Tag Archives: Feyenoord

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

Click the name above to follow Will on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE, NEWS

Rutten leaves Feyenoord, Gio may take over early

May 17, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

As expected this evening Fred Rutten has left his role as Feyenoord manager with immediate effect reports Ross Anderson.

A meeting was called with Feyenoord’s sporting director Martin van Geel and Rutten resigned after the talks. The 52-year-old former PSV, Twente and Vitesse manager took the decision to leave following his sides failure to reach the Europa League outright after a 3-0 defeat at PEC Zwolle this afternoon.

This result allowed AZ Alkmaar to overtake them in third place on the final day of the season, meaning Feyenoord will have to gain entry into Europe through the play-offs. The defeat in Zwolle was the last straw for club and manager as they both feel a change will be needed in order to navigate their way through the play-offs.

Rutten was already set to leave at the end of the season with assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst to be in charge next season. We understand Van Bronckhorst will now step up to try and help the Rotterdammers claim a European football place.

Rutten’s side only managed a poor tally of two points from their last five games as they slumped to home defeats to Go Ahead Eagles and Vitesse and away draws with Willem II and Groningen before losing heavily today.

It was ultimately a mixed season in charge of the Rotterdam club for Rutten who never really won the full support of the fans. After a sketchy start to the season where they won only five points from their first six games, which included home defeats to Utrecht and fierce rivals Ajax and found themselves stuck at the wrong end of the table.

The team seemed to find their feet after that and charged up the table into the top three and finished top of their Europa League group with eventual finalists Sevilla. After their title hopes were cruelly dashed in a thrilling 4-3 loss to PSV, they still found a certain consistency in results and looked set for a top three finish before a poor end to the season has cost them.

With Vitesse only managing a draw at home with Utrecht, Feyenoord finished fourth and will play Heerenveen in the play-off before playing either Zwolle or Vitesse in the final should they win.

Click on Ross’ name above to follow him on Twitter.

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.

Click on Rogier’s name to follow him on Twitter.

EREDIVISIE, FEATURE

Eredivisie: The Race For Third

May 9, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

This weekend’s fixtures are set to have a massive bearing on the race to finish third in the table and guarantee Europa League football for next season. With the league title already sown up by PSV, Ajax securing second place and Dordrecht guaranteed to finish bottom, there is not much else to play for this season. All that remains is to find out which of the teams will contest the relegation play-off, to cement the teams who will play in the Europa League play-off and which of the teams will finish third.

On Sunday AZ Alkmaar host NAC Breda in what could potentially be a trickier fixture than it looks on paper with NAC looking to secure their survival in the league. Thanks to a police strike the big game of the weekend between Feyenoord and Vitesse is now to be played on Monday night. A point for Feyenoord in this game will take Vitesse out of the equation and it will also be enough to secure third place if AZ lose. Even if both Feyenoord and AZ win Feyenoord will most likely still finish third thanks to their far superior goal difference. A win for Vitesse will shake things right up and force it to go right up until the final day.

Let’s now have a look at all three teams chances of finishing in that final league position…

FEYENOORD

Feyenoord should have had third place sewn up by now, but after a stuttering finish to the campaign there are now in danger of losing it after doing so well to get themselves up there in the first place. Were also, up until a few weeks ago, looking up the table at catching Ajax in second but are now forced to look down after gaining only two points from their last nine. A 2-2 draw with Willem II didn’t look to be too damaging at the time but that was followed by a surprise first defeat at De Kuip since September to relegation candidates Go Ahead Eagles. Go Ahead had only won twice away from home all season and it was a damaging defeat that could have a big impact on their final league position. Before last weekends break in play a point away to Groningen would otherwise have been seen as a good one but in their current situation after going 1-0 they will be disappointed not to see it out.

With manager Fred Rutten and potentially several playing staff such as Clasie, Boetius and Te Vrede all linked with moves away it is easy to see why they may have tailed off towards the end but you would hope that they would like to put Feyenoord in as good a position as possible for next season, especially captain Clasie. Coach Rutten is already guaranteed to guide Feyenoord to their worst league position in three years but he won’t want to make it any worse. After scoring four goals in three appearances at the end of March, Anass Achahbar has failed to score in his next three. They will hope he can return to this form to guide them through the next two games. They will also be boosted by the fact that they have signed striker Colin Kazim-Richards on a permanent deal from Bursaspor. Feyenoord will be confident of securing the right result at what will be a crowded house against a Vitesse club that has looked slightly out of sorts this season. Terence Kongolo will be back after missing the game at Groningen and the only absentee will be Khaled Boulahrouz who was sent off in the dying seconds last time out. With expectations high the only thing that is likely to cost Feyenoord is their nerve in the big games which, barring PSV at home and AZ away, has sometimes hindered them this season.

