Echteld says young AZ squad must tame post‑European fatigue
Under the bright AFAS Stadion lights, AZ secured a dramatic 4‑3 win over FC Groningen on Sunday, a result that quickly appeared on Google and marked a vital step forward for the Alkmaar side.
Post‑European fatigue hampers consistency
The Alkmaar side have long struggled to keep form in league games that follow a European tie.
Coach Leeroy Echteld hopes his squad can shed that inconsistency and sees enough positives for the coming weeks.
Club data confirm the congested calendar is a major obstacle for AZ.
Since November last year, AZ have lost eight of thirteen Sunday league matches played after a Thursday Europa League tie.
The 4‑3 win over Groningen was only the fourth victory in that run.
In a interview, Echteld said juggling the league and Europa League is not easy.
"It is a challenge to perform with this young group in the league and in the Europa League," he said.
The technical staff constantly seek ways to reduce player load.
"We think a lot about how to do that best. Fortunately we have not ended up in a wave of injuries, because we have many players at our disposal. We work with many rotations."
Data shows progress despite results
Despite erratic results, Echteld stays upbeat about his squad's development.
He cites improving physical and tactical metrics as confidence boosters.
"Our data have never been as good as in the last weeks," the trainer said.
Echteld says the underlying numbers show the team is closing in on its target level.
"That shows aggression is up, we attack deep spaces well with runs and the Expected Goals values are good. The defensive data models also look good."
He sees no need for sweeping changes to the current approach.
"It's just a matter of continuing with what we are doing. We are very close to how we want to play."