Tag Archives: FC Twente

BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE Week Five Preview and Betting Tips

September 10, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

Back after the international break, we enter the fifth week of games in the Eredivisie, Simon Prue is with his selections and like all his tips – good luck!

Saturday 12th September

FC TWENTE vs. AJAX (17:45 BST)

This is a fixture Ajax have generally enjoyed over the past seven seasons or so, as they have not lost to FC Twente since November 2009. Although the last two meetings at De Grolsch Veste have finished 1-1, these two Dutch sides have experienced polar opposite starts to the season.

Ajax have won all four Eredivisie games this campaign, scoring 12 goals without reply. On the other hand, Twente have succumbed to three defeats and they have only picked up one solitary point, which came away at Groningen on the opening day. To top all of this, FC Twente lost their only home game so far 1-4 against Den Haag, and ejected head coach Alfred Schreuder from the under pressure hot seat, so things are looking bleak for the Tukkers.

Given the evidence of how these sides have started this season, I really fancy Ajax to keep up their winning form in this one. Ajax are 4-5 (Betfair) to beat FC Twente, which is great for people betting with large stakes, but there is certainly value in the ‘result/total goals’ market. Twente have scored in 75% of their matches this season and history suggests they usually score in this fixture, but I think Ajax’s attacking power will be too much for them. Therefore, I think Ajax to win & over 2.5 goals is a good bet at 8/5 (Bet365).

Fancy a scorer? It is not an ambitious selection but Anwar El Ghazi has started the season tremendously by scoring six goals in four games and I don’t think the Eredivisie’s top goalscorer can be overlooked in a game which typically produces goals.

BEST BET: Ajax to win with over 2.5 goals (8/5 at Bet365)

SAFE BET: Ajax to win (4/5 at Betfair)

OTHER TIPS: Anwar El Ghazi to score anytime (5/4 at Bet365)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 4

August 31, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK FOUR – 28TH-30TH AUGUST 2015

Ajax still march on as PSV score a great win against rivals Feyenoord – Will Burns is here with the full rundown of week four in the Eredivisie.

Continuing their perfect start, Ajax head into the international break with four wins out of four and yet to concede a goal after Sunday’s 4-0 win over ADO Den Haag at the Amsterdam ArenA. Davy Klaassen and Anwar El Ghazi combined to notch the first two goals with Klaassen creating for El Ghazi to score the first goal with the latter repaying the favour minutes later to make it 2-0.

Frank de Boer’s side extended their lead through Joel Veltman nodding home a great ball from Nemanja Gudelj. El Ghazi finished a great ball from Arek Milik with just 15 minutes to go to complete the scoring.

Philip Cocu’s PSV climbed up to fifth with a 3-1 win over the previously undefeated Feyenoord, even though the Rotterdammers took an early lead. After just four minutes of play, PSV defender Jeffrey Bruma inadvertently slid Bilal Başaçıkoğlu’s cross into his own net to give the visitors the lead. Weary of the PSV counter attack, Feyenoord sat back and defended well until the 36th minute when Davy Pröpper lofted a wonderful ball over the Feyenoord back line for Belgian winger Maxime Lestienne to run onto and fire in his first goal for the club.

PSV dominated from there on in and after the break grabbed the lead through Colombian international right-back Santiago Arias before Jürgen Locadia converted a late penalty after Eljero Elia was adjudged to have brought down Pröpper in the area to give the defending champions the 3-1 victory.

Alfred Schreuder was dismissed by FC Twente on Sunday morning after his side fell to another defeat, this time at the hands of their common rivals, the high-flying Heracles on Saturday night. The Polman Stadion was jumping and the hosts gained the lead on 14 minutes through Iliass Bel Hassani before Wout Weghorst cemented the points fifteen minutes from time.

Earlier on Saturday, sc Heerenveen were held to a draw at home by PEC Zwolle regardless of taking an early the lead through Swedish winger Sam Larsson. On-loan striker Lars Veldwijk grabbed the equaliser getting on the end of a Sheraldo Becker’s cross on 59 minutes and game finished tied at 1-1.

FC Utrecht grabbed an impressive 2-0 win over FC Groningen as Edwin van de Looi’s side continue their poor start to the new campaign. Bart Ramselaar opened the scoring after half an hour from Sebastien Haller’s pass before Timo Letschert secured the points in stoppage time as Utrecht moved up to 10th and climbed above Groningen in the process. Groningen have now just four points from the opening four games.

Propping the table up are De Graafschap, who stay rock bottom after slumping to a 3-0 defeat to Excelsior. This was the first win of the campaign for Fons Groenendijk’s men with Sander Fischer, Bradley Kuwas and Daryl van Mieghem providing the goals as De Graafschap still search for their first points of the season.

Promoted Roda celebrated their third win of the campaign after they clinched a great away victory at AZ Alkmaar. New signing Rostyn Griffiths notched from a corner in the 36th minute to score the only goal of the game.

Vitesse’s loan star Lewis Baker started the Arnhem’s side rout in the second minute by converting a penalty against SC Cambuur. Abiola Dauda, Guram Kashia and Dominic Solanke, also on loan for the season from Chelsea, also netted in a 4-1 victory for Vitesse.

Willem II‘s miserable start to the campaign continued as they were defeated by N.E.C. Nijmegen by 1-0 in the Friday night game. Things are not clicking for Jurgen Streppel and his men and they feel to a Navarone Foor goal midway through the second half that proved to be the only goal of the game.

RESULTS

Friday 28th August

Willem II 0-1 N.E.C.

Saturday 29th August

FC Utrecht 2-0 FC Groningen

sc Heerenveen 1-1 PEC Zwolle

Excelsior 3-0 De Graafschap

Heracles 2-0 FC Twente

Sunday 30th August

Ajax 4-0 ADO Den Haag

AZ Alkmaar 0-1 Roda JC

Vitesse 4-1 SC Cambuur

PSV 3-1 Feyenoord

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 3

August 23, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK THREE – 21ST-23RD AUGUST 2015

Ajax and Feyenoord maintain their 100% records as PSV slip up again. Will Burns is on hand to give you the lowdown of all this weekend’s action.

Ajax continued their perfect start to the new campaign by easily dispatching N.E.C. Nijmegen, although it took a while for Frank de Boer’s side to get going. The deadlock was finally broken just after the half-time break as Nijmegen’s new goalkeeper Hannes Halldórsson underestimated Arkadiusz Milik’s effort from outside the area and the ball sailed into the net. The points were confirmed with four minutes to go after Rens van Eijden turned the ball into his own net to double Ajax’s lead. Yet to concede a goal this Eredivisie season so far, the Amsterdammers sit top of the league on nine points with Feyenoord behind them on goal difference in second.