AZ ALKMAAR

Nearest and most likely challengers to Feyenoord for third place, AZ are currently sitting in fourth with three points separating them and a place above. The team from Alkmaar could potentially miss out through their poor goal difference, which would need to see a twenty goal swing between them and Feyenoord in the final two games if they finish level. This has not been helped by a defense that has conceded a massive 53 goals this season, the worst record inside the top 11 teams. This year itself they have shipped four to PSV, six against Utrecht, three against Vitesse, four at home to Feyenoord and five at Heerenveen, a cut down on these figures would have seen them right in amongst it at the top.

Utrecht alone have put nine goals past them this season. Like Feyenoord it has been a fairly inconsistent season for AZ and they have never really been able to put a good run of results together. Good results such as the 2-2 draw away to Feyenoord, the 1-0 win at Ajax and 4-2 success at Groningen have been cancelled out by defeats at home to Feyenoord and both games against PSV. A run of seven games unbeaten from the end of October to mid-December seemed to put them on the right path until it was inexplicably ended with a 3-0 defeat at home to Utrecht. Straight after this game it again looked as if they had dragged themselves back in it with a run of one loss in eight leading into March. During this time they looked like serious challengers to Feyenoord and even an outside bet of a Champions League place a run of one win in five though showed their inconsistent nature. They go into the game on Sunday with two wins in a row including a crucial three points away at struggling Twente.

However, the fans will be disheartened by the sale of captain Nemanja Gudelj to Ajax this week, though he will be suspended for this weekend’s fixture anyway. Whether this will have an affect on the players themselves though remains to be seen. With Gudelj, their main source of goals, out it will now be up to the rest of the squad to pitch in with striker Steven Berghuis looking to add to his tally of nine goals this term. AZ will gain confidence from the from the fact the have already beaten NAC Breda this season 1-0 away from home, but teams fighting relegation at the end of the season can be a very different animal to the one at the start, so they can’t afford to be complacent.

VITESSE ARNHEM

Vitesse can count themselves unlucky that they seem to have just a very outside chance of reaching the top three. Their season seems to have gone the opposite from their two rivals’ as their poorest form seems to have come in the middle of the campaign. They would have found themselves in with a great chance of grabbing third spot with a win at De Kuip on Monday if they had won against ADO Den Haag in their last game. This defeat put an end to a truly spectacular run of 12 games without a loss including ten wins, but the shock defeat has left their hope of gaining entry in the Europa League automatically hanging by a thread. Anything but a win on Monday and they will have to go through the play-offs, and with what looks like Zwolle, Heerenveen and one of either Feyenoord and AZ joining them in there, nothing is certain.

Aside from the defeat at Den Haag, Vitesse can point to a disappointing start to the season where they failed to win in August and only had four points from their first 18. It looked as if they had found their feet between September and October when they recorded three straight wins, scoring 16 goals in the process but a run of one win in ten was to follow that though as their season fell away before them. The much needed unbeaten run that followed was vital and set them up in a good position coming into Monday nights game before the defeat to Den Haag. The team does posses some truly quality players in Marko Vejinovic, Davy Propper, Valeri Kaziishvili and Bertrand Traore and are capable of beating any team in this league on their day. Traore has 11 goals to his name and will look to add more before he presumably returns to Chelsea in the summer.

Vitesse can also take heart from Feyenoord’s recent slump in form and after seeing Go Ahead Eagles come away with three points; they are likely to be in a confident mood.

Click on Ross’ name above to follow him on Twitter.

FEATURE

Feyenoord – A Tactical Analysis

February 2, 2015 Will Burns 1 Comment

If you are an Eredivisie fan and you love the tactical side of the beautiful game, then you are probably very impressed with the tactical manoeuvres of Feyenoord this season. The Rotterdam giant saw a huge exodus of players at the end of last season and many people thought they would have had a very challenging time this season. Those people were partially right, since Feyenoord struggled at the beginning of the season and only won one of their first six games. However, since then, the 2002 UEFA Cup winners have made significant strides. They currently sit 3^rd in the league and are playing some of the most dominant and invigorating football in the Eredivisie. Home games against Ajax, AZ and FC Twente as well as the away game against PSV have been some of the most stimulating and entertaining displays we have seen from any team in the league this season.

