Despite the dominant 15-0 victory over SC Veendam in the KNVB Beker second round, AZ Alkmaar had no time to dwell on their record-breaking performance.
The fixture list was getting tighter as the latter stages of the year closed by, and just three days later, they had a crucial league match against RKC Waalwijk. There was no room for complacency.
Gertjan Verbeek knew that maintaining momentum was key. While the win was a confidence booster, the Eredivisie remained the priority.
AZ Alkmaar were in the middle of a tightly contested league campaign and were placed second with a three points gap behind league leaders, AJax, and every point mattered.
Dropping focus now, even for a moment, could undo all the hard work they had put in.
Training resumed the very next day which was on monday the 28th. The squad reported early to the AFAS Training Complex, where Gertjan Verbeek and his coaching staff immediately shifted attention to RKC Waalwijk.