Also with a 100% record is Feyenoord, who hosted Vitesse in the final game of the weekend and Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men left it late to defeat Peter Bosz’s outfit 2-0. After a poor first-half, Vitesse started the second period the brighter side but it was hosts that claimed all three points.

‘Captain Dirk’ Kuyt continues his fine form notching again, making it three goals in as many games, with another goal from the penalty spot after Guram Kashia bundled Terence Kongolo in the box. Vitesse hardly had a chance to reassign themselves before Bilal Başaçıkoğlu took advantage of some lapse defending by the Arnhem side to make it 2-0 and send De Kuip into raptures.

Reigning champions PSV had Luuk de Jong to thank for salvaging a point against sc Heerenveen on Saturday night. It was a slight improvement on PSV’s last three visits to the Abe Lenstra Stadion, as Heerenveen had previously won the last three meetings between the two. The hosts caused problems for Philip Cocu’s men throughout with the pace of wingers Sam Larsson and Luciano Slagveer made life for Joshua Brenet and Santiago Arias especially difficult.

It was ten minutes into the second half before we saw the first goal and it was young left-back Caner Cavlan successfully converting a penalty that opening the scoring. PSV midfielder Davy Pröpper held Lucas Bijker in the area and referee Eric Braamhaar pointed to the spot and although Jeroen Zoet dived the right way, Cavlan powered the penalty home.

Ten minutes later, PSV were level. A long ball out the back from Jeffrey Bruma met the head of Adam Maher in the Heerenveen area. Maher nodded the ball down for De Jong to volley home and clinch a point for the Eindhoven outfit. PSV may look at this as two points dropped as they now sit four points adrift of Ajax and Feyenoord in the title race after three games. After the contest, De Jong was interviewed by Fox Sports and slammed Braamhaar for giving Heerenveen a penalty, while rejecting many PSV appeals. He stated: “I really do not understand why they get a penalty for holding, while many of our players were held throughout the whole match.”

FC Groningen began the weekend clinching their first victory of the season in Friday night’s game hosting Excelsior. Edwin van de Looi’s men were held by the Rotterdam side for 70 minutes until substitute Mimoun Mahi opening the scoring. Mahi has just been on the pitch for five minutes before finding the net, replacing the disappointing, but visibly upset, Albert Rusnák. The Slovakian, formerly of Manchester City, booted the subs bench in anger after being replaced.

Back to the goal, after Jarchinio Antonia was pulled down by Kevin van Diermen on the edge of the area, with the defender lucky to escape a red card, Mahi set-up a free-kick. The winger hit a skimming low effort towards goal that creeped inside Filip Kurto’s near post to make it 1-0.

The 21-year-old Mahi, whose only other goal came in a 2-2 draw against FC Twente last March, managed to seal the winner with a lovely goal with just minutes to go, although with a suspicion of offside. The hosts broke on the counter as the Rotterdam outfit searched for an equaliser, and Jesper Drost threaded the needle for Mahi, who kept his composure and slotted home to cement the win.

Our player of the week has to be Heracles attacking midfielder Oussama Tannane who netted FOUR times in the first-half to help his side onto a 6-1 thrashing away to SC Cambuur. Along with Tannane’s quadruple goals, Wout Weghorst and Thomas Bruns added to the tally with Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche grabbed a consolation for Cambuur.

In a battle of two of the promoted sides, Roda JC ran out 1-0 winners against De Graafschap. A Tom van Hyfte first-half goal gave the Kerkrade side all three points.

In Sunday’s opener, PEC Zwolle defeated FC Twente by 2-1 at the IJsseldelta Stadion. Striker Lars Veldwijk converted a spot-kick to give Zwolle the lead, before Hakim Ziyech equalised just after the break. However, Ron Jans’ side would take all three points when Ben Rienstra scored the winner just after the hour mark.

Mike Havanaar was the hero in The Hague as he rescued a point for ADO Den Haag in their home game against FC Utrecht. Frenchman Sébastien Haller had given the visitors the lead on the half-hour mark scoring his fourth goal of the season.

AZ Alkmaar and Willem II finished goal-less in a disappointing contest for both side, both looking for their first win of the season.

RESULTS

Friday 21st August

FC Groningen 2-0 Excelsior

Saturday 22nd August

Roda JC 1-0 De Graafschap

sc Heerenveen 1-1 PSV

SC Cambuur 1-6 Heracles

Sunday 23rd August

PEC Zwolle 2-1 FC Twente

ADO Den Haag 1-1 FC Utrecht

N.E.C. Nijmegen 0-2 Ajax

AZ Alkmaar 0-0 Willem II

Feyenoord 2-0 Vitesse

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NEWS

Remember the name of Hakim Ziyech

August 23, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

Last season, Memphis Depay, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordy Clasie caught all the attention in the Eredivisie all earning moves to Premier League clubs, but one man that no-one noticed was FC Twente playmaker Hakim Ziyech. The midfielder over the upcoming campaign will be looking to make a big impression on the Eredivisie and I believe he has the capacity to do just that. He is a young, exciting midfielder and here is why I think he could be the next big thing to come out of Holland writes Alex Gardner.

Our number two in the 2015 Total Dutch Football Top 50, Ziyech is a 22-year-old central midfielder who was born in Dronten, Netherlands and began his footballing career in the youth ranks of ASV Dronten, his local team. He then went onto join the football academy school of SC Heerenveen in 2004, and on the 2nd August 2012, he made his first competitive appearance for the Heerenveen first team in a Europa League qualifier against Romanian outfit Rapid Bucharest, in which Heerenveen won 4-0.

He grabbed his first goal for the Friesland club the following season in a league game against NAC Breda, he would then go on to notch nine goals and nine assists for Heerenveen, this impressive feat in just his second season at the club is what grabbed the attention of quite a few clubs, most notably of which were Twente.

Ziyech joined Twente in August 2014 for a fee of around €3.5 million on a four-year deal, this was a massive opportunity for the midfielder to show Holland what he can really do and further himself as an accomplished playmaker, and in the 2014/15 season. He did exactly that by being a vital player in a struggling Twente team, getting an incredible 13 goals and 16 assists, and was also involved in the most goals in the league (29), two more than Memphis Depay, a season that any number 10 in the world would be proud of.

Despite having the best season of his career, he was hardly noticed outside of Holland, partly due to Twente having a very poor season and partially due to all the attention going to the man-of-the-moment Depay. Despite all of that, Ziyech has been linked with Bundesliga side VFL Wolfsburg as a possible replacement for Kevin De Bruyne but Twente are very keen to keep hold of their man as he is vital to their upcoming campaign and selling him would be a massive loss to the club.

I have been keeping my eye on Ziyech for quite a while now and I can tell you he is one of the most exciting players I’ve ever watched. He is quick, his crossing is sublime, he has got a superb range of passing and his set pieces are unrivalled. Ziyech possesses a powerful left foot and he can make something out of nothing, he literally has everything you could want in a number 10. Whenever he gets the ball you just expect something to happen, he is the sort of player that can change the entire complexion of a match all by himself.

Taking all that into account and then also think about the fact that Ziyech is still just aged 22, and you have a player with bags of potential, in my personal opinion, he will be the next superstar. Hakim Ziyech – remember the name.

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 2

August 16, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK TWO – 14TH-16TH AUGUST 2015

Ajax and Feyenoord lead the way as PSV picked up their first win of the new campaign and Will Burns is on hand to give you the lowdown of all this weekend’s action.

Ajax sit top of the pile and are yet to concede a goal with their second 3-0 win in two weeks, this time over Willem II on Saturday evening at the Amsterdam ArenA. Anwar El Ghazi shined the brightest of them all, adding another two goals to his tally, but again like last Sunday against AZ Alkmaar, the score flattered the Amsterdammers as they did not seem to be at full tempo as of yet this early into the season.

Polish striker Arek Milik opened the scoring on 18 minutes after some sloppy passing from Willem II defender Stijn Wuytens. Jurgen Streppel’s side, throughout the game, played the ball from the back and on this occasion, Wuytens laid the ball straight into the path of Ajax midfielder Nemanja Gudelj. The Serbian spotted Davy Klaassen sitting on the right of the attack and played the ball into the playmaker. Klaassen whipped a ball into the back post where the unmarked Milik headed home to give Ajax the advantage.

Ajax went in at half-time a goal up and the second-half began slowly and very cagey as never team looked like they wished to take the risk to go for the next goal. After hitting an effort from close range on the post minutes later, El Ghazi finally brought the second goal for the hosts on the 67th minute lashing a powerful curling shot into the net from the edge of the area.

Frank de Boer’s men looked comfortable and the game seemed wrapped up, so he handed a debut to Czech Republic youth international Václav Černý with 15 minutes remaining. The 17-year-old winger appeared only twice last season for Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie but notched an impressive two goals in those outings.

In added time, Ajax put the cherry on top of the cake with El Ghazi’s second goal with a clinical counter attacking move. Arsenal loanee Yaya Sanogo, whom came on late in the second-half, held the ball up well in the middle of the pitch as Černý sprinted down the right-wing. The young Czech collected the ball and hit a first time pass into the path of Lasse Schöne. The Danish international fired the ball across the edge of the area to find El Ghazi who powered a shot at goal and the effort was far too strong for Willem II stopper Kostas Lamprou to keep out. El Ghazi (number #9 in the TDF Top 50), has four goals in just two appearances and looks to be the Amsterdammers’ main man in this year’s title charge.

Ajax and their bitter rivals Feyenoord are the only two teams with back-to-back wins as the Rotterdammers made a successful trip to SC Cambuur on Sunday afternoon. Marking his arrival with a goal was Michiel Kramer, who replaced Colin-Kazim Richards just after the hour mark. The €1.5m signing from ADO Den Haag netted with a diving header after a cross from the right from Bilal Başaçıkoğlu. The result finished 2-0 to Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men after Dirk Kuyt, took his tally to two in two and doubled the lead deep into stoppage time.

Also on Sunday, defending champions PSV easily dispatched FC Groningen with a 2-0 triumph. After a wonderful deep through ball from Maxime Lestienne, fellow winger Luciano Narsingh breached Groningen’s offside trap to finish coolly after just six minutes of play to put the Eindhoven side in front. Philip Cocu’s side pressed for a second goal and looked comfortable throughout with Groningen failing to break down the PSV midfield, commanded by the industrious Andrés Guardado.

After being spoilt rotten last year with the championship-winning performances, the Philips Stadion was fairly silent until Narsingh hit the winning goal deep into the second-half. It was a run-of-the-mill outing for PSV and their upcoming match with Feyenoord on August 30th is a mouth-watering prospect, and could be a real thriller in the title race.

Vitesse opened up the weekend’s festivities thrashing ten-man Roda JC by 3-0 after Ard van Peppen was dismissed on the stroke of half-time for a handball on the line. Lewis Baker, on-loan from feeder club Chelsea, converted the penalty. The visitors fought and had chances to claw back the game, however on 68 minutes, after a wonderful through ball from teenage full-back Kevin Diks (TDF Top 50 #33), Nigerian striker Abiola Dauda slotted home first-time to double the lead. The third and final goal was sublime and a beautiful effort from another Chelsea loanee, Nathan. The young Brazilian cut inside from the left wing and curled the perfect shot past Roda stopper Benjamin van Leer.

FC Twente suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat at home to ADO Den Haag to leave head coach Alfred Schreuder under immense pressure this early into the season. ADO debutant Mike Havanaar got the ball rolling just 12 minutes in. Ruben Schaken made it 2-0 on 27 minutes before Hakim Ziyech gave the home fans hope on a comeback after notching just before the hour mark. ADO central defender Vito Wormgoor cemented the points before French striker Edouard Duplan added a fourth with ten minutes remaining to add insult to injury for Twente.

Excelsior held AZ Alkmaar to a 2-2 draw in the late Saturday night game in a very even contest that could have went either way. Jeff Stans opened the scoring for the hosts however, the lead only lasted five minutes as Norwegian midfielder Markus Henriksen levelled the game up with an excellent counter attack goal. Tom van Weert put the Rotterdam outfit back in front just after the half hour mark. Substitute Robert Mühren nabbed an equaliser on 64 minutes as AZ pressed for a winner. However, never side could find that all important winner as the sides shared the points with Excelsior boss Fons Groenendijk was the happier of the two manager at the full-time whistle.

PEC Zwolle swept past De Graafschap on Saturday with three goals in sixteen second-half minutes to win 3-0 in Doetinchem. Wouter Marinus, Bart van Hintum and Sheraldo Becker scored the goals in a comfortable victory for Ron Jans’ men.

FC Utrecht and sc Heerenveen drew 1-1 with Luciano Slagveer scoring with just ten minutes to go to cancel out Sébastien Haller’s opener.

Finally, in their first game inside the brand-new Polman Stadion, Heracles handed N.E.C. Nijmegen a 3-0 defeat after the Eredivisie newcomers were reduced to ten-man as Marcel Appiah was dismissed before the hour mark. Oussama Tannane scored an early goal five minutes in to give the Almelo outfit the lead with Thomas Bruns adding a second before Appiah’s sending off. Wout Weghorst wrapped up the win and gave John Stegeman a boost after last weekend’s appalling defeat at the hands of Roda JC.

RESULTS

Friday 14th August

Vitesse 3-0 Roda JC

Saturday 15th August

De Graafschap 0-3 PEC Zwolle

Ajax 3-0 Willem II

FC Twente 1-4 ADO Den Haag

Excelsior 2-2 AZ Alkmaar

Sunday 16th August

PSV 2-0 FC Groningen

FC Utrecht 1-1 sc Heerenveen

SC Cambuur 0-2 Feyenoord

Heracles 3-0 N.E.C. Nijmegen

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 1… Part Two

August 12, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK ONE (PART TWO) – 11TH AND 12TH AUGUST 2015

So a goalkeeper scored an equaliser in the dying seconds with an outstanding back-heeled flick in the Eredivisie this week – Will Burns is here to report on the remaining five games in the Dutch top flight from week one.

Danish goalkeeper Martin Hansen was the toast of The Hague this past Tuesday after scoring an injury-time winner for ADO Den Haag in their opening day clash with defending champions PSV. Now anytime a keeper sprints up the pitch for a last minute set piece, it is always an exciting time to see if the big man can rise above all others to smash a header home past his opposite number.

However, this was no header – a poor free-kick from Kenji Gorre gave Hansen the option of instinctively flicking his boot up for a back-heel, which he connected perfectly with to skim the ball past Jeroen Zoet for the draw.

PSV had started well and took the lead, dubiously, through their new number ten, Adam Maher. Replays of the goal showed that Maher was offside when he received the ball on 23 minutes to put PSV in front. However, minutes later the score was all level. Colombian right-back Santiago Arias bundled over Aaron Meijers which looked outside the penalty area, but referee Richard Liesveld pointed to the spot and Ronald Alberg converted.

Luuk de Jong opened his account for the season just after the hour mark, simply pushing a header past Hansen after the ADO defence left the big striker unmarked until Hansen clinched a point with his dramatic leveller. A disappointing start for PSV’s looking to retain their Eredivisie title.

In Tuesday’s late game, Heerenveen were impressive in their 3-1 win over newly promoted De Graafschap. The Eredivisie new boys found themselves two goals down by half-time after Simon Thern took advantage of a defensive mix-up by Lion Kaak to slot past Hidde Jurjus in the De Graafschap goal. Debutant Mitchell te Vrede, a signing this week from Feyenoord, notching the second after some great work down the wing from the industrious Luciano Narsingh.

It was more of the same after the break and Thern headed home on 53 minutes for his second and Heerenveen’s third. A Vincent Vermeij header was just a consolation for the visitors and they look to turn things around on Saturday as they host PEC Zwolle.

Wednesday’s games began with a poor game in Groningen, as Edwin van der Looi’s side faced FC Twente which ended all square at 1-1. Twente took the lead when Renato Tapia was left alone at the front post and headed home a Hakim Ziyech corner just before the break. However, Groningen replied in the 83rd minute to salvage a point through a Michael de Leeuw goal after being played through on goal by substitute Danny Hoesen.

SC Cambuur battled back from two goals down to a 2-2 draw away at PEC Zwolle. Zwolle’s new defender Dirk Marcellis grabbed the opening goal on 31 minutes after some great footwork evading the Cambuur defence by fellow new signing Lars Veldwijk (on loan from Nottingham Forest). Minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead with a tremendous left-footed long drive from Sheraldo Becker giving Leonard Nienhuis no chance in goal. The Leeuwarden-outfit fought hard and clinched a lifeline with twenty minutes to go through Erik Bakker and seven minutes later the scores were level. Sjoerd Overgoor finished beautifully after Bakker laid it on a plate for the midfielder to secure a point.

In the final game of the week, N.E.C. Nijmegen left it late to defeat Excelsior. It was a uneventful and un-entertaining affair that ended with a Navarone Foor goal with just minutes remaining.

RESULTS

Tuesday 11th August

ADO Den Haag 2-2 PSV

sc Heerenveen 3-1 De Graafschap

Wednesday 12th August

FC Groningen 1-1 FC Twente

PEC Zwolle 2-2 SC Cambuur

N.E.C. 1-0 Excelsior

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EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: WEEK 1… Part One

August 10, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

WEEK ONE (PART ONE) – 8TH AND 9TH AUGUST 2015

The opening weekend of the Dutch league season was severely affected by police strike action, and due to this, the nine Eredivisie games are to be spread across the majority of the week. Will Burns is on hand to give you a rundown of all the action from the first four matches.

In an amazing contrast on Sunday morning, after watching the European performances of the past fortnight, the disappointing Ajax travelled to Alkmaar to face the promising AZ and the tables were turned. The Amsterdammers left the AFAS Stadion with a 3-0 win after an Anwar El Ghazi brace followed by Nemanja Gudelj notching against the club he left in the summer.

Ajax scored all three inside the first-half with El Ghazi opening the scoring on 14 minutes with a sublime effort after some quick thinking from Mitchell Dijks. A quickly took free-kick allowed El Ghazi some space some 30 yards out and El Ghazi, after meeting his hero in the summer, hit a Ronaldo-like dipping shot giving AZ stopper Sergio Rochet no chance of saving.

It was a close affair with AZ hitman Vincent Janssen look the most likely to threaten for the John van der Brom’s side but it was his goalkeeper Rochet that handed the game to Frank de Boer’s outfit. El Ghazi got his head on the end of a whipping Gudelj free-kick and Rochet, although the Uruguayan stopped the effort, he failed to control and ended up fumbling the ball into the net to make it 2-0.

The third and final goal by Gudelj was also another that Rochet would not like to watch in the highlights that evening, after parrying the Serbian’s long range effort into the top corner of his goal.

AZ coach Van der Brom stated he felt sorry for his supporters that sold out the stadium for this match, but will look to make amends next weekend in Rotterdam against Excelsior. For De Boer, his side showed no Euro hangover as they look to challenge to regain the Eredivisie crown taken from them by PSV last season.

In the opening game of the season, Roda JC made a return to the Eredivisie with a hefty 3-1 win over Heracles even though the Almelo outfit went ahead after the half-hour mark through Iliass Bel Hassani. Although, the lead did not last long as four minutes later, Edwin Gyasi managed to weave his through to equalise. Early in the second half, Roda took the advantage with Tom van Hyfte scrambling the ball home after Gyasi’s header hit the post. Heracles pressed to level the game up but in the final moments, Hicham Faik smashed home a long range effort to cement all three points.

Dirk Kuyt also made his return to the Dutch top flight leading Feyenoord to a 3-2 victory over FC Utrecht at De Kuip on Saturday evening. Even though the Rotterdammers were reduced to ten-man after young right-back Rick Karsdorp was harshly dismissed by referee Kevin Blom early in the second-half. Turkish striker Colin-Kazim Richards gave Giovanni van Bronckhorst a great start to his managerial career heading home debutant Marko Vejinovic’s free-kick to make it 1-0.

After Karsdorp was shown his marching orders for his hard tackle on Christian Kum, Utrecht levelled the scoring through French striker Sébastien Haller, whom signed permanently from Auxerre last month on 75 minutes, however the score was only 1-1 for a few moments.

The equaliser fired up Van Bronckhorst’s side and they regained the lead two minutes later when substitute Tonny Vilhena, rumoured to be leaving the club, was at the back post to knock home Karim El-Ahmadi’s cross. With the De Kuip faithful in full force, Feyenoord pressed to kill the game off and Bilal Başaçıkoğlu was tripped in the area by Yannick Cortie, and Kuyt marked his return with a successful penalty conversion. Haller nabbed an injury-time consolation through a penalty kick of his own but it was Feyenoord that ended as the victors by three goals to two.

Looking to build on a successful campaign last season, Willem II boss Jurgen Streppel lead his team out full of confidence on Sunday afternoon against Peter Bosz’ Vitesse in a game that ended tied at a goal apiece. The Tilburg side took the lead just after the hour mark through new recruit Erik Falkenburg before Ukrainian midfielder Denis Oliynyk.

A further five contests will make up week one of the Eredivisie to take place Tuesday and Wednesday this week… if the police do not decide on another strike?!

Check back later this week for ‘Part Two’ of the Eredivisie report.

RESULTS

Saturday 8th August

Roda JC 3-1 Heracles

Feyenoord 3-2 FC Utrecht

Sunday 9th August

AZ 0-3 Ajax

Willem II 1-1 Vitesse

FIXTURES

Tuesday 11th August

ADO Den Haag vs. PSV

sc Heerenveen vs. De Graafschap

Wednesday 12th August

FC Groningen vs. FC Twente

PEC Zwolle vs. SC Cambuur

N.E.C. vs. Excelsior

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FEATURE

Total Dutch Football 2014/15 Player of the Season

May 18, 2015 Will Burns 1 Comment

After yet another set of entertaining Eredivisie and KNVB Beker campaigns, the TotalDutchFootball.com workforce has been voting all week and we are now ready to dish out our prestigious first ever ‘End Of Season’ awards.

All staff were asked to name their top three players. Each first pick received three points, second place received two points and one point was awarded for the third pick. The results are below…

Winner – MEMPHIS DEPAY (PSV) 15 points

Like his manager, Philip Cocu, Depay was a unanimous winner picked first by all five voters. Over the past season no-one can doubt that without Depay, PSV would not have experienced the success they have this term. Depay notched 22 Eredivisie goals along with five assists that earned him major plaudits across the globe and a four-year deal at Louis van Gaal’s Manchester United next season.

His superb free-kick technique led to seven of those goals – leaving most goalkeepers stranded as he lined up the set pieces from the edge of the area. The flamboyant winger hit an average of 5.4 shots per game (according to Opta) and three assists (from 2.1 key passes per game).

With his tremendous determination, speed, skill and awareness, Depay has linked up well down the left with Jetro Willems (our runner-up). Connecting with the left-back has helped the 20-year-old create 13 goals in the league (an Eredivisie high).

This cocky youngster is heading to the Premier League, to a team who used to try and contain the cockiness of one Cristiano Ronaldo. He has all the attributes and swagger to hold his own in comparison to the now-Real Madrid star.

PSV and Eredivisie watchers will thank Depay for the memories this season and it is sad to see him go abroad but I’m sure all, including all the readers of this website, wish him good luck and keep chasing those dreams.

2nd – JETRO WILLEMS (PSV) 6 points

Depay’s team-mate is runner-up after a successful season appearing in 30 out of the 34 leagues games for PSV. Willems was a vital part of the Eindhoven set-up this year under Philip Cocu and they will be hoping to hold onto him as long as they can.

OTHERS

JASPER CILLESSEN (Ajax) 2 points

GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM (PSV) 2 points

LUUK DE JONG (PSV) 2 points

MICHIEL KRAMER (ADO Den Haag) 1 point

HAKIM ZIYECH (FC Twente) 1 point

MARKO VEJINOVIC (Vitesse) 1 point

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FEATURE

Total Dutch Football 2014/15 Breakthrough Talent of the Season

May 18, 2015 Will Burns 1 Comment

Throughout this year’s campaign, we have seen some great talents emerge as scouts from all over Europe honed in on them. Myself and the remainder of the staff at TotalDutchFootball.com have been assessing who can be declared as the best ‘Breakthrough Talent of the Season’.

All staff were asked to name their top three talents. Each first pick received three points, second place received two points and one point was awarded for the third pick. The results are below…

Winner – JESUS CORONA (FC Twente) 5 points

The little Mexican nicknamed “El Tecatito”, signed on a free transfer aged 20 from Liga MX side Monterrey after rejecting a new contract from the Mexican club in 2013. After taking a while to settle in under Albert Schreuder, Corona now 22-years-old, has shown he is perfect example of a pacy winger with a tremendous dribbling ability to torment full-backs down either flank.

He appeared in 27 games for Twente this year, notching nine goals and supplying four assists, showing to be a shining light, in a what has been a disappointing season for his side. Tecatito’s consistency has enhanced his already impressive skills. His speed and trickery make him a very elusive footballer who provides depth to the team, which results in goal opportunities.

Due to Twente’s crippling financial status, Corona looks to be moved on next season and could end up leaving the Eredivisie. However, the young Mexican has finally shone in Holland and he is surely set to raise a big chunk of funds for the Enschede club.

Joint 2nd – MARK UTH & SAM LARSSON (Heerenveen) 4 points

The Heerenveen pair have been surprising successes for Dwight Lodeweges this year. Both used as replacements for summer sales, Alfred Finnbogasson and Hakim Ziyech respectively have excelled. The stocky German striker, Uth has scored 15 times in 32 outings to become the club’s top scorer and managed to use his strength to hold the ball up and created 10 assists. Also notching goals is Swedish winger Larsson with eight with four assists. Both players have linked with moves away themselves this coming summer, not an unusual process for Heerenveen.

OTHERS

ALBERT RUSNAK (FC Groningen) 3 points

TJARONN CHERY (FC Groningen) 3 points

ANWAR EL GHAZI (Ajax) 3 points

TOM VAN WEERT (Excelsior) 2 points

TERENCE KONGOLO (Feyenoord) 2 points

WESLEY HOEDT (AZ) 1 point

NEMANJA GUDELJ (AZ) 1 point

DALEY SINKGRAVEN (Ajax) 1 point

BERTRAND TRAORE (Vitesse) 1 point

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FEATURE

How does PSV replace Memphis Depay?

May 11, 2015 Will Burns 3 Comments

The announcement last week of the transfer of Memphis Depay to Manchester United has left PSV with a significant hole to fill. Luckily for PSV, they have money in the bank now in order to try and fill this hole. We all know and appreciate Memphis’ talents and he might be one of those once in a generation footballers but PSV need to ask the question “How do we Replace Memphis”? Even with Memphis leaving, PSV still have a very talented side but they will certainly miss the X-Factor that he provided. Replacing Memphis will be a hard task but there are some options at PSV’s disposal. Rogier Waalder looks at the candidates:

Jesus Manuel Corona (FC Twente)

One of the only players in the Eredivisie this year who catches the eye as much as Depay does, is the Mexican winger Jesus Corona, who plays for FC Twente. A very tricky and skilful winger, he certainly has the ability to turn a game like Memphis does. He has scored 13 goals in his 32 games this season and his dribbling, first touch and technique are in the same class as Memphis. He does lack the power and free-kick abilities of Memphis but is only 22 years old. FC Twente will be holding a fire-sale in the summer to clear their debts and so Corona is very much on the market. A big stumbling block, though, is his wage demands with a recent poll showing that 85% of PSV fans do not think he is worth the reported 1 million EURO salary that he is after.

Sam Larsson (SC Heerenveen)

Swedish international Larsson is a new arrival to Heerenveen this season, after joining from Goteburg in the off-season. He has proven to be yet another potential Scandinavian jewel that the Heerenveen scouting team has delivered over the years. Has all the same hallmarks as Corona but represents a more powerful, cheaper option. Larsson has contributed 8 goals and 6 assists in his 20 games this season. Heerenveen have already offered him a new contract, but he has refused to consider this at present. He has a contract until 2018 so Heerenveen aren’t in any rush to sell but PSV might be tempted to make them an offer they can’t refuse.

Ricardo Kishna (Ajax)

Yes he plays for Ajax presently and yes this is probably the biggest obstacle in Kishna going to PSV, but transfers between PSV & Ajax are not unheard of. Kishna is a year younger than Memphis and despite his young age has already proven that he can light up the Eredivisie. His flair, trickery, dribbling and pace are very comparable to Memphis and he has a return of 5 goals and assists from 20 matches this season. This current Dutch youth team player only has 1 year to run on his Ajax contract, so he could force the issue if PSV make a serious play for his services.

Elvis Manu (Feyenoord)

Plays for Feyenoord, so again some question marks surrounding a desire to sell him to PSV but he also has the hallmarks of someone who could replace Memphis. A 21-year old natural Left Winger, Manu has had a good season for Feyenoord with 14 goals in 34 matches, including some great performances in the Europa League. Manu has great pace and strength but his overall technique and consistency would need some improvement to reach Memphis levels but definitely a great raw talent.

Steven Berghuis (AZ Alkmaar)

Berghuis has been a standout performer for AZ this season with 10 goals in 22 appearances. The former Twente youth player can play on either wing or as Striker and has excellent technical and passing abilities. He has a strong desire to succeed (much like Memphis does) and would arguably be the cheapest of the options presented thus far. He probably isn’t quite at the standard that Memphis is but would be a good squad player, in conjunction with another big name signing.

Bilal Ould-Chikh (FC Twente)

If PSV are looking at a longer term prospect that they can bring up to Memphis’ standard then Ould-Chikh might be their guy. Only 17 years old he has already played 15 full games for FC Twente this season. An out and out winger with great technique, pace and dribbling abilities Ould-Chikh certainly has the potential to rival Memphis one day. FC Twente might be needing cash to satisfy their creditors at the moment, but surely they’ll want to hang on to their star prospect and try and build a team around him.

Adnan Januzaj (Manchester United)

Januzaj has been on the outer at Manchester United since Van Gaal’s arrival and was rumoured to have been offered as part of any deal taking Memphis to England. It doesn’t look like this has eventuated but a cashed up PSV could do a lot worse than taking the talented Belgian to Eindhoven, even if it is on loan. Even though he has not scored in the Premier League this year, the footballing world is very aware of Januzaj’s abilities with a ball at his feet and his technique and flair do rival those of Memphis. He is on a massive salary at Man Utd and this is why a loan move but be the best for both teams, particularly as Memphis will certainly be a direct rival for Januzaj.

Serge Gnabry (Arsenal)

Another potential loan option is the Arsenal youngster, Serge Gnabry. Like Januzaj Gnabry burst onto the scene last season before injury curtailed his plans and has had limited game time since. He may be best suited to a spell in the Eredivisie, whilst also getting guaranteed Champions League action. Gnabry has fantastic physical attributes and his attacking tendancies would be very well suited to this PSV side.

Ola John (Benfica)

For a 22-year old John seems to have been around for a long time, and certainly his club movements would indicate the same. Currently at Benfica, the lure of returning home to PSV may be one that suits John as he looks to break back into the Dutch national team setup. Another out and out pacy winger John could be the perfect provider for Luuk de Jong.

Filip Kostic (Stuttgart)

22-year old Serbian Kostic played 2 seasons in the Eredivisie with Groningen before earning a move to Stuttgart in the off-season. He has played reasonably well in a struggling side with 3 goals and 7 assists thus far. He has tremendous cross abilities and is also an accomplished finisher. If Stuttgart do get relegated this season this might be enough to convince Kostic to return to the Netherlands and the lure of Champions League football.

There are some options available internally at PSV at present headlined by the wantaway Zakaria Bakkali and the raw but very inconsistent Florian Jozefzoon. A long term potential replacement is the exciting young Steven Bergwijn, who made his Eredivisie debut on the weekend at the age of 17. Bergwijn is very highly thought of at PSV and has tremendous pace and acceleration. If his technical abilities continue to develop over the next few seasons he is definitely one to watch.

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FEATURE

Unveiling four emerging stars of the Eredivisie

May 10, 2015 Will Burns 1 Comment

One of the positives of not being one of Europe’s biggest leagues and having relatively small finances is that the Eredivisie is a fertile ground for bringing through young players. A lot of the clubs rely on the money that they receive for their youth graduates to run their clubs.

FC Groningen are well known for their ability to bring players through and have seen the likes of Arjen Robben and Luis Suarez develop at their club in recent years. Although the latter was brought in from Uruguay, it would be wrong to suggest that the club didn’t have an impact on where he is now.

After the news that Depay will join Manchester United, clubs have been reminded of the rewards that come with producing talented players and in this article Jake Jackman talks about some of the young players coming through who may not be well known yet.

Steven Bergwijn (PSV)

An obvious place to start is with a player who is at PSV with the reputation as the next Depay, and that is Steven Bergwijn, who made his debut at the weekend to become the youngest player to feature in the Eredivisie this season. The winger’s style of play has been compared to both Depay and Arjen Robben, which is high praise indeed, but the 17 year old has a long way before he can truly be talked about in the same breath as either. Last summer, he played an integral part in the Holland U17 side as they made the final of European Championships and Bergwijn won the award for the tournament’s best player. The winger is quick and direct which makes him difficult to play against, while he has a very good shot on him. Next season will be key to him as his chances in the first team will increase now that Depay has left the club.

Riechedly Bazoer (Ajax)

Ajax are well known for their ability to produce their own players and one of the most promising coming through at the moment is Riechedly Bazoer. He has been talked about as the future of Dutch football by Frank de Boer, while he has been compared with Clarence Seedord, Frank Rijkaard and Patrick Viera, which is big praise for an 18 year old. He is a complete midfielder as he can pass the ball well and he is more than capable in the tackle. As you would expect from an Ajax player, he has excellent vision on the pitch and has the ability to play defence splitting passes from deep. He has featured in a handful of games this season and showed his ability against FC Twente when he scored a wonderful volley to give his side the lead. He is seen as a key part of the new look Ajax side and it will be surprising if he isn’t a regular in the Eredivisie next season.

Bilal Ould Chikh (FC Twente)

The Twente player is another very talented attacker coming through and like Bergwijn, he is only 17 years old. He has been linked with a move to Manchester United in recent weeks after Louis van Gaal was impressed with the winger’s performances at the U17 European Championships. He has already featured for the first team at Twente, managing to score his first goal against Heracles in January. He is a very good dribbler and has already showed that in the Eredivisie, which is impressive given his tender age. He is another quick and direct attacker, who likes to run with the ball in the final third, which Holland have a lot of. Ould-Chikh is very mobile and stands at only 5’6” which makes him difficult to mark at times as he likes to weave in and out of defenders. He is set to leave FC Twente this summer which could be a mistake given he is already featuring for the first team.

Richairo Zivkovic (Ajax)

Many believe Ajax forward Richairo Zivkovic to be Holland’s next number nine, which is a big claim, but this 18 year old has already made his mark on the Eredivisie. He is another player developed by Groningen before moving to Ajax last summer. In his first season in Amsterdam, he hasn’t featured much for the first team, but he did make his Champions League debut, which was a huge achievement for the striker. He has also opened his league account for the club, although last season he managed to score 11 times in the Eredivisie for Groningen. He will be eager to feature more for Ajax next season as he attempts to make his mark on the league. He likes to run with the ball, and has the pace and strength to beat defenders when he does. The striker is very good in front of goal when the chances come his way and once he has been embedded into the Ajax style, he could be a very clinical forward for them.

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FEATURE

With Depay gone… could Ziyech be the new star of the Eredivisie?

May 8, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

The Eredivisie is a league which is known for bringing through a lot of talented players, both from Holland and from across the globe. A number of players from the smaller European nations, South America and Africa see it as a platform to move onto bigger things. Hakim Ziyech is a player who is rising in the Eredivisie and could be set for a move this close season, despite only joining FC Twente last summer. The playmaker is of Moroccan descent, but he is a Dutch youth international, who is beginning to make his mark at the age of 22 writes Jake Jackman.

Ziyech joined FC Twente at the beginning of this season from SC Heerenveen which was an excellent move for him as his game has come on leaps and bounds this campaign. The midfielder has managed to score 11 Eredivisie goals across the two clubs, while also managing to contribute an impressive 12 assists, which is a very productive return in the final third for a player featuring mainly in the centre of midfield. His creative ability and his ability to score goals make him a very attractive option for a number of clubs across the continent, while a future in the Dutch national side is not beyond him.

It was at Heerenveen where Ziyech broke onto the scene and he developed quickly, and was a fan favourite at the club, even managing to win the club’s player of the year award last year ahead of the free scoring Alfred Finnbogason. In the opening weeks of the season, Hakim Ziyech scored at Feyenoord with a superb free kick and was applauded off by the home fans after he outclassed their side. Although he rejected the Rotterdam giants just days later, it showed that it is hard not to be impressed by the youngster’s talent, even when you are the opposition.

As well as having talent, Ziyech is very driven and that showed in the summer as he opted to move to FC Twente over the more lucrative option of joining Feyenoord. The midfielder wanted assurances over playing in the number ten role and they weren’t given by the latter who already had Lex Immers. It was a big mistake as Ziyech has showed his undoubted quality since his move to the Enschede.

The Dutchman is an offensive minded player, who likes to attack with speed with his dynamic style of play, and his eye for a pass makes him impossible to defend against, especially when in combination with the rest of a very pacy and technical Twente attack. Last season Twente were heavily reliant on Dusan Tadic in the final third before he moved to Southampton, but Ziyech has replaced the Serbian international seamlessly. He may not have achieved the numbers that Tadic did, but his influence on the team is just as crucial.

Ziyech is a work in progress with his passing needing work as he can be careless in possession at times, but his technical ability from set pieces and ability to run with the ball show that he could grow into a very effective attacking midfield player. He can put in excellent deliveries from set pieces and has scored a number of free kicks in his short career to date. The Twente midfielder is also very dangerous with his long range shots, and his eye for a defence splitting through ball is up there with the very best in the league.

