Subreddit for the Dutch Football League "Eredivisie" and other Dutch football Our discord: https://discord.gg/tqY4a7Q
Hey, welcome back. Glad you went to the next part, or if this for some reason is the first part you're reading,
you can find that here. In there, we discussed the potential title contenders in Ajax, AZ, Feyenoord, but we also talked about the return of Arjen Robben as well as the other clubs up north. We're now just a couple of hours away from the first Eredivisie game in more than six months. Now its time for another potential champion to be discussed, as well as what other Eredivisie clubs will bring this season. With that in mind, let's get started.
PEC Zwolle
- City: Zwolle, Overijssel
- Stadium: MAC³PARK Stadium, 14,000
- Youth Graduates: Sepp van den Berg, Kingsley Ehizibue
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
15 | 26 | 7 | 5 | 14 | 37 | 55 | -18 | 26 |
- Manager: John Stegeman
- KNVB Cup: 2nd Round
PEC Zwolle feels like a weird basket case of a club that’s been trying to grow into a solid contender for the European spots but has for the 2nd season in a row teetered on the relegation side of the table. After doing away with Van t’ Schip and Stam going to Feyenoord, they plucked John Stegeman from their local rivals Go Ahead Eagles, and while he delivered good work at both clubs, it hasn’t really worked out yet in Zwolle. A special shoutout has to be given to striker Reza Ghoochannejhad, who became the first player in Eredivisie history to score 4 goals as a substitute.
u/Luciusaseneca: Last season was absolutely horrible, we were clueless. There was no idea in attack. As a cherry on top, our manager hit a tree while driving drunk, which really represented our season.
THIS SEASON PEC Zwolle celebrated its 110th anniversary this June, and its main present was...a natural grass pitch to replace its artificial turf. The Blauwvingers have so far not been too active in the transfer market, whilst having let go of the likes of Gustavo Hamer (Coventry), Lennart Thy (Sparta) and Vito van Crooij (VVV Venlo). PEC remains an ambitious team that wants to secure a spot in Europe, but based on the squad they have as well as their previous season, it's hard to see that ambition as something realistic.
u/Luciusaseneca: The fear is that we will defend in games we should be attacking. At home we changed our field to natural grass, which is good, but will cost us points.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Slobodan Tedic | Loan | Manchester City | PEC Zwolle | Free |
Rico Strieder | Permanent | FC Utrecht | PEC Zwolle | Free |
Gustavo Hamer | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | Coventry City | 1,500,000 |
Lennart Thy | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | Sparta Rotterdam | Free |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Clement - Tedic - Leemans
Strieder+ - Lam - Drost
Paal - Kersten - Van Polen - Van Wermerskerken
Zetterer
+= currently out injured
PLAYERS TO WATCH Slobodan Tedic - One of the thousands of talented players part of the City Football Group. The tall Serbian striker will likely be Zwolle’s main source for goals, having shown his quality in the Serbian league.
u/Luciusaseneca:
Tedic, a striker we will rent from Man City. I whink he can do well for us
Besides that, I think our right back,
Sai Van Wermerskerken, will have a good season with a lot of assists. Especially when Tedic will prove himself.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT PEC ZWOLLE u/Luciusaseneca: We have some players that won the cup against Ajax 6 years ago. They are likeable, and maybe will show some of the brilliance they once had.
PSV EINDHOVEN
- City: Eindhoven, Noord Brabant
- Stadium: Phillips Stadium, 35,150
- Youth Graduates: Memphis Depay, Steven Bergwijn
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
4 | 26 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 54 | 28 | 26 | 49 |
- Manager: Mark van Bommel, Ernst Faber
- KNVB Cup: Round of 16
- Europe: Europa League group stage
Hoo boy. PSV’s season. What an absolute mess. After the promising debut season under Mark van Bommel, all was set to improve the squad and continue challenging for the title. Getting knocked out of UCL qualifiers by Basel was disappointing, but they did reach the Europa League and could potentially go far there. Things started promising, especially with Donyell Malen blossoming and scoring 5 goals in one game. Then all hell broke loose: Malen was out for the whole season, the quality of play nosedived, expensive signings contributed nothing, they got knocked out in the group stage of the Europa League after a very good start, a big kerfuffle surrounding the goalkeepers, and massive tension in the group ultimately led to Mark van Bommel getting sacked. Ernst Faber tried to salvage as much as possible, and while performances improved slightly, it was clear this PSV was in need of some big changes.
u/TheDutchTank: Last season was obviously a disaster on all fronts. Players that were in form got injured, we never got a single left back, and Van Bommel was too stubborn to try anything new to switch it up. Every single buy we did last year, most prominently Bruma (15M), Baumgartl (10M) and Doan (6.5M), was disappointing. After Van Bommel was fired, things started looking slightly better, but the competition was stopped quite soon after. In theory we had a decent squad last year, a bit top heavy, and lacking a left back, but we still ended up doing much worse than we'd hoped.
THIS SEASON - Manager: Roger Schmidt
- Europe: Europa League qualifiers
That big change has come, in the form of German manager Roger Schmidt. The former Salzburg manager is best known here for his complete demolition of Ajax back in 2014. Bringing that style of play to PSV is an idea that shakes me to my very core as an Ajax fan. PSV initially hadn’t done much in the transfer market, but the acquisition of goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo and left back Philipp Max have put an end to that. It's clear that Schmidt has great ambitions and the goal will very much be to challenge for the title. One of Schmidt’s challenges will include making signings like Guti and Bruma function as well as continuing some of PSV’s very exciting youth players. Its going to be interesting if this reboot is successful, but things can only go up after last season
u/TheDutchTank: I'm actually quite excited for the new season. We have a top coach in Roger Schmidt, and for the first time since I've been watching PSV, we're trying to play without 4-3-3 for a prolonged time. I'm excited to see the new system under Schmidt, but there's still one or two players missing. The ones we did get, Mvogo and Max, seem like two good gets. We're still looking for a new midfielder and defender, but Rosario and Teze have been two of the best players in our pre season. We have a lot of players who need to step up and make a next step this year. Bruma and Baumgartl are obvious once for the price tag and expectations they had, but if Gakpo, Ihattaren and Malen deliver on their promises it will be a really fun and exciting season.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Yvon Mvogo | Loan | RB Leipzig | PSV | Free |
Philipp Max | Permanent | Augsburg | PSV | 8,000,000 |
Jeroen Zoet | Permanent | PSV | Spezia | 1,500,000 |
Ritsu Doan | Loan | PSV | Arminia Bielefeld | Free |
POTENTIAL LINEUP Malen - Madueke
Gakpo - Ihattaren
Rosario - Hendrix
Max - Boscagli - Teze - Dumfries
Mvogo
PLAYERS TO WATCH Noni Madueke - Got his chances under Faber and his looking for more chances this season. The former Tottenham youth seems to have good chemistry with Malen, and his speed and strength make him look an exciting prospect
Cody Gakpo - Had his breakthrough last season with 7 goals and 6 assists and wants to continue that trend next season. Has looked effective as a winger and striker in preseason.
Jordan Teze - One of the biggest surprises of PSV’s preseason has been Teze, normally a back, impressing as a central defender. If the search for a new one proves fruitless, Teze could be one making the spot his own.
u/TheDutchTank: Players to look out for are (of course)
Donyell Malen and Mohammed Ihattaren. They have the potential to be world class players. However, with Ihattaren still having trouble with the new system, and Malen coming back from a long injury, it's impossible to predict.
Eindhovenaar
Cody Gakpo probably doesn't have it in him to become world class, but he is undoubtedly the best crosser in the team and he seems to be the one who is best at actually generating goals.
Mauro Jr. is coming off of a successful season with Heracles and could very well be the nr. 1 choice behind Ihattaren. He is a very fun player to watch, very creative, and is incredibly solid in small spaces.
Noni Madueke transferred over from Spurs a few years back and is one of the possible option on the wings and as a striker this season. He's explosive, a great dribbler, and good at seeing all the options, but needs to work on his end product.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT PSV u/TheDutchTank: This years team will be extremely fun to watch. High pressing, fun and exciting to watch players like Malen, Mauro, Ihattaren, Gakpo and Max, and hey, we'll probably be the underdog this year, and it's always more fun to root for those instead of the one everyone thinks is going to win. There's a lot of potential in this squad, and it can really fall both ways. Can't be worse than last season, though.
