ends of the scale. Congratulations on a piece of silverware via the cup but what a shame in the league. You were so close.

Geez that is a dramatic finish, great season overall and ready to take down Ajax next time

Ouch, that's a rough end to the season. Although, in hindsight, it's an achievement in and of itself that you got that close to Ajax at all. And a cup victory to boot is also nice!

Heartbreaking to come so close. In a positive light though, you seem primed to give them another go next season!

2023/2024 Season Review

Twelve months ago, Luka Elsner found himself starting his three managerial position is three seasons after an abrupt ousting at Schalke and a terrible showing at AS Saint-Etienne. When he was announced as the new manager for AZ Alkmaar it was with mixed support amongst the supporters. At Schalke he failed to build anything resembling a competent attack but the defense was solid, mostly due to acquisitions under Elsner’s watch – including for AZ player Felix Uduokhai. Their defense kept them in almost every contest but time after time they failed to score. At ASSE, he failed to revamp their defense and the squad was one of the worst in Ligue 1 but they were equally inept when attacking.

Now Elsner finds himself as once again one of the top young managers in Europe after an outstanding first season at AZ Alkmaar. The cupboard was far from bare upon his arrival but he needed to retool the defense, similar to the situation with Schalke. Ironically, he turned to Schalke to sign Jordan Torunarigha, who would turn out to be one of the best defenders in Eredivisie this season. Defensively the team conceded just 22 goals in league play, best in the league – of which more than half were from set pieces. The defense was incrediblly consistent with just 14 clean sheets, allowing more than 1 goal only twice.

Offensively the team performed quite well too, scoring 64 goals in the league – good enough for second behind Ajax. Nicolas Guerra flourished in his second season with the club, scoring 26 goals in all competitions – leading Eredivisie with 16 goals in 25 appearances. Adding Rafael Leao during the winter transfer window, only made the team’s attack even more dangerous. Leao finished 9th in the league with 7 chances created and 10th with 6 assists in just half a season. For the first time since Union SG, Elsner’s side was attacking from all directions.

Losing the league title on the last day is a tough pill to swallow but winning the KNVB Beker will surely ease the pain. After all, it is the club’s first trophy in over a decade. The club is on a high, so much so that after the season the board announced plans to expand the stadium and improve youth facilities. Between both projects the club is investing almost €10M in their infrastructure, with completion expected in September 2024 for both.

FORMATIONS & TACTICS: Elsner reverted back to a 4-2-3-1 almost exclusively this season, the first time since he left Union SG. The team attacked from everywhere and looked to dominate possession routinely, averaging 56% possession (3rd in the league). This is an area that Elsner still expects improvement as the team was too wasteful at times and also allowed opponents to sit on the ball too often. Goals came from everywhere, early & often – with the team holding a 15-0 advantage in goals scored in the first 15 minutes in league play.

HIGHLIGHT: Throughout the season the team kept improving and finished the season with a 17-match unbeaten streak in the league. The match against PSV in late February has to be the biggest win of the season, with 4 goals coming from 4 different scorers. It was dominant performance from start to finish.

LOWLIGHT: The stunning 1-1 draw with relegated Fortuna Sittard has to be looked back upon as one that may have cost this team a league title. Somehow, not scoring a goal of their own despite a 25-3 shot advantage in just mind boggling for a team that was playing so well.

REVELATION: No one could have expected Nicolas Guerra to be so dominate this season. His performance literally came from nowhere, he started the second as the second option behind Ole ter Haar Romeny but over the first half of the season took a firm hold of the first team option. It is a shame that Guerra was injured at the end of the season and missed a chance to claim the title.

DISAPPOINTMENT: There is no doubting Calvin Stengs talent, he oozes of ability and is electric in possession but he just did not produce for the club like he was expected to. That said a couple injuries cost him a portion of the season but even so, when Angelo Saro or Rob dos Santos was in his place they made a bigger impact on the match.

PLAYERS TO BUILD ON IN 2024/2025: W Rafael Leao, CB Jordan Torunarigha, AM Mohamed Taabouni, CM Kenzo Goudmijn, GK Jasper Schendelaar, W Rob dos Santos

AZ has an abundance of depth and an extremely talented youth system, the continued development of this group will be crucial to overcoming Ajax. Goudmijn improved over the course of the season to become on of the more reliable players for the side, he is expected to see an even bigger role next season.

OFFSEASON PRIORITY: There really is not much to address, but there are definitely areas to improve in terms of first team quality and depth. Elsner’s biggest priority will be finding another playmaking attacking midfielder to support Guus Til, Til played in way too many matches this year – in part due to injuries but also due to lack of quality behind him. Additionally, with veteran center back Martin Hinteregger heading to the MLS this summer there will be room to add another center back to the squad. It will be likely that Elsner will look to further strengthen the back line bringing in another first team quality center back with Felix Eboa Eboa and Pantelis Hatzidiakos rotating in.

If that draw against Sittard could have been converted into a win, the title would have been heading to Alkmaar. That's bitterly disappointing and pretty agonising. Progression has been made on the pitch though to prompt progression off of it. That's very pleasing.