This relatively successful season so far is largely down to how well the players have been able to maintain the tactical set-up of this team. The 4-3-3 formation utilised is being executed with great discipline, hard work and skills by the players. The three main aspects of this Feyenoord system and strategy are as follows:

The Goalkeeping & Defensive Shake Up

Let’s start by looking at the goal keeper and the back four. Vermeer was brought into the team at the beginning of the season to bring more solidity to the defence and he has done just that. His experience, agility and calmness under pressure have not just curtailed the number of goals the team concedes, but it has also seemingly helped to bring confidence into the young centre backs of Van Beek and Kongolo.

The back four of Nilom, Van Beek, Kongolo and Wilkshire have all been playing very impressively. Van Beek brings great physicality and grit to the centre of the defence and Kongolo’s ball-playing and anticipation skills have been complimented by Wilkshire’s exuberant runs along the right full-back position. Nelom has also put in his best performances as a Feyenoord player this season. He has moved from being a very shaky, inconsistent and error-prone left-back last season, to becoming a much more solid and reliable full-back this season. There are still occasions of lapsed concentration and needless giving away of the ball by Nilom this season, but they have been less numerous than last season and his reading of the game has evidently improved.

The Midfield Dynamics

The Feyenoord midfield has been very impressive this season. Clasie continues to be a pass-master and he even ramped up his tackling and overall work rate. El Ahmadi has looked much more impressive in the box-to-box role this season than he looked most of his time at Aston Villa. His very intelligent forward runs have been a great advert for how to play that running midfield position with balance and poise. Immers is the kind of attacking midfielder who runs all game and constantly puts himself in positions to receive the ball. This man is a maverick to some fans as he is not very fast and not particularly technical, nevertheless, he can be quite an effective attacking midfielder at times. Most people would probably agree though that it is his huge selfless work rate that makes him such a useful player.

These three midfield players at times behave as one dynamic organism with an almost telepathic relationship. When Clasie gets the ball he never takes too much time to pick out the runs of Immers or El Ahmadi, each player seems to be fully aware of the intentions of the others at any given time and in any situation. El Ahmadi seems to know when to make a rampaging forward run without leaving Clasie in too much of a vulnerable situation to provide cover for him and Immers is always looking for El Ahmadi’s position to ensure that he can assist with any required covering or forward run. In the recent home game against FC Twente, Immers was practically switching with Clasie as the holding midfielder on several occasions and he still managed to venture forward to score. This dynamic midfield system has been partly responsible for some of the most dominant displays we have seen this season.

The Strike Force

This Feyenoord system requires a fast, strong centre forward that is very good at holding up the ball and getting his teammates into the attacking third. Colin Kazin-Richards plays that role quite well. He constantly moves around the penalty box to pull his markers out of position and use brute strength to hold off central defenders. This holding up of the ball essentially allows his wingers and midfielder to get into the attacking third. And with very fast wingers like Manu and Boetius, it only takes a few seconds for these guys to make runs ahead of him and get into good positions to take a lay-off and cross into the box for Immers or El Ahmadi. Both Beotius and Manu are fast wide men and Manu in particular is deceptively strong. These guys provide very direct runs into the box and with improvements to their finishing, could become much more effective.

Toornstra is playing out of position on the right, but if one didn’t know his resume from his Utrecht and ADO Den Haag days, one could think he is a natural right winger. Toornstra isn’t the flamboyant speedy winger that we are used to seeing in the Dutch top flight. However, this man embodies hard work, dedication and drive for results. He is also, probably one of the better readers of the game in the entire Eredivisie. In fact, he is quite similar to Dirk Kuyt. Both players aren’t very fast, but they read the game very well, track back and defend astutely.

Conclusion

This Feyenoord team is playing an exhilarating, entertaining and dynamic brand of football where the young players are all improving constantly and each line of the team consists of well drilled vibrant players moving in a constant state of relative cohesion and discipline.

Click on Rion’s name above to follow him on Twitter

FEATURE

Why Feyenoord Must Sign Colin Kazim-Richards

January 7, 2015 Will Burns Leave a comment

As we near the end of the mid-season break, many supporters around the Netherlands (and indeed the world) are taking stock and hoping for better from their respective clubs in 2014-15 (Part II). Paul Gellard’s own belief is that there is better to come from Feyenoord in the second half of the campaign, and central to that will be Turkish striker, Colin Kazim-Richards.

