AZ U21 always looked like a pretty limited side last season and struggled to show much quality and consistence as they finished 17th in the table. Maarten Martens takes over as the new man in charge this season and the Belgian will look to impress in what is his first job as a manager.
He has some interesting players to work with but the lack of goals is the glaring issue for the squad, given that Thijs Oosting was the goalscorer last year with a mere seven goals and he event spent only the first half of the season with the squad.
There are good technical players like Mohamed Taabouni and Kenzo Goudmijn in the squad but they are likely to play more frequently with the senior squad and therefore some new faces will need to emerge and take up the mantle.
Soulyman Allouch and Milen Baars may get more chances to impress and seem like they have the talent to fill the gap but, as usual with U21 teams, the lack of nous and experience is the biggest factor.
Further back in defence, Thijs Velthuis and Maxime Gullit will look to further improve after establishing themselves as a good pair.
Overall, AZ's squad is not ready to make much of a splash in the league this season but they will not lack for enthusiasm and energy and will look to give some of the big teams a scare or two as the campaign goes on.
