When the line-up of the North Hollanders came out, eyebrows were raised for a moment. AZ played with no fewer than six different players than in the European match they won against Noah FC. Midfielder Peer Koopmeiners was not surprised. ”Everyone knows what is expected. So other boys must also be able to perform the tasks.”
Mediocre start
Leeroy Echteld’s team did not exactly fly off the starting blocks. Not only did AZ quickly fall behind 1-0 due to a goal by Yoann Cathline, the Alkmaarders also seemed to be one step too late everywhere. ”That has been a theme with us for weeks. We did that on Thursday, but today we didn’t do it well at all,” AZ coach Echteld analyzes.