RKC WAALWIJK
- City: Waalwijk, Noord-Brabant
- Stadium: Mandemakers Stadium, 7,500
- Youth Graduates: Khalid Boulharouz, Charlison Benschop
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
18 | 26 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 27 | 60 | -33 | 15 |
- Manager: Fred Grim
- KNVB Cup: 1st Round
Few clubs will have as amazing of a moment as RKC Waalwijk when they not only miraculously promoted through an absolutely insane 4-5 game against Go Ahead Eagles, but also secured 4 million euros through Frenkie de Jong, a player that never played for them (RKC and Willem II used to share a youth academy). That money went into improving facilities and getting a natural pitch instead of improving a squad, and as it turns out, a squad that became 8th in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie was very much out of its depth in the Eredivisie. Fred Grim’s side did receive a lot of credit for playing decent football, even making it difficult for clubs like Ajax and beating FC Utrecht twice. But if it weren’t for extraordinary circumstances, RKC would’ve been relegated and no one would’ve batted an eye.
THIS SEASON Things will have to go very weird for RKC not to become relegation candidates number one again. To their credit, they have actually managed to strengthen the squad, with some old faces returning like Vurnon Anita and possibly Gregory van der Wiel. It might not be as completely hopeless as last time, and Fred Grim does continue to make RKC surprisingly decent football, I would personally find it very surprising if RKC manages to avoid any sort of relegation fight.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Cyril Ngonge | Permanent | Club Brugge | RKC Waalwijk | Unknown |
Vurnon Anita | Permanent | CSKA Sofia | RKC Waalwijk | Free |
James Efmorfidis | Permanent | Almere City | RKC Waalwijk | Free |
POTENTIAL LINEUP Efmorfidis - Stokkers - Ngonge
Azhil - Anita - Tahiri
Lutonda - Touba - Meulensteen - Gaari
Vaessen
PLAYERS TO WATCH James Efmorfidis - The Greek midfielder with a laundry list of great clubs he played in the youth academy in (Ajax, Real Madrid, Barcelona) really impressed at Almere City and the hope is he can make an impact similar to Emil Hansson.
Cyril Ngonge - RKC Waalwijk had trouble scoring goals last season and the hope will be that Jong PSV topscorer Ngonge will fix that with his pace and goal threat
SPARTA ROTTERDAM
- City: Rotterdam, Zuid Holland
- Stadium: Het Kasteel/The Castle, 11,926
- Youth Graduates: Kevin Strootman, Marten de Roon
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
11 | 26 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 33 |
- Manager: Henk Fraser
- KNVB Cup: 2nd round
The oldest Dutch club around returned to the Eredivisie after only a year of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, but Sparta didn’t really carry the air of a club that was fighting for relegation. The Spartanen did decent throughout and ended up comfortably on the right side of midtable, and did so through players coming out of their highly regarded youth academy, like Ragnar Ache, Halil Dervisoglu (who went to Brentford during the winter break) and Abdou Harroui, who was Sparta’s main creative engine.
u/Schele_Sjakie: Sparta finished 11th which was the best ranking in over 20 years. So excellent season and pretty happy with the fact that Sparta plays like a cohesive unit together. A real team without ego's.
THIS SEASON Sparta has lost basically all their strikers but have at least gotten some new ones in return, including the very exciting Reda Kharcouch. It's been surprisingly quiet at Sparta, which it hasn’t been for quite some time. Manager Henk Fraser extended his contract and looks to become Sparta’s longest sitting manager in quite some time. He has guarded against complacency and sees survival as the biggest goal for Sparta, which makes sense, but with the squad they have, I personally can’t see them get into trouble.
u/Schele_Sjakie: Not so sure tbh. Will be hard to improve on last season. Sparta's attack is definitely weaker than last season with Dervisoglu, Ache, Veldwijk and Joosten gone. Thy is a good player and Kharcouch seems talented. But the pre season showed that scoring goals might become problematic. So in that light I just hope that Sparta finishes 15th or higher.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Reda Kharchouch | Permanent | Telstar | Sparta | Unknown |
Tom Beugelsdijk | Permanent | ADO Den Haag | Sparta | Unknown |
Ragnar Ache | Permanent | Sparta | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2,000,000 |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Thy - Kharchouch+/Rayhi
Auassar - L. Duarte- Smeets - Harroui
Pinto - Vriends - Heylen - Abels
Van Leer
+=currently injured
PLAYERS TO WATCH Abdou Harroui - One of Sparta absolute highlights last season and will look to continue that this season. Dynamic and creative midfielder who will be Sparta’s main source for creating goals.
Reda Kharcouch - Scored more than 20 goals last season at Telstar, which is even more impressive considering that was his first season in professional football. Will now look to recreate that goalscoring on the highest level.
Emanuel Emegha - Another gem in Sparta’s famous youth academy, the giant striker has shown real potential during Sparta’s preseason and could with Kharchouch’s injury get his chance to shine.
u/Schele_Sjakie:
Appie Harroui is our best player but it seems like he is not on the radar for a lot of people. Smeets gets a lot of credits and deservedly so but Harroui is more all-round and talented imo. I hope he stays this summer.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT SPARTA u/Schele_Sjakie: Old school club with a no nonsense manager and players. A cultural mix as expected in a big city like Rotterdam while maintaining the English lower division match day experience. And with one of the best youth academies of the country, just look at Oranje!
FC TWENTE
- City: Enschede, Overijssel
- Stadium: The Grolsch Veste, 30,205
- Youth Graduates: Quincy Promes, Steven Berghuis
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
14 | 26 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 34 | 46 | -12 | 27 |
- Manager: Gonzalo Garcia
- KNVB Cup: 2nd round
The fallen champions came up after one season in the KKD and the plan was to not go down again because doing so would probably lead to financial ruin. And things started off… quite well, with Cantalapiedra and Haris Vuckic as highlights. But after a decent start, things started to get in a real rut. Worse yet was the feud between club icons Wout Brama, with him and fans annoyed he wasn’t playing, and Sander Boschker, who claimed Brama was a disruptive force in the squad in a leaked message. Things threatened to derail but the COVID stop meant that Twente is at least assured of another year of Eredivisie.
u/Streffel: Last season started of great but we quickly started dropping down the table. I think this mainly had to do with missing a couple of key players, like a good center back or striker, as well as our coaching staff missing a lot of experience to keep the team consistent.
THIS SEASON While the pandemic meant Twente wouldn’t get in a relegation scrap, it did mean that FC Twente’s finances are even tighter than they already were, leading to a whole bunch of people losing their job, including their whole scouting network. Technical director Ted van Leeuwen and with him manager Gonzalo Garcia. In comes the new TD Jan Streuer, who while Twente was in talks with Brondby manager Alexander Zorniger immediately said he’d prefer a Dutch manager, leading to Zorniger to drop out of talks. Its now up to Ron Jans, looking for redemption after his failed adventure at FC Cincinnati, to lead a whole bunch of loan players all looking to prove themselves to safety. Twente has actually looked pretty ok in pre-season, and remains one of the biggest clubs in the country, but they’re still very crippled by the sins of the past, and they’re far from fully recovered.
u/Streffel: I am hopeful of the new season. Ron Jans is a great trainer, we are really happy to have him on board. I also feel like we filled up our roster pretty nicely and the youth players have showed a lot of promising things in the preparation towards next season. I don't think we're well prepared for the long term, but I think if we can do well this season we will be able to attract some good players the following seasons.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Danilo | Loan | Ajax | FC Twente | Free |
Lazaros Lamprou | Loan | PAOK Saloniki | FC Twente | Free |
Haris Vuckic | Permanent | FC Twente | Real Zaragoza | Free |
Aitor Cantalapiedra | Permanent | FC Twente | Panathinaikos | Free |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Cerny - Danilo - Lamprou
Brama - Roemeratoe - Bosch
Oosterwolde - Schenk - Dumic - Markelo
Drommel
PLAYERS TO WATCH Danilo - Has been scoring for fun for Jong Ajax in the KKD, but besides a cameo against Getafe and a music video, hasn't been able to get his chance for the Amsterdam side. Will become Twente's main goal threat
Jayden Oosterwolde - The big surprise of Twente’s pre-season, the young leftback has shown a lot of power and dynamism for his age.
u/Streffel: I'm very excited to see what
Danilo can do for us, I think our attack will be pretty nice to look at with him,
Černý and Lamprou. I also think people shouldn't overlook
Jesse Bosch. He's a youth player who I expect to play a lot this season.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT FC TWENTE u/Streffel: I think FC Twente often gets a bad rep because of all the financial issues and the relegation, but I think we don't deserve that. The people that caused the whole mess have been long gone and it's not like any of the fans could have done anything about it beforehand. What is typical for the FC Twente fan is that even in the darkest times of relegation and being on the cusp of bankruptcy, we stick with our club. We keep buying season tickets and jerseys, we know we will get back on top. It might take a while but we will get there. In the meantime we will keep our passionate support going and help our club in anyway we can.