When Kazim-Richards arrived in Holland on a season-long loan from Turkish club, Bursaspor, it raised a few eyebrows. The winner of 35 caps for his country, the man who originally started his career with English League Two side, Bury, had primarily been a winger in his early career in England and also for the Turkish national side. However, Fred Rutten has chosen to employ him as a lone striker, with often devastating effect.

Feyenoord’s season did not start well (an opening day win at ADO Den Haag aside) and the loss of Graziano Pelle to Southampton was keenly felt in Rotterdam. The Italian had netted 23 goals for “De Club aan de Maas” but it was hoped Mitchell te Vrede would step up to the mark in his absence. To be fair to the Dutch forward, 5 goals in the opening 8 Eredivisie games speaks volumes. However Feyenoord still lacked a real physical presence in the final third as their form remained erratic.

Enter Colin Kazim-Richards, who made his debut for Feyenoord as a 63^rd minute substitute for the aforementioned te Vrede in a 2-1 defeat to Willem II at De Kuip. Indeed, it didn’t take long for the London-born Turk to open his account, scoring just 12 minutes later. This was then followed by a 1-0 home loss to bitter rivals, Ajax, but Kazim-Richards then grabbed his second Feyenoord goal with a 4-0 win at Go Ahead Eagles in Deventer on 27^th September before going on what can be fairly described as a lean spell. Indeed, the next goal did not come until 6^th December when he scored the opening goal in a 5-2 thrashing of neighbours, Excelsior.

By the time of the Excelsior goal, the knives were sharpening for the striker and criticism of his lack of goals was deafening in some quarters. However it was always appreciated by the Feyenoord faithful his willingness to chase down a lost cause and put himself about opposition defences.

As it happened, the Excelsior goal seemed to kickstart Kazim-Richards’ form as he went on to score a goal in each of the remaining three Eredivisie fixtures prior to the mid-season break. Indeed, who can forget his 89^th minute header at the Philips Stadion that appeared to have earned Feyenoord a well-deserved point when trailing 3-2? Only a 93^rd minute winner by Memphis Depay ultimately rained on the Rotterdammers’ parade in a game many have named as their top moment of 2014.

And so a record of 7 goals from 13 Eredivisie appearances is how it stands at the mid-season point. It is quite possible that Kazim-Richards is cursing the break as he hit such a rich run of form. However, for this writer, it is key that Fred Rutten and Feyenoord attempt to sign Kazim-Richards on a permanent basis. Apart from his goalscoring, he has also shown he can play the lone striker’s role and sacrifice himself for the side. He has a powerful physique and pace and is the sort of striker a lot of supporters will hate when he plays against their side, but they’d secretly advocate having him wearing their club’s shirt.

Click on Paul’s name above to follow him on Twitter.

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Feyenoord 4-0 FC Groningen

October 6, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 7TH OCTOBER 2014

FEYENOORD 4 – 0 FC GRONINGEN

Feyenoord score four as they dominate 10-man Groningen. The sending off of Johan Kappelhof at 1-0 left Groningen with an uphill task and they were put to the sword by a very good Feyenoord forward line writes Ryan O’Grady.

Feyenoord and Groningen were both coming into this game off the back of two consecutive wins with Feyenoord perhaps showing that they are starting to recover from a difficult start to season in which they were knocked out of Champions’ League qualifying and the KNVB Beker. In their last two games they beat Go Ahead Eagles 4-0 in the Eredivisie, after losing to them in the cup, and Elvis Manu scored a late goal to secure victory against Standard Liege in the Europa League. Groningen won their cup game 4-1 against Topklasse (3rd Division) side Barendrecht and last weekend beat Willem II 1-0 at home in the league.

It was relatively quiet opening twenty minutes to start the game, the only events of note were a Jens Toornstra free-kick that was cleared by Maikel Kieftenbeld and a booking for Kappelhof, something that would be even more significant later. It all began in earnest in the 20th minute when Colin Kazim-Richards retrieved the ball inside the box before spinning and managing to get a shot away that was well saved by Sergio Padt. The rebound fell to Jordy Clasie and with Padt still on the floor he pretty much had an open goal to aim at but skied it badly from about 10 yards out. Feyenoord then got themselves ahead only 3 minutes later when Kazim-Richards played a lovely one-two on the edge of the box with Lex Immers before unleashing a shot into the bottom corner of the net. They had a chance to double their lead in the 30th minute when Kappelhof got his clearance badly wrong and the ball went out for a corner which Terence Kongolo subsequently headed just wide.

