While PSV and Feyenoord have been grabbing a lot of attention this season with their excellent starts, AZ has quietly been making an impression as well. Their winning streak came to an end against Heracles, but the fact that the draw was celebrated by the Almelo team as a victory speaks volumes about AZ's current status. With sixteen points from six matches, AZ currently sits in second place, behind PSV but ahead of FC Twente and Feyenoord.
The match against Fortuna Sittard on Sunday will be a special one for coach Pascal Jansen. The 50-year-old coach will be on the Eredivisie sidelines for the hundredth time as the head coach of AZ. With his achievements, Jansen already ranks among the best in the club's history.
Jansen: AZ's Eredivisie Triumph
Pascal Jansen becomes the sixth coach to take charge of a hundred matches for AZ in the Eredivisie. Under his guidance, the team has won 60 times in the league. Among all coaches with at least three games, only Arne Slot (65%) and Georg Kessler (64%) have a higher win percentage than Jansen.
AZ Eredivisie Managers
Coach | Matches | Winning percentage |
---|---|---|
John van den Brom |
163 |
52% |
Georg Kessler |
136 |
64% |
Louis van Gaal |
136 |
59% |
Joop Brand |
111 |
35% |
Gertjan Verbeek |
110 |
45% |
Pascal Jansen |
99 |
61% |
AZ's Top Start
Despite dropping points against Heracles Almelo, this season ranks in the top three of AZ's best starts in the Eredivisie. The previous two times the Alkmaar side managed to win the first five matches of a season, they finished in the top two of the Eredivisie. So, who knows, maybe next season we'll see Champions League football at the AFAS Stadion again.
AZ's Best Season Start in Eredivisie
Season | Victories ft. season start | Coach | Final standings |
---|---|---|---|
1980/ 81 |
10 |
Georg Kessler |
1 |
2023/ 24 |
5 |
Pascal Jansen |
? |
2005/ 06 |
5 |
Louis van Gaal |
2 |
2006/ 07 |
3 |
Louis van Gaal |
3 |
2022/ 23 |
3 |
Pascal Jansen |
4 |
Diversity in the squad
Pascal Jansen has fielded 57 different players in Eredivisie matches. Japanese player Yukinari Sugawara missed only eight of the last 99 Eredivisie games and has been the most frequently used player under Jansen. Not surprisingly, Vangelis Pavlidis is the top scorer under the current AZ coach, with 36 goals. Under Jansen's tenure, 29 players made their Eredivisie debut, with an impressive fourteen of them being teenagers. Ernest Poku made his debut at the age of 17 as the youngest player under the coach, while Ramon Leeuwin, at 33 years old, was the oldest. For now, there seems to be no reason for Jansen to depart, so who knows how many more matches he will oversee from the Alkmaar bench. Like any top coach, the AZ manager will only be satisfied with his hundredth match if it results in a victory.
Most appearances under Pascal Jansen
Player | Matches |
---|---|
Yukinari Sugawara |
91 |
Tijjani Reijnders |
85 |
Jesper Karlsson |
82 |
Pantelis Hatzidiakos |
78 |
Jordy Clasie |
76 |
![](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/_1367x1367_fit_center-center_80_none/Copyright-ProShots-22015189.jpg)
Yukinari Sugawara during the match RKC Waalwijk - AZ (20-08-2023).
Most goals under Pascal Jansen
Player | Goals |
---|---|
Vangelis Pavlidis |
36 |
Jesper Karlsson |
32 |
Dani de Wit |
17 |
Myron Boadu |
12 |
Teun Koopmeiners |
12 |
![](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/_1367x1367_fit_center-center_80_none/Copyright-ProShots-22195775.jpg)
Vangelis Pavlidis celebrates his second goal in the match between Vitesse and AZ (03-09-2023).
Eredivisie table
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![Almere City FC logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/almere-city-fc/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/Almere-City-FC-logo.png)
![AZ logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/az/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/AZ-logo.png)
![FC Groningen logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/fc-groningen/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/FC-Groningen-logo.png)
![FC Twente logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/fc-twente/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/FC-Twente-logo.png)
![FC Utrecht logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/fc-utrecht/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/FC-Utrecht-logo.png)
![Feyenoord logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/feyenoord/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/Feyenoord-logo.png)
![Fortuna Sittard logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/fortuna-sittard/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/Fortuna-Sittard-logo.png)
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![PSV logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/psv/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/PSV-logo.png)
![RKC Waalwijk logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/rkc-waalwijk/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/RKC-Waalwijk-logo.png)
![Sc Heerenveen logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/sc-heerenveen/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/sc-Heerenveen-logo.png)
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![Willem II logo](https://d3et0fncpz2hhr.cloudfront.net/clubs/willem-ii/_24x24_fit_center-center_85_none/Willem-II-logo.png)
# | Club | GS | W | V | G | DV-DT | DS | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
![]() |
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 18-3 | +15 | 12 |
2 |
![]() |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5-0 | +5 | 10 |
3 |
![]() |
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6-3 | +3 | 10 |
4 |
![]() |
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 7-3 | +4 | 8 |
5 |
![]() |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5-3 | +2 | 6 |
6 |
![]() |
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 5-3 | +2 | 6 |
7 |
![]() |
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4-3 | +1 | 6 |
8 |
![]() |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7-3 | +4 | 5 |
9 |
![]() |
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5-4 | +1 | 5 |
# | Club | GS | W | V | G | DV-DT | DS | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 |
![]() |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5-2 | +3 | 4 |
11 |
![]() |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4-4 | 0 | 4 |
12 |
![]() |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2-2 | 0 | 3 |
13 |
![]() |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4-7 | -3 | 3 |
14 |
![]() |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2-7 | -5 | 3 |
15 |
![]() |
4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4-11 | -7 | 3 |
16 |
![]() |
4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2-7 | -5 | 2 |
17 |
![]() |
4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2-12 | -10 | 1 |
18 |
![]() |
4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2-12 | -10 | 0 |
Legend
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