FC UTRECHT
- City: Utrecht, Utrecht
- Stadium: De Galgenwaard, 23,750
- Youth Graduates: Sofyan Amrabat, Erik Pieters
- Club Anthem
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
6 | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 50 | 34 | 16 | 41 |
- Manager: John van den Brom
- KNVB Cup: Final
Utrecht will have all the reason to feel like they’re the most hard done by the fact that the season ended. They reached the KNVB Cup final, and still had a game to play against Ajax that if they had won, would’ve put them in 5th place over Willem II due to goal difference. But before all that could happen, the season was over and the Europa League ticket was going to Tilburg instead. Utrecht, which has shown more and more ambition in recent years by signing players like Adam Maher and Bart Ramselaar, was pretty pissed by this decision, desperately trying to at least get the KNVB Cup Final going, but the effort proved fruitless.
u/wouter2000: Utrecht let themselves down against the smaller clubs. They beat PSV at home and beat Ajax to get to the KNVB Cup final, but lost twice against RKC and got only 1 point against VVV. We also didn't get much joy from both Dalmau and Bahabeck as our strikers. Losing the European spot with next to no compensation despite having played one game less than Willem II and getting to the KNVB Cup Final has been pretty devastating. It really sucks that the game against Ajax didn't go ahead.
THIS SEASON Utrecht celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, and has continued its path of ambition signing some big new players like Eljero Elia and Mimoun Mahi. Thanks to sugar daddy Frans van Seumeren, Utrecht doesn’t need to sell its best players yet, though how their season will go will still depend on players like Gyrano Kerk and Sean Klaiber staying. Van Seumeren has continued with the intent to attack the traditional top three and AZ and become a permanent part of that. Also, they’re filming this whole season for a potential Netflix series, so part of me wants the season to go really, really wrong for them.
u/wouter2000: I hope that Utrecht can achieve something special, which would be 3rd place or higher. We'd get there with some luck, but unlikely with the current squad that we have. With the end of last season in mind, I hope we can get back to the KNVB Cup Final and win it, which should be possible with the draw on our side. I hope that not too many of our players end up leaving. I wouldn't mind Kerk, because we already have an replacement ready and it would add some money to the bank, but I'd really miss Klaiber. Despite the upgrades, I do think we need to strengthen in defence, with Janssen getting on and Bergstrom not at the level that Utrecht wants. It'd be a bad season if we again don't reach European football.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS
Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Eljero Elia | Permanent | Istanbul Basaksehir | FC Utrecht | Free |
Mimoun Mahi | Permanent | FC Zurich | FC Utrecht | Unknown |
Daniel Arzani | Loan | Manchester City | FC Utrecht | Free |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Elia - Dalmau - Kerk*
Ramselaar - Maher - Gustafson
Warmerdam - Hoogma - St. Jago - Klaiber*
Paes
*= likely to leave, but still there at time of writing
PLAYERS TO WATCH Maarten Paes - Broke through last season before an injury rained on his parade. In that short period, Paes impressed and will now look to play his first full season of Eredivisie football
Daniel Arzani - Was the youngest player at the 2018 World Cup. Had a pretty torrid time at Celtic due to an ACL injury but is still an talented creative player. Does have quite a bit of competition now.
Tommy St. Jago - Great name, pretty good defensive prospect. FC Utrecht decided against loaning a new defender in favor of continuing St. Jago’s development. Will likely start first couple of rounds with Willlem Janssen still recovering.
u/wouter2000:
Django Warmerdam played for FC Groningen last season and conceded very few goals there. Left back has been a big issue for a while at Utrecht,
Adrian Dalmau scored quite a bit considering he played relatively few minutes. He had a good preseason and seems really ready this time.
As for youngsters I look forward too;
Boussaid had a great preseason. He can play both in midfield and left wing. He's a very energetic player who you can always pass the ball to. It would also be great if
Tommy St. Jago broke through. He's clearly talented, but he's made a dodgy impression thus far. I hope he'll grow into it since he'll play the first couple games.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT FC UTRECHT u/wouter2000: FC Utrecht is for people that love a club that takes care of its city and its fans. Utrecht really cares for the region, with the squad always making visits to schools and hospitals nearby. Its a club without any delusions of grandeur. The club is in the hands of a local, a real Utrechter, and under him the club has been run well for years now and plays fun, attacking football. I believe that its possible for Utrecht to do something special. Its not a club you follow for instant success, but we're not interested in glory hunters anyway
VITESSE
- City: Arnhem, Gelderland
- Stadium: Gelredome, 21,248
- Youth Graduates: Davy Propper, Marco van Ginkel
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
7 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 9 | 45 | 35 | 10 | 41 |
- Manager: Leonid Slutsky, Edward Sturing
- KNVB Cup: Quarterfinals
Vitesse was mainly in the spotlight for one reason: the media had discovered Leonid Slutsky. The Russian manager had become a bit of a fascination from the Dutch media, because of his antics on Instagram and being a fun guy to listen to. That fun attitude didn’t really translate to the football though, which became quite dull without Odegaard. Slutsky quit Vitesse after losing five games in a row, with the club once again going with Edward Sturing for his 4th spell as interim manager. The season continued to fizzle out after a promising start.
u/Cheeselander: Last season started promising with Slutsky getting an opening winning streak. Most fans did think the team didn't play beautiful football but I'm sure most Vitesse would be okay with a season of worse football but winning the league. However that wouldn't be the case and a losing streak of 5 games followed, with Slutsky taking the blame and quitting the job. Then after Oosting taking over as interim, club legend Sturing quickly took the job again. With only Tronstad as reinforcement he wasn't able to make much impact, and the season fizzled out for Vitesse.
THIS SEASON Vitesse is almost never boring to follow, and that’s because there’s always something different happening. This time, Vitesse is going all in on the Red Bull approach, having hired former HSV scout Johannes Spors as sporting director and the German Thomas Letsch, who was part of the coaching staff at Salzburg as manager. Introducing that style of football will have to be done without Tim Matavz and Bryan Linssen, responsible for more than half of Vitesse’s goals last season. That’s not going to make things easy, with most of their signings seeming inexperienced at this level of play, but Vitesse should have no problem getting to their usual spot of the European playoffs.
u/Cheeselander: The new season is kinda nerve-wracking because our additions are mostly unproven in first division, along with the new trainer Thomas Letsch. Along with that key players like Linssen and Matavz have left the club, and with no proven players to replace them with it beckons the question who will step up. On the other hand we've had quite a good preseason so far being undefeated with only one game against Darmstadt left. Also a long wanted wish by Vitesse fans was more inclusion of the youth team, which seems to be finally the case.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Bryan Linssen | Permanent | Vitesse | Feyenoord | Free |
Tim Matavz | Permanent | Vitesse | Al Wahda | Free |
Lois Openda | Loan | Club Brugge | Vitesse | Free |
Jacob Rasmussen | Loan | Fiorentina | Vitesse | Free |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Openda - Darfalou
Bero - Tannane - Tronstad
Wittek - Rasmussen - Bazoer - Doekhi - Dasa
Pasveer
Players to Watch Lois Openda - Has been scoring for fun in preseason. Very exciting young striker who has also found good chemistry with fellow striker Oussama Darfalou.
Armando Broja - It wouldn’t be Vitesse without at least one Chelsea loan signing. The Albanian striker is hoping for more of a Mason Mount scenario and less of a Charly Musonda.
u/Cheeselander: Going from our previous season
Tannane and
Pasveer are our key players. Pasveer has proven to be quite a stable keeper for us the last few seasons.
Tannane is a skillful player that can create a lot of chances for other forwards with great vision but also makes goals himself occasionally.
The additions that are looked forward to the most are probably
Wittek, Openda and Broja. I think Wittek has been looking quite solid in the preseason and seems to be an upgrade to Clark. Openda and Broja are very high potential talents at their respective clubs and I think along with Darfalou it will be hard to get into a situation where none of the forwards step up.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT VITESSE u/Cheeselander: Vitesse is a small club which went through a bit of megalomania between 1984 and 2000. Till today that still impact us as a club, having a tight budget and often loaning instead of buying players. However since then amazing things have happened too. Every year we hold a match for the Airborne, which is a march to pay tribute to the fallen soldiers in World War II. The match is usually visited by veterans and has some pre-game spectacle. World War II is quite important in Arnhem as the failed operation Market Garden happened here, leaving the city in a damaged state and a gruesome famine followed in the winter. The club has its fiercest rivalry with NEC from the neighbouring town Nijmegen, though sadly due to NEC being a division lower, this hasn't been held for quite some time. Vitesse loaning players also has it's advantages as we got to see players like Mason Mount, Ødegaard and Bertrand Traoré on a weekly basis. But we've also had great talents like van Ginkel, Pröpper, Gosens and developing players like Nakamba and Rashica. Lastly Arnhem is a beautiful city with lots of big parks inside the city and an international train station which lies in between the Randstad and the Ruhr Area.
VVV Venlo
- City: Venlo, Limburg
- Stadium: De Koel, 8,000
- Youth Graduates: Stan Valckx, Willem Janssen
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
13 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 24 | 51 | -27 | 28 |
- Manager: Robert Maaskant, Jay Driessen (int.), Hans de Koning
- KNVB Cup: 1st Round
It turns out replacing your defensive focused manager with Robert Maaskant, a guy who said that he’d never manage again, was a bad idea. VVV looked pretty shambolic under Maaskant, losing eight games in a row and getting knocked out of the KNVB Cup by amateur side Groene Ster. With the club headed for relegation, it wasn’t much of a surprise he was sacked. Conveniently, this also coincided with former manager Maurice Steijn getting sacked at Al Wahda, but while he didn’t return, his assistant Jay Driessen did, and things immediately improved under the defensive style. Afterwards, Hans de Koning came in as manager and led VVV to the lower end of midtable. Also, Sunderland legend Lee Cattermole was there.
u/ZlatanPower: Last season went as expected, Maaskant fked it all up. After he got sacked, everything was fine again, and we currently are still one of the best performing teams in the Netherlands (that won't last long).
THIS SEASON The biggest change has come literally on the pitch, with VVV replacing its notoriously terrible artificial pitch with a natural one. VVV has mainly focused on improving their attack with signing fellow Limburg native Guus Hupperts and the returning Vito van Crooij. That said, everything looks like VVV will likely face another tough time staying in the Eredivisie for the 4th season in a row. They’re a likable scrappy team, but a lot is going to depend on if their new attacking players are capable of goalscoring and if their defense remains intact.
u/ZlatanPower: I'm having bad feelings for next season. We lost Roseler in the back, and our attack is not good. However, it feels like the team is better attackingly then it was since Mlapa left. But considering our pre-season, and that indicates a lot about the season, we will be relegated by vasteloavend.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Lukas Schmitz | Permanent | Wolfsberger SC | VVV Venlo | Free |
Vito van Crooij | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | VVV Venlo | Unknown |
Lee Cattermole | Permanent | VVV Venlo | Retired | Free |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Van Crooij - Giakoumakis - Hupperts
Linthorst - Post - Janssen
Schmitz - Gelmi - Kum - Pachonik
Kirschbaum
PLAYERS TO WATCH Vito van Crooij - The lost son returns. Van Crooij failed to make an impact at PEC Zwolle but was an essential player for VVV. If he can return to that form, he could be VVV’s main goal threat.
Tobias Pachonik - Was one of the best right backs of the Eredivisie and has surprisingly stayed despite interest from FC Utrecht.
u/ZlatanPower: I called Pachonik last year, and am happy he is still in the team. I have high hopes for
Aaron Bastiaans and
Evert Linthorst, and hope
Yahcuroo Roemer can bring something as well this year.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT VVV VENLO u/ZlatanPower: Honestly, no idea why you would want to support VVV. I live nearby, and still visited more Ajax and Monchengladbach games last season. (Don't put that in /s). We play dirty football, relative for a Dutch team, and the Koel is falling apart of old age.
WILLEM II
- City: Tilburg, Noord Brabant
- Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadium, 14,700
- Youth Graduates: Frenkie de Jong, Virgil van Dijk
LAST SEASON Pos. | Games | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
5 | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 37 | 34 | 3 | 44 |
- Manager: Adrie Koster
- KNVB Cup: Round of 16
Willem II has been going upward as a club for a while now, with the KNVB Cup final still fresh in their memory. The Tilburg club has been an incredibly fun club to watch under old guard manager Adrie Koster, and has been sensibly run under former player Joris Mathijssen, who’s recruitment has been absolutely exceptional for a club of Willem II’s stature. The coronavirus ending the season means that Willem II have their highest position in more than twenty years and go to Europe for the first time since 2005, all because Utrecht couldn’t play one more game.
u/ComradeYannick: Last season we performed incredible. At the start, I wouldn't even have dreamed of fifth place, so if we manage to continue this run of form, I think we can become the next sub-top team in the Eredivisie.
THIS SEASON - Europe: Europa League qualifiers
Willem II’s European season has yet to start at time of writing, with them needing to get past Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn in order to progress to the next round where they’ll likely face Rangers, which will prove… difficult. In the actual competition, Willem II has so far kept a hold on most of their essential players like Mike Tresor, Pol Llonch (who signed a contract extension) and Sebastien Holmen. Willem II will likely again try and get a European play-off spot, and it will be wait and see if they can get one through the usual way this time.
u/ComradeYannick: For this season, I have high hopes. From what I have seen in the pre-season friendlies, it looks like we can play some solid football against the likes of PSV, so why not the rest of the competition. One thing that I do fear is that, should Willem II qualify for the Europa League group stages, that we might have a really tired squad at certain points of the season, which could really affect our results domestically.
TRANSFER HIGHLIGHTS Player | Type | From | To | Fee ( € ) |
Kwasi Wriedt | Permanent | Bayern Munich II | Willem II | Free |
Derrick Kohn | Permanent | Bayern Munich II | Willem II | Free |
Timon Wellenreuther | Permanent | Willem II | Anderlecht | 1,000,000 |
Damil Dankerlui | Permanent | Willem II | FC Groningen | Unknown |
POTENTIAL LINE-UP Kohlert - Wriedt+/Pavlidis - Nunnely
Llonch - Tresor - Saglam
Kohn - Peters - Holmen - Owusu+/Heerkes
Ruiter
+=Currently out injured
PLAYERS TO WATCH Kwasi Wriedt - Likely to be out injured for the next couple weeks, but what he showed before looked really impressive. The German/Ghanian striker scored for fun at Bayern Munich II and should be able to replicate that form at Willem II
Mike Tresor - One of the highlights of last season who seemingly came out of nowhere. The recent Belgium youth international has really impressed with his goalscoring ease and will terrify plenty of Eredivisie defences.
Pol Llonch - The engine that keeps the Tricolores running. The Spaniard is essentially Willem II’s version of N’Golo Kante, and is statistically the best in his craft in the competition.
u/ComradeYannick: Players from last season like
Tresor and
Holmén are of course going to be stars again, and as for the new boys,
Wriedt and
Köhn look like a couple of great players, as well as
Owusu.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT WILLEM II u/ComradeYannick: Willem II is, of course, the greatest club down south, and should we make it through to the Europa League, why not just jump on the bandwagon and support us for as far as we can go?
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Alright, that's a wrap on the preview. Lets hope that the pandemic doesn't put an early end to it this again. Thanks to everyone involved in helping me talk about everybody's favorite Mickey Mouse competition. I can't help you with trying to actually watch the competition outside the Netherlands, but if you are interested in following the competition, go and subscribe to
Eredivisie and follow the madness there.
submitted by After nearly 7 weeks of waiting, the Eredivisie returns today with the match between PEC Zwolle and Willem II, and let those clubs just happen to come up in this final part of the Eredivisie preview (
Part 1 can be read here). In this part, we talk about the other nine clubs featured, including title candidates PSV and all three promoted teams and their chances of survival. With that out the way, lets end this preview before the start of the season begins.
Also, if you want to follow the league more closely, check out
Eredivisie. New subs are always appreciated.
PEC ZWOLLE
- Established: 1910
- City: Zwolle, Overijssel
- Stadium: MAC³PARK Stadium, 14,000
- Meaning of Name: Prins Hendrik Ende Desespereert Nimmer Combinatie Zwolle (fusion between clubs Prins Hendrik, and Ende Desespereet Nimmer, a club named after a quote from Dutch officer Jan Pieterszoon Coen, meaning “and never despair”
- Nickname: Blauwvingers (Blue Fingers)
- Mascot: Zwolfje
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
13th | 34 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 44 | 57 | -13 | 39 |
- Manager: John van t' Schip, Jaap Stam
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: Round of 16
- Player of the Season: Mickey van der Hart
Captain Bram van Polen probably said it best when at the start of the winter break, that he was done with “dat geile tyfusvoetbal.” Manager John van ‘t Schip never seemed able to pick up the team, and was sacked shortly before the start of the winter break. Former player Jaap Stam would go and pick up the pieces, leading Zwolle to an anonymous midtable position. For a club that's arguably one of the more ambitious of the Eredivisie, that is far from what they hoped.
u/Howareyao: Our season was average at best. Fighting relegation most of the season and a new coach that saved us from it. Not too many great players but also not a terrible team. So average.
This Season
Stam didn’t end up staying for very long, with him being offered the position at Feyenoord not long after. Zwolle ended up choosing John Stegeman as the new manager, announcing him only two days after Stegeman failed to get Go Ahead Eagles promoted against RKC Waalwijk. Considering Go Ahead is a local rival of Zwolle, this move wasn't really appreciated. Still, Stegeman previously delivered good work as manager of Heracles, so its not a bad choice. PEC Zwolle wants to continue its move to the clubs that play for Europa League spots, but will do so without some of its best players.
u/Howareyao: Also average. We lost 2 of our best players (Kingsley and Namli) and got a whole bunch of players back who still need to prove themselves. New coach (again) as well. That said, I think Stegeman is a very decent coach who has proven himself so I'm positive about that. I'm mildly positive about the new season but I don't expect us to be high flyers. If I had to guess I'd say we're going to end between 10th-14th place. Althought it all depends on how the many new players will perform.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Xavier Mous | Permanent | SC Cambuur | PEC Zwolle | 600,000 |
Sepp van den Berg | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | Liverpool | 2,000,000 |
Kingsley Ezihibue | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | 1. FC Koln | 2,000,000 |
Younes Namli | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | Krasnodar | 2,000,000 |
Mickey van der Hart | Permanent | PEC Zwolle | Lech Poznan | Free |
Players to Watch
Xavier Mous: One of the best goalkeepers in the 2nd division last season. Mous did very well while at SC Cambuur, which made him a target for pretty much every midtable team in the Eredivisie. Will be competing with Bremen loanee Micheal Zetterer for the starting lineup.
Yuta Nakayama: Considering he was one of Zwolle’s record signings and is considered a big talent in his native Japan, its kinda weird how little he actually played last season, with only two games. Now that he’s had a pre-season and Copa America experience under his belt, he can show why Zwolle has invested so much in him.
u/Howareyao:
Iliass bel Hassani is one I'm looking out for. Although it's definitely one of those players that could fail miserably as well looking at his past few years.
Also looking forward to
Dennis Johnsen. We loaned him from Ajax and have an option to buy, but that's also a player that still needs to prove himself and failed on loan at Heerenveen.
Since Van Polen seems to be out for a while his replacement will be
Sai van Wermeskerken, who was in the Keuken Kampioen team of the year last season, so I'm looking forward to see how he will do. Kinda curious to see if
Yuta Nakayama will get some more playing time as well since apparently Lachman can leave as well. Nakayama earns something like ~400k a year so he's one of our biggest earners.
PSV
- Established: 1913
- City: Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant
- Stadium: Phillips Stadium, 35,150
- Meaning of Name: Philips Sport Vereniging (Philips Sports Association)
- Nickname: Boeren (Farmers), Lampjes (Lamps)
- Mascot: Phoxy
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
2nd | 34 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 98 | 26 | +72 | 83 |
- Manager: Mark van Bommel
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: 2nd Round
- 2018/19 Player of the Season: Luuk de Jong
- Europe: Champions League Group Stage
PSV’s season can only really be talked about before and after the winter break. They were downright invincible, starting the season by winning 13 games in a row, including a deserved 3-0 win over Ajax. After the winter break, PSV failed to get their momentum going, with more clubs figuring out their play style and managing to snag points against them. Ajax eventually caught up and ended up 1st mostly through goal difference before PSV slipped against AZ and the title race was over. Their lack of success in the Champions League (thanks to a really tough group) and KNVB Cup left their season trophyless. A lot of youth broke through though, and they’ll likely be hungry for success
u/TheDutchTank: For a new coach, as well as with how good last seasons Ajax team was, I don't think we can complain too much about last season, even though we didn't become champion. The football wasn't always fun to watch but Van Bommel was definitely a breath of fresh air, and highlights included the comeuppance of great talents like Malen, Bergwijn and Sadilek. We dropped off in the second half of the season, but I don't think anyone's to blame really. The team had off day after off day and when big players like Lozano and Bergwijn don't perform its going to be hard.
This Season
- Johan Cruijff Schaal: Losers
- Qualified for: 2nd qualifying round Champions League (League Path)
With Ajax now spending cash like no tomorrow, PSV is going to have a difficult time keeping up. Ajax even flirted with the possibility of buying Steven Bergwijn. Still, PSV will continue to play for the title, and will do so with an extremely talented squad. Luuk de Jong and Angelino are big losses and Daniel Schwaab was also an effective leader in the defense. They’ve spent quite a bit on Bruma and Timo Baumgartl and time will tell whether they’re effective replacements. So far PSV had a false start, losing to Basel and being resigned to Europa League qualifiers as well losing the to Ajax in the JC Schaal. Van Bommel had a season that in most cases would’ve won him the title, and he’ll be keen to go for that again, as well as better performances in Europe and the KNVB Cup.
u/TheDutchTank: Honestly, PSV always need to go for the championship. Ajax has had some great signings but we've done quite surprising as well. Bruma could be a huge signing, and so far we haven't lost Bergwijn and Lozano yet, although I feel like we might lose one of them. It's going to be a very interesting year as we lost three hugely important players in our team already, with De Jong, Schwaab and Angelino. De Jong has been our first striker for 5 years now and its going to be bizarre to see another, more agile, player like Malen in its place. It means a complete overhaul in playing style. It'll be an exciting season though, and PSV and Ajax both seem to be getting better the last few years.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Bruma | Permanent | RB Leipzig | PSV | 15,000,000 |
Timo Baumgartl | Permanent | VfB Stuttgart | PSV | 10,000,000 |
Toni Lato | Loan | Valencia | PSV | Free |
Luuk de Jong | Permanent | PSV | Sevilla | 15,000,000 |
Angelino | Permanent | PSV | Manchester City | 12,000,000 |
Players to Watch
Sam Lammers/Donyell Malen: Adding both in the same listing because they’re gonna be the players wrestling with Luuk de Jong’s legacy. Malen was the 12th player for PSV, almost never starting but always brought in, and Lammers had an excellent season on loan at SC Heerenveen. Both are young with plenty of potential. Malen for now seems ahead in the pecking order. (edit: Lammers suffered an injury in the Johan Cruijff Schaal game that’ll keep him out for months)
Michel Sadilek: A player Mark van Bommel has grown particularly fond of. The Czech isn’t the most fun player to watch, but he’s an absolute fighter who can make any opponent uncomfortable. As it turns out, he can also make a decent leftback.
Mohamed Ihattaren: To everyone’s surprise, van Bommel gave Ihattaren plenty of subs and even starts when van Bommel was done with Pereiro. While he didn’t show much in those games, the attacking midfielder is still only 17 and will have an excellent teacher in Ibrahim Affelay.
u/TheDutchTank:
Bruma is a proven player who has shown to be incredibly dangerous, quick on a counter, and knows how to score a goal. His experience will also help us a lot in the bigger games.
I don't think many see
Affelay as a great signing, mostly because he's barely played the last year's due to injuries, but he's going to be incredibly important if fit. He's our captain, a leader, and has that creativity that we often miss at the 10 position. Even if he doesn't get fit he'll be of great importance in the dressing room, but I hope he'll have a big impact on the field as well.
Guttierez was last to join us last year and hasn't played much since. He's had to acclimate to a new league and the pace of the eredivisie, but that's okay. The guy is immensely talented, has shown that in Mexico, and he has the exact qualities that could make our team tick. This could very easily be his year.
RKC WAALWIJK
- Established: 1940
- City: Waalwijk, Noord-Brabant
- Stadium: Mandemakers Stadium, 7,500
- Meaning of Name: Romeins Katholieke Combinatie Waalwijk (Roman Catholic Combination Waalwijk)
- Nickname: Blauwgelen (Blue-Yellows)
- Mascot: RiKCy
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
8th (KKD) | 38 | 18 | 5 | 15 | 69 | 57 | +12 | 59 |
- Manager: Fred Grim
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: Round of 16
- 2018/19 Player of the Season: Emil Hanson
Few clubs will have as wild a season as RKC had. They started the season without a manager, until former Dick Advocaat assistant Fred Grim took on the job. After ending 2017/18 in 18th, RKC now managed to secure a play-off spot at 8th position, where they beat NEC, relegated Excelsior and then in the final round faced Go Ahead Eagles. After a 0-0 draw at home, the game in Deventer became absolutely insane, with Go Ahead scoring 4-3 in the 88th minute, securing their promotion, until the 94th minute where Spierings curled it in, which meant that RKC went through. And then they got a penalty shortly thereafter for a 4-5 win. This doesn’t even mention the fact they beat PSV in the KNVB Cup. It was a wild ride to say the least.
This Season
That wild ride to promotion came somewhat unexpected. RKC received a huge sum for them from the Frenkie de Jong transfer (around 4 million) which has been used to replace their artificial turf with real grass, improving their facilities, and keeping the team that promoted mostly intact. One player they’ll miss is Emil Hansson, who returned to Feyenoord after his loan spell ended. Pretty much everyone paints RKC as the club to automatically relegate, so expectations can only go up from there.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Lennerd Daneels | Permanent | PSV | RKC Waalwijk | Free |
Emil Hansson | Permanent (Loan ended) | RKC Waalwijk | Feyenoord | Free |
Players to Watch
Stijn Spierings: Scored the goal that secured RKC’s promotion, and was pretty good for them in the competition in general with 7 goals and 6 assists.
Jurrien Gaari: Wasn’t too long ago when he was still playing in the amateur division. Participated in the Gold Cup for Curacao where he scored
an excellent banger against Jamaica.
SPARTA ROTTERDAM
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
2nd (KKD) | 38 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 78 | 47 | +31 | 69 |
- Manager: Henk Fraser
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: 1st round
- 2018/19 Player of the Season: Lars Veldwijk
Following their relegation under Dick Advocaat, it was up to Henk Fraser to get Sparta back into the Eredivisie as soon as possible. Initially they were in first place and won the first period title which at least secured a play-off spot, but they weren’t able to keep that position for long as FC Twente started to gain momentum. Fraser’s conservative brand of football didn’t appeal to fans either, but it was enough for them to reach 2nd. After beating Top Oss, they faced De Graafschap in the final play-off round. After a 1-2 defeat at home, they managed to turn things around in Doetinchem with a 0-2 win, ensuring the oldest professional club in the Netherlands was back on the highest level after just a year.
u/Schele_Sjakie: Last season was one with mixed feelings. Sparta was very inconsistent. They won 14/19 games at home with good football beating the Eagles and Almere with 6-1. But at the same playing very uninspiring football away from home with lots of losses and draws. Fraser has really put a Fraser team together. Good defensively and playing smart at times. But also sometimes plain average going forwards while we do have the means to play 'better' football. Of course with the promotion everything was right in the end, but the entire season wasn't that convincing.
This Season
Sparta will likely, just like all other promoted teams, fight for that coveted 15th spot to avoid any relegation battle. Sparta invested a lot in the team to promote in one year, and through that success has only had to say goodbye to a couple of players that were considered unnecessary (bye Royston Drenthe). Important and talented players like Lars Veldwijk and Halil Dervisoglu have so far stuck around, and it’ll be interesting if Fraser’s conservative branch of football will suit the players whilst keeping them in the Eredivisie.
u/Schele_Sjakie: I expect Sparta battling it out for the 15th place with a few others. The team will probably stay together for a large part so that's good. But I fear we have to do more attacking wise and Fraser won't do that. I don't think non-Sparta fans will particularly like our style but it's effective.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Laros Duarte | Permanent | PSV | Sparta Rotterdam | Unknown |
Dante Rigo | Loan | PSV | Sparta Rotterdam | Free |
Royston Drenthe | Permanent | Sparta Rotterdam | Free transfer | Free |
Players to Watch
Halil Dervisoglu: Pretty much every top Turkish team wants him. The highly rated Turkey youth international has shown a lot of potential with 10 goals and 6 assists, but still has Lars Veldwijk ahead of him because he’s still somewhat raw.
Laros and Deroy Duarte: Its always nice when brothers play at the same club. Laros came over from PSV but has now signed a permanent deal at Sparta, and Deroy has stuck with the coveted Sparta youth academy. Both are very solid all round midfielders with lots of potential growth.
u/Schele_Sjakie:
Halil Dervisoglu, he is the current top talent (19 yo), wanted by every club in Turkey. He's a real rough diamond. Good technique and shot, is strong and fast. Can dribble too and even passes decently. But his biggest weakness are mentality, decision-making and endurance. Those are things that come with age. I expect much from him, but at the same time Veldwijk is undisputed starter. So expect Hilal to be the supersub.
Here are last seasons highlights.
Laros Duarte, came from PSV in January. Instantly our best player imo. He started every game, he's an allround midfielder who is important in the build up. Good pass and
great free kick taker.
Abdou Harroui can play as no. 8 or no. 10. Good technique, long shot, insights, mentality. Provides some creativity and often overlooked, also by Fraser. Imo someone who should have started every game last season. Scored some bangers too.
FC TWENTE
- Established: 1965
- City: Enschede, Overijssel
- Stadium: The Grolsch Veste, 30,205
- Nickname: Tukkers, Trots van het Oosten (Pride of the East)
- Mascot: Rossie
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
1st (KKD) | 38 | 25 | 5 | 8 | 72 | 39 | +33 | 80 |
- Manager: Marino Pusic
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: Quarterfinals
- 2018/19 Player of the Season: Aitor Cantalapiedra
After their debt caught up to them, FC Twente, champions in 2010, were relegated from the Eredivisie. Considering the financial limitations of the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, Twente needed to get out there as soon as possible, cause another season would’ve potentially spelled bankruptcy for one of the biggest Dutch clubs outside the top three. The municipality of Enschede even stepped in and provided Twente with aid. While they succeeded in their plan and ended up 1st, securing automatic promotion, it didn’t go as easily as hoped considering the strength of the squad. Not long after securing promotion, manager Marino Pusic was sacked for some disparaging comments towards the club and local media.
u/streep36: Last season was good and really shit at the same time. Yes we reached our goal which was promotion and we saved our club from financial death. But everyone still felt unhappy the way we did it, with a very frustrating 4-4-2. The staff and players butted heads and after making promotion it quickly became very clear that the situation with the head coach Pusic had become unworkable and that he had to be sacked. The club desperately needs to sell players to have some cash to stay in the Eredivisie and there was 0 improvement or player development during last years season.
This Season
- Manager: Gozalo Garcia Garcia
Management is now in the hands of the delightfully named Gonzalo Garcia Garcia, who was Pusic’s assistant last year and seems highly regarded by Twente chairman Ted van Leeuwen. Because all revenue goes towards clearing Twente’s debt, they’ve had next to no money to spend, relying on freebies or loans. Even with that disadvantage, Twente has attracted some interesting names. Twente can’t afford to go back to the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, so giving the keys to someone with little experience like Garcia Garcia seems incredibly risky. They’d commit murder for a comfortable midtable spot.
u/streep36: My expectation is to not relegate again. If it happens it will literally be the end of this club. So thats our number 1 priority. My hopes for the season is that we're able to improve some players like Aitor, Bosch, Roemeratoe maybe even Pleguezuelo so we can sell them for higher prices in the future. The quicker we get rid of the debt we have (23 million euros) the better. Also I'm hoping we have a good cup run, there's a lot of negativity around the club and I really hope we can get rid of some of it by doing well in the knvb cup (because doing well in the eredivisie is probably not gonna happen).
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Julio Pleguezuelo | Permanent | Arsenal | FC Twente | Free |
Paul Verhaegh | Permanent | Wolfsburg | FC Twente | Free |
Keito Nakamura | Loan | Gamba Osaka | FC Twente | Free |
Oussama Assaidi | Permanent (contract expired) | FC Twente | Unknown | Free |
Players to Watch
Aitor Cantalapiedra: Won the Keuken Kampioen Divisie Player of the year. The pacy Spanish winger has been compared by ElfVoetbal to former Twente player Dusan Tadic, and has provided important goals and assists.
Joel Drommel: Regarded as a talented goalkeeper by Twente, he was often mocked in the Eredivisie for some egregious errors in the year that they relegated. Redeemed himself in the KKD, winning the prize for Goalkeeper of the Season. Fans will hope that now he’s ready for the Eredivisie level
u/Streep36 I think
Javi Espinosa can thrive under our new coach Garcia Garcia's way of playing, which is more similar to the dutch school of football as opposed to Pusic' brexitball.
If he stays fit
Hans Vuckic is definitely a player you need to watch out for. Strong, good on the ball and a very high workrate IF he stays fit.
Last but not least I think
Drommel can finally have his breakthrough season and really impress people in the eredivise. Hot take: I predict that he's gonna be a higher rated talent than Scherpen at the end of the season
FC UTRECHT
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
6th | 34 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 60 | 51 | +9 | 53 |
- Manager: Jean Paul De Jong, Dick Advocaat
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: Round of 16
- 2018/19 Player of the Season: Willem Janssen
Utrecht had the dubious honor of being the first club to sack their manager. Doubts already existed about former club icon Jean Paul de Jong, and after only 4 games the situation became untenable. On came Dick Advocaat, looking for redemption after relegating Sparta. While his side wasn’t all that fun to watch and lacking in standout players, Utrecht performed well as a cohesive team, reaching 6th and with it the Europa League playoffs. They won those after beating both Heracles and Vitesse.
u/BloodyTjeul: Crappy start with De Jong reminded me of the old FC Utrecht before ten Hag. Team played like they didn't care. Advocaat came in and slowly but surely started grinding out results, even winning the play offs. The football he played was boring and stale, little chance for youth players and generally no changes in the starting xi. Conservative subbing as well. He won the play offs but I'm glad he's gone. He's like a poor man's Mourinho.
This Season
- Manager: John van den Brom
- Europe: 2nd qualifying round Europa League
Utrecht surprised by appointing John van den Brom as their new manager. Van den Brom has delivered good work while at AZ, so to see him take what is arguably a lower step is surprising. But Utrecht has shown a lot of ambition, having signed Adam Maher and Adrian Dalmau, two players who had a very good season last year, as well as talents like Vaclav Cerny and Justin Lonwijk. Utrecht is looking to attack on clubs like AZ and possibly even Feyenoord to take the 3rd/4th spot, and it will be interesting to see whether the investment is effective. Sadly its already over in Europe, continuing the unbelievably terrible track record play-off winners.
u/BloodyTjeul: I'm hoping for a 3rd spot or possibly winning the cup, but I'm expecting to make it to the play offs and hope to win them. Spot 4-5 seems realistic, fighting with AZ and Vitesse for it. I'm expecting some attractive football and more chances for youth players with former AZ coach van den Brom when compared to Advocaat. Worried about a stale 433 every match though. We've got a strong midfield, solid attack and a relatively poor defence. We lack a good left back, with the sale of Gavory, Janssen is getting older, Bergstrom is injury prone and Klaiber and Troupee also tend to be injured often. We only have two real CBS and the rest is vd maarel (midget) and youth players (editor: They recently signed defender Justin Hoogma on loan).
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Adam Maher | Permanent | AZ | FC Utrecht | Free |
Vaclav Cerny | Permanent | Ajax | FC Utrecht | 750,000 |
Adrian Dalmau | Permanent | Heracles Almelo | FC Utrecht | 700,000 + Dessers |
Timo Letschert | Permanent (Loan ended) | FC Utrecht | Sassuolo | Free |
Nicolas Gavory | Permanent | FC Utrecht | Standard Liege | 3,100,000 |
Players to Watch
Adrian Dalmau: Scored 19 goals in his Eredivisie debut season at Heracles Almelo, so Utrecht getting him could be considered a big coup for a club like Utrecht to get him.
Adam Maher: Had somewhat of a career revival after returning to AZ. Now more of a playmaker, Maher could be the essential engine of the team.
Justin Lonwijk: Didn’t want to play for Jong PSV anymore and decided to take a step back at Utrecht. Played a lot more than expected thanks to injuries from Bahebeck and has delivered in pre-season.
u/BloodyTjeul:
Adrian Dalmau: netted 19 for Heracles last season.
Simon Gustafson played insanely well in the play offs. I'm expecting
Adam Maher to play for him as a supporting box to box midfielder. Maher isn't a #10 anymore.
Youth:
Lonwijk scored six times in the pre season, also expecting debuts for defenders
Tommy st Jago and Christian Mamengi, as well as midfielder
Rayan El Azrak. St Jago has been called a raw diamond by ten Hag so I have high hopes.
VITESSE ARNHEM
- Established: 1892
- City: Arnhem, Gelderland
- Stadium: GelreDome, 21,248
- Nickname: Hollywood aan de Rijn (Hollywood at the Rhine)
- Mascot: Vito
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
5th | 34 | 14 | 11 | 9 | 70 | 51 | +19 | 53 |
- Manager: Leonid Slutsky
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: Quarterfinals
- 2018/19 Player of the Season: Martin Odegaard
- Europe: 3rd qualifying round Europa League
While Vitesse had been under Russian influence for quite some time, this was the first time the club had an actual Russian manager. It was still seen as a big deal that someone with that big a name would go manage a side like Vitesse. With that in mind, there’s a bit of disappointment and the feeling that more could’ve been achieved. especially since they lost the play-offs against Utrecht. An obvious highlight was Real Madrid loanee Martin Odegaard, who really shined at Vitesse and became the only non-Ajax/PSV player with a spot in Eredivisie’s Team of the Year
u/snekarmy619: For me, last seasons was one of ups and downs. We had great ups (being really important in the battle for first place by playing 3-3 against PSV) but even bigger downs (a huge wave of injuries, and losing the play offs against FC Utrecht). Last season started out hopeful, we had great players but I think the team wasn't consistent. We did have Odegaard though, which was a great thing! But in the end, I see 2018-2019 as a wasted season, and it shows in season tickets sold. They sold 2000 less than last year from what I've heard (I do have a season ticket though ;)).
This Season
Odegaard is gone, but besides Besides that, Vitesse has kept most of their important players (Linssen, Karavaev), while getting rid of some of their deadwood (Buttner). The annual Chelsea loan-off has only taken form in the return of Charly Musonda, who actually was at Vitesse last season but only played one game due to injury problems. The signing of Bazoer is also a very interesting one, even if he was only kinda there while on loan at FC Utrecht. Vitesse has all the tools to once again make it to the Europa League play-offs, and even if the team could be more entertaining, at least Leonid Slustky himself provides a good laugh, unless you’re Serdar Gozubuyuk, then I’d watch out.
u/snekarmy619: This season, I hope for more consistency. No more playing great against a high ranked team this week, and struggling with FC Emmen the next week, but I want them to play as good against PSV as against Emmen. I hope for a 4th place, but more realistically I think they will end somewhere between 5 and 8.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Riechedly Bazoer | Permanent | Wolfsburg | Vitesse | Unknown |
Armando Obispo | Loan | PSV | Vitesee | Free |
Charly Musonda | Loan | Chelsea | Vitesse | Free |
Martin Odegaard | Permanent (loan ended) | Vitesse | Real Madrid | Free |
Players to Watch
Charly Musonda: Wasn’t too long ago that he was considered one of Chelsea’s and Belgium’s biggest talents. If he can reach the levels he did back in his first loan to Betis, then Vitesse has a very strong Odegaard replacement
Riechedly Bazoer: Another midfielder once considered one of the best talents in their country, Bazoer’s downfall has been frustrating to watch, but it's also easy to forget that he’s still only 22.
u/snekarmy316:
Musonda and
Bazoer are players to look out for. But I think
Vyacheslav Karavaev and
Matus Bero will do great as well! Kara really developed for the better the last 2 seasons, and now I personally think he is one of the better defenders in the Eredivisie.
Bero is a very talented midfielder who, I think, will make quite some goals and prove to be very useful for the team. I think Tanane might develop to be good as well, but only if the attitude is there!
VVV VENLO
- Established: 1903
- City: Venlo, Limburg
- Stadium: De Koel, 8,000
- Meaning of Name: Venlose Voetbal Vereniging (Venlo Football Association)
- Nickname: VVV, The Good Old
- Mascot: Koelie
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
12th | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 47 | 63 | -16 | 41 |
- Manager: Maurice Steijn
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: 2nd Round
- 2018/19 Player of the Year: Peniel Mlapa
The best thing that can probably be said about VVV’s season is how uneventful it was. With one of the smallest stadiums in the league and going into their second season after promotion, fans were worried if VVV could slip into becoming a relegation contender, but that never turned out to be the case. In the first half of the season they did well, with a bit of a free fall in the 2nd, but nothing that put them in danger. Steijn’s kick and rush style football may not be the most fun to watch, but has proven effective in a league where almost all clubs want to play attacking football.
u/ZlatanPower: Last season we started really good, even being able to joke about European football. It became mediocre after Christmas, and after carnaval it was absolute dogshit (as always). Our players have little quality, and our chemistry and fitness kept us in due the points gained before carnaval. Unnerstall leaving is a big problem, if Kirschbaum is half the quality I will be happy.
This Season
After resisting the call from bigger midtable teams, Maurice Steijn wasn’t able to resist that oil money, leaving VVV to join Emirati side Al Wahda. As his replacement, VVV got Robert Maaskant, which was surprising since he stated he was retired from football management after relegating with Go Ahead Eagles. Besides that, VVV has also lost some important players in Mlapa and Unnerstall, and those aren’t going to be easy to replace. VVV will have their work cut out for them to continue their comfy midtable existence.
u/ZlatanPower: My expectations for next season will be that we stay up. At first I was negative about Maaskant's appointment, but seeing the first 20 minutes against Panathinaikos made me actually hopeful. If they keep up that level, VVV can become 11-12th.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Haji Wright | Permanent | Schalke 04 | VVV Venlo | Free |
Tobias Pachonik | Permanent | Carpi | VVV Venlo | Free |
Peniel Mlapa | Permanent | VVV Venlo | Al Ittihad | 2,500,000 |
Lars Unnerstall | Permanent (loan ended) | VVV Venlo | PSV | Free |
Players to Watch
Haji Wright: Wasn’t able to break through at Schalke 04, so moved about an hour away to prove his mettle in Venlo. The American youth international has an buyback clause, implying Schalke still has faith in the attacker
Evert Linthorst: One of VVV Venlo most talented players from their youth academy, the midfielder picked up a few games last year and is hoping for a starting spot now.
u/ZlatanPower The only player who seems really outstanding is
Tobias Pachonik, who we picked up from Serie B. He is the one I put my faith in.
WILLEM II
Last Season
Pos | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Points |
10th | 34 | 13 | 5 | 16 | 58 | 72 | -14 | 44 |
- Manager: Adrie Koster
- 2018/19 KNVB Cup: Finalists
- 2018/19 Player of the Year: Alexander Isak
Willem II's Wild Ride was turbulent to say the least. Under Adrie Koster, Willem II never really came close to the relegation zone, largely thanke to beloved striker Fran Sol. However, Willem II basically lost their entire frontline in the winter break, with Sol being sold to Dynamo Kyiv and both Donis Avidjaj and Araz Ozbiliz getting sacked for misbehavior. Luckily, Willem II struck gold with the loan of Alexander Isak from Dortmund, effortlessly replacing Sol with 13 goals. Along with the competition, Willem II reached the KNVB Cup Final for the first time since 2005. While they were easily beaten by Ajax, that was still quite the achievement.
u/OrangeSevens: Last season was turbulent, but showed the possibilities we have as a club with new management. We started the season with Özbiliz, Avdijaj and Sol up top and ended with Pavlidis, Vrousai and Isak. Sol was sold, Özbiliz and Avdijaj were sent away, and it looked like we were done for. But the management really covers alot of options and brought us the VIP front three with incredible quality and Vrousai and Pavlidis are here this season too. We dropped of late in the season for EL playoffs, because everything went into the cup final. Sadly, that required a miracle to win and in the end the season left fans with a feeling of hope for the future.
This Season
It was pretty much impossible to keep Isak after the season he had, so Willem II is back to square one and perhaps even further, with players like Anita, Tapia, and Palacios all returning to their clubs, as well as the sale of Dan Crowley to Birmingham City. This has left Willem II with a very small group of players, with the club having done little investment despite the Frenkie de Jong millions (around 7 million). Still, its relatively quiet boardroom wise, which is a nice change of pace from seasons past. Once Willem II invests in more players, a midtable position should be at reach.
u/OrangeSevens: This season we have more changes in upper management, but the same coaching staff. On top of that the Frenkie de Jong (even though the internet likes to claim we made the dumbest deal in history for him) and Sol sales made us quite a profit and that money goes into improving the club all around. I believe this season we should aim for place 9 or 10 and show ambition to improve and become a steady midtable club once more. We still have some moves to make on the market, but we already have a few good players in who can make magic happen.
Transfer highlights
Player | Type | From | To | Fee(Euro) |
Che Nunnely | Permanent | Ajax | Willem II | Unknown |
Vangelis Pavlidis | Permanent | VfL Bochum | Willem II | 250,000 |
Alexander Isak | Permanent | Willem II | Borussia Dortmund | Free |
Dan Crowley | Permanent | Willem II | Birimingham City | 800,000 |
Players to Watch
Pol Llonch: One of Willem II's more experienced players. A really hard to play against midfielder who can be difficult for any opponent. Has become one of the leaders of the Tricolores
Che Nunnely: Another FM favorite who wasn't able to do the same thing IRL, Nunnely stalled in his development and wasn't able to make the step from Jong Ajax to Ajax. A very pacy winger who should be able to provide some important assists.
u/OrangeSevens Pavlidis: Looks like a targetman, plays as a nr. 10. He is one of those super annoying players who won't give up possession even under heavy pressure. His size is misleading, because he can pull off a quick turn or move out of nowhere. Quite decent finisher too.
Vrousai: Quick, agile and capable of creating his own chances. Vrousai is a true winger and gives his all. Already proven his worth last season and has the potential for even better.
Nunnely: Just came in from Ajax this window. Ajax youth products tend to do just fine with our playstyle so high hopes for this guy. Looks eager to prove himself. There are a few more players I could name, but I believe these guys are gonna make magic.
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Alright, that's going to do it. This has been quite the colossal effort but I'm really happy with how it turned out. I really want to thank everyone who contributed and gave their insight as to what they expect from their club. The Eredivisie may not be the biggest or high quality league, but there's always entertainment value to be had and an ability to see the future grow into the next big thing. Hope you enjoyed it.
submitted by Holland Eredivisie Tips and Predictions. View our Holland Eredivisie tips for the next games below. Select any game to view our detailed analysis on each game. Match Tips & Odds BTTS Tips & Odds Over/Under 2.5 Tips & Odds PredictZ vs WinDrawWin. Eredivisie Predictions & Betting Tips Netherlands All Eredivisie predictions & betting tips are here, along with the latest league table and up-to-date statistics. Select a match to see more in-depth Eredivisie game predictions & team stats. Eredivisie Netherlands | Soccer Predictions Soccer predictions for Eredivisie, competition played in Netherlands: SoccerStats247 offers free soccer betting tips for matches played in Eredivisie, where multiple teams compete in this championship during the football 2020/2021 season. Predictions are published up to 5 days in advance of each game. NETHERLANDS Eredivisie football predictions and soccer tips Here are all the Eredivisie football predictions for today, tomorrow and weekend from our tipsters and experts. All league soccer tips include betting tips from various markets which include 1X2, Over/Under, Both teams to Score, Home and Away and many more. Netherlands Eredivisie free football predictions and tips, statistics, odds comparison and match previews. Netherlands - Eredivisie - Soccer match predictions Predictions on statistical base done by our experts Click4Soccer.com is and indipendent site that provides free information about soccer matches. Netherlands Eredivisie Computer Soccer Predictions. Netherlands Eredivisie 1 X 2 Over Under Prediction; 12.02 19:00: RKC Waalwijk - FC Emmen After every match, our model calculates three additional metrics for each team. See more Adjusted goals takes into account that not all goals are created equal: A team’s final score is reduced if a goal comes late in a game that it’s leading or when the opponent is a man down. (Meanwhile, goals that are scored in regular situations are adjusted upward to balance out the total number of While the regular season for the Eredivisie of the Netherlands is rather standard, the league has a rather unique end of season set up. The league consists of 18 teams that play a home-and-home series against every other team in the league to create a 34 game season. Netherlands Eredivisie Predictions. Venlo vs Sparta Rotterdam Prediction. Venlo. VIEW PREDICTION. PREDICTION. BET NOW. Den Haag. Since Willem II produced a fine display in a 3-1 loss to Ajax, nobody was really surprised when the Tricolores defeated Emmen 2-0 at the weekend.