It takes a lot to dampen the spirits of Gertjan Verbeek. His AZ side finished 10th – 37 points behind the champions – last season. A poor start, with three wins from 16 games, sealed their fate. It would have driven a lesser manager to insanity and closer to the exit, but not Verbeek.
He's made of stronger stuff and with a nickname like 'Rambo' and as a former judo sensei with an amateur boxing background (former champion) you expect nothing less. The last campaign was his toughest in Alkmaar – though it ended with his first piece of silverware in the guise of the KNVB Beker – but it bettered him as a coach. This time around Verbeek is confident AZ can finish in the top four.
It’s not one of his more outlandish predictions. His side are currently fifth, three points behind the leaders, while there’s also a consistency about them. So far this season Verbeek has used fifteen players, eleven of whom have played more than 400 minutes. A consistent selection accelerates cohesion.
AZ is atypical of many Dutch clubs that can reinvent themselves; losing two of their most influential players this summer in serial goal-getter Jozy Altidore and mercurial playmaker Adam Maher was a blow.
Technical director and former US international Earnest Stewart’s administrative and clever management style is one reason why the club find themselves on a good footing after a difficult few years. AZ threatened to go into administration back in October 2009 months after winning their second championship, lost their main sponsor DSB Bank after they collapsed, and have since recouped approximately €30M in player sales. As far as general manager Toon Gerbrands is concerned, Verbeek symbolises the recovery.
Reliance on one or two individuals becomes unhealthy. The departures of Altidore and Maher allowed AZ to reshape and the burden is now being shared, with the adjustment Verbeek has made subtle but noteworthy.
He’s shown a breadth of tactical acumen, which is significant given past accusations and attacks of his ineptness in this department. Their midfield triumvirate of Markus Henriksen (controller), Viktor Elm (box-to-box midfielder) and Nemanja Gudelj (advanced playmaker) is balanced, with the latter their leading assist maker this season (2).
Aron Jóhannsson has seamlessly taken over from Altidore. He too lives for goals, with 4 in his first 6 Eredivisie games and a near 27% conversion rate. The utilisation of wingers Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Roy Beerens and occasionally Maarten Martens makes AZ potent on the counter, with only two sides having more shots as a result of a fast break (3) – although they’ve yet to score from one in the league as of yet.
The defence remains the cornerstone. AZ have made the second most tackles in the league thus far (135) and the most interceptions (100). They became notorious in Verbeek's first season for their 'take no prisoner' mentality, capable of defending leads and making it hard to create chances against them. Today the backline is more dynamic, with the addition of Jeffrey Gouweleeuw playing a large part.
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A central defender by trade, Gouweleeuw sees himself as more of a libero: license to roam forward and join the building phase of an attack. The Heemskerk native has averaged the most passes in the team (55), is number one when it comes to interceptions per game (4.7) and second only to skipper Nick Viergever in terms of average tackles a match (3.3).
Mattias Johansson, their 21-year-old Swedish right-back, is also slowly making a name for himself. A strong dribbler who loves to maraud forward, essential to Verbeek's game plan, he currently has a WhoScored rating of 7.49 - the best in his position in the league.
Verbeek's charismatic and battle-hardened managerial style is infectious. His knack of getting the best out of players regardless of ability places him above most of his contemporaries. Team-building is essential to his managerial ethos and before the start of a new season he would take his players on exercises such as plank walking, raft building and a coconut relay. If his players have had a tough week, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for them to take a trip to the swimming baths on the eve of the next game.
A man of many complexities and conjecture; his philosophical, often quirky, approach is well documented. He’s not the most popular by any stretch of the imagination. He says what’s on his mind regardless of any ramifications. His steadfastness to his beliefs is commendable. Those who dare question are swatted. "I hope gradually fewer people will take this man seriously," Verbeek said after being criticised by Willem van Hanegem. "I have great respect for Van Hanegem the footballer. But, I'm sorry, in the last couple of years he's contributed nothing to Dutch football." Another is Raymond Verheijen. "I'm sick and tired of his bull****" Verbeek retorted.
Eagle-eyed on the touchline, he has the look of a frustrated 18th century composer. His press conferences have often descended into theatre a playwright would appreciate. Yes, it serves as a means to deflect attention away - a siege mentality if you will - but if the results aren't going his way the more difficult it becomes pulling it off.
Verbeek is best suited to working with those willing to follow his lead like a teacher. His biggest failure to date was at Feyenoord. A move to the Rotterdam giants in 2008 should have been the fulfilment of a dream but instead turned into a nightmare. His industrious ethics clashed with the bloated egos at the Rotterdam club who devised a mutiny.
"Verbeek failed due to his own consistency," Johan Derksen wrote in Voetbal International. "He explained his method is holy, while the players had absolutely no understanding of his approach. Verbeek was not open to other ideas and so the players ignored his vision. This created constant conflicts." Derksen further added. "Today's coach must also be a manager of people, someone who is not afraid to argue, persuade and encourage discussion with his players."
The difference at AZ is his players are younger and as a result eager to learn and look to him for guidance. What hasn’t killed him has only made him stronger. He can so far be proud of developing AZ into a formidable machine.
Tell us how high you think AZ Alkmaar could finish in Eredivisie this season in the comments below