The future for the Dutch national side is bright with a number of very exciting attacking players coming through at the moment, and Ziyech has the potential to be one of the best. He has the talent to become a really good player and the maturity of the decisions he is making regarding his career will help him achieve that. This summer is too soon for him to be considering a move away from the Eredivisie, but with Memphis Depay departing for Old Trafford, there is room for a new star of the league to emerge and Hakim Ziyech is one of the few players with the potential to fill it.

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FEATURE, PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Southampton’s Eljero Elia: The Saints’ story so far

February 11, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

In September 2009, a vital World Cup qualifier between The Netherlands and Scotland was locked at 0-0 with a little over 15 minutes of the match left. At this point, Arjen Robben, the Netherlands star man, and most dangerous player on the night, was somewhat surprisingly replaced by a largely unknown 21 year old, his name? Eljero Elia. Elia went on to expertly round the keeper and grab an 82nd minute winner for the Dutch, maintaining their 100% record. Since then, Elia’s career has had its ups and downs, but he is now back in the spotlight after his move to Premier League side Southampton. So, what is the story so far, of the player once dubbed The Netherlands golden boy? Fin Crebolder tells all…

THE BEGINNING

Lets go back to 2004, where Elia was a 17 year old prodigy playing at ADO Den Haag. He had been at ADO since 1996, although he spend did two years at Ajax from 2000 to 2002, before returning to ADO Den Haag. He had excelled in the youth team for many years, and made his long awaited debut in 2004 against Groningen. He went on to make 4 appearances for the club that season, scoring his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar. After this breakthrough season, he established himself as a consistent starter for the club, making 56 appearances, scoring 8 goals and getting 4 assists. At the end of the 2006/07 season, it became apparent that Elia was to leave the club. He had conflicts with the coach, Lex Schoenmaker, and also had no intention of playing in the Eerste Divisie (ADO had been relegated). Ajax showed in interest in him, but the deal involved him being loaned back to ADO Den Haag for a season, which he had no intention of doing.

FC TWENTE

Elia joined FC Twente on July the 1st, 2007, for a fee of around €180,000. He made his debut in a 2-2 draw against Utrecht in August, but didn’t score his first goal until February, in a 2-1 win over Heracles Almelo. He made 36 appearances that season, scoring two goals and assisting two. The 2008/09 season proved to be a pivotal one in Elia’s career, largely due to the appointment of Steve McClaren. McClaren managed to create a side capable of winning the Eredivisie title, and Elia was pivotal to the sides success. He scored 14 goals in all competitions including 9 in the league, and also got 10 assists, a vast improvement on his previous season. Over the course of the season, Elia also made his Champions League debut and scored his first European goal in the Europa League against Manchester City. In the January of the season, Ajax stated their interest in him and had two offers rejected. Elia ended the speculation by signing a contract keeping him at the club until 2013. At the end of the season, Elia was named Dutch Football Talent of the Year.

HAMBURG

Despite signing a new contract, Elia stated that he wanted to leave the club at the end of the season. After his excellent season, many clubs around Europe showed interest in him, and on the 5th of July 2009, Hamburg signed him for €8.5 Million. He made his debut a month later, coming on as a substitute in the opening game of the season against Freiburg, and scored his first goal for the club two weeks later, in a 4-2 win over Wolfsburg. He made 35 appearances over the course of the season, scoring six and creating nine goals. This impressive debut season in Germany earned him a place in The Netherlands 2010 World Cup squad. He made a large impact in South Africa, coming off the bench to good effect in six of seven games in the Dutch run to the final, including a 50 minute appearance in the final, where The Netherlands lost 1-0 to Spain in the dying minutes of extra time. However, this season proved to be the peak of Elia’s career so far, as his career began to take a downhill trajectory. In his second season at Hamburg, Elia was often rotated, playing a full 90 minutes only nine times over the course of the season. This left him considering his options, and his future at the club looked to be in further jeopardy when he claimed to the press that the club’s style of play didn’t suit him, and also said that the club didn’t look after him when he was sidelined through injury. He was subsequently fined for his comments, and it appeared inevitable that he would leave the club sooner or later.

JUVENTUS

On the 31st of August 2011, four games into his third season at Hamburg, Elia signed for Juventus for a fee of €9 Million. This proved to be Elia’s worst career move by a long way, as he struggled to make any impact at all in what was an incredible season for “The Old Lady”. Due to Conte’s preference to play a 3-5-2 formation with wings backs, Elia very rarely found a place in the team, and made just five appearances all season, starting just one game, despite the fact that he didn’t have any injuries or suspensions throughout. Due to this catastrophic season for him, Elia missed out on a spot in The Netherlands Euro 2012 squad.

WERDER BREMEN

In an attempt to revive his now stalled career, Elia requested a transfer on the 11th of June 2012, and returned to the Bundesliga a month later, this time playing for Werder Bremen, who paid €5.5 Million for his services. He struggled in his first seven appearances, and admitted that he was finding it difficult to adapt to the teams style of play. He went on to make 25 appearances in his first season, but only scored one goal, in the DFB-Pokal. He was also suspended by the club after he was caught speeding. Despite a disappointing first season, the club decided against selling him, and he made an encouraging start to the 13/14 season, scoring two goals in a 3-3 draw with Nuremberg. He also found the back of the net in two consecutive games against Mainz and Hoffenheim in late November. He ended the season with four goals and four assists, and became a fan favourite due to his exciting and eccentric style. Elia started the 14/15 campaign in the starting line-up, and got an assist in the opening day fixture. However, illness coupled with a controversial tweet in the build up to the derby against his former club, Hamburg, meant that he was dropped from the first team, and he struggled to cement a spot in the starting lineup after that, largely due to his attitude, along with the impressive form of winger Fin Bartels.

THE FUTURE: SOUTHAMPTON

That brings us to present day, where Elia is currently plying his trade at Premier League side Southampton, following Ronald Koeman’s decision to bring him in on loan. Elia has had an impressive start at the club currently 3rd in the league, causing havoc for defences with his pace and trickery, and exciting fans and pundits alike. He scored his first goals for the club when he bagged a brace in a 2-1 brace over Liverpool. Whilst it is evident that Elia will never become the global superstar he once promised to be, at a rising club like Southampton, under the management of his compatriot Koeman, Elia still has time to surpass his previous achievements, and maybe even become a key player for the Oranje once again.

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