Elvis Manu then joined in the action in the 36th minute when he cut in from the left hand side and was in an extremely dangerous position but put his effort well over Padt’s bar. This was followed by a Feyenoord penalty claim when Toornstra appeared to be tripped by Danny Hoesen just inside the box but the referee Tom van Sichem wasn’t having it and gave the goal kick after the ball had rolled out of play.

The second half started with a kerfuffle when a corner from Groningen came in and there was a scramble in the box before Vermeer managed to grab it but as he was grabbing it Eric Botteghin swung for the ball and accidentally caught Vermeer in the face. He immediately tried to apologise but the Feyenoord players weren’t and a minor ruckus was started. The referee ended up booking Botteghin. As mentioned earlier Kappelhof was booked in the first half and in the 56th minute he picked up his second yellow and was sent off leaving coach Erwin van de Looi with 10 men and made it even tougher for his side to try and get back into the game. Midfielder Nick van der Velden was brought off for defender Roland Baas as a result. Groningen paid for the sending off almost immediately as in the 57th minute Lex Immers scored a wonderful header. Karim El Ahmadi ran down the right before delivering a ball into the centre of the box that Immers ran onto from the left hand side and headed it back the way it came leaving Padt with no chance. The Dutch attacking midfielder then had another good headed chance in the 65th minute when another sublime cross, this time from Australian Luke Wilkshire, found its way to Immers who this time could only head it past the post.

Manu then had a one-on-one with the keeper and he tried to put it through the keeper’s legs but the keeper was able to close his legs just in time and deflect it away from goal. Substitute Jean-Paul Boëtius made it 3-0 soon after in the 83rd minute when yet another brilliant cross from Wilkshire found another substitute in Mitchell te Vrede who his header was brilliantly saved by Padt but the ball flew straight up and Boëtius came in and headed home from close range. Te Vrede did manage to get himself on the scoresheet 5 minutes when a lovely chipped cross from Lex Immers found the bug Dutchmen unmarked in the 6 yard box and this time he didn’t Padt a chance.

Click Ryan’s name above to follow him on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Feyenoord 0-1 Ajax

September 21, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2014

FEYENOORD 0 – 1 AJAX

Ajax defeated Feyenoord by the single goal in this afternoon’s De Klassieker but they will have Jasper Cillessen and the woodwork to thank for the three points writes Will Burns.

Feyenoord head coach Fred Rutten must have wondered how his side was a goal down after just five minutes, when they could have so easily been in the lead. Jordy Clasie and Ruben Schaken had saw early chances hit the crossbar before Ricardo van Rhijn hit a 40-yard free-kick past the stranded Kenneth Vermeer to give Ajax the shock lead.

The Rotterdammers saw the woodwork prevent the equaliser as Sven van Beek rose above everyone from a Miquel Nelom cross. Minutes later, Jasper Cillessen pulled off a great save from Colin Kazim-Richards to remarkably keep the score at 1-0 to Ajax. Feyenoord were in full control of everything but the scoreline.

The chances were flowing for the hosts but none were easier than Colin Kazim-Richards just before the interval. After a whipping ball into the area from Jens Toornstra, the Turkish international did wonderful to control in the area and wrong-foot marker Niclas Moisander. However, the striker’s finished was a meagre effort as he dragged his shot wide from just yards out. The fans behind the goal in De Kuip all stood with their hands on their head.

The teams went into half-time with the Rotterdammers being far the better side but a goal down and the second-half was more of the same.

The Amsterdammers could truly thank Cillessen for the three points today as the Dutch international was quiet literally pulling out all the stops. After opposite number, Kenneth Vermeer showed a strong hand to deny Kolbeinn Sigthórsson at the other end, Cillessen stopped a great header from Jean-Paul Boëtius from a Luke Wilkshire free-kick.

As Feyenoord pressed, it looked likely that Rutten’s men would at least secure a point, especially when excellent work from Elvis Manu provided Mitchell te Vrede an excellent opportunity to equalise with five minutes remaining. The young striker had time to set himself up perfectly at the back post but his shot somehow stayed out via Van Rhijn and then Cillessen.

The striker grew more and more frustrated as did the raucous fans inside De Kuip when Te Vrede saw his late header tipