John van den Brom managed to end his first season at AZ Alkmaar in successful fashion after a 4-1 win over Excelsior.
This was the fourth consecutive victory for the team towards the end of the campaign and one that ensured a third place finish ahead of Feyenoord. Due to the significant experience of qualifying regularly for the Champions League, Feyenoord were considered as favourites for the third spot despite trailing on the final day of the campaign. AZ’s victory by a comfortable margin ensured that Feyenoord would not be able to close the gap irrespective of their result.
The result delighted managervan den Brom, who will now be looking forward to a season in the Champions League if the team managed to successfully go through the qualification phases.Van den Brom claimed that the team had been working towards this ambition throughout the campaign and to finally achieve it in the nailbiting manner against one of the top teams in the division is an excellent feeling. The manager was also cautious about the upcoming work left for the club in the summer transfer window. AZ Alkmaar will have to strengthen in order to compensate for the loss of players like Simon Poulsen and Nemanja Gudelj.
“This is so awesome. This is an ultimate moment you so anxious to have with players and staff. We have been working very hard all season to leave the club finish as high as possible. Today we fought for third place. We book a resounding victory and hear the defeat of Feyenoord. Hence this release. Now the party may begin. The club is in good shape. We won an award for best youth development. That augurs well for the future. Of course there are players leaving but we can also strengthen us again,” said the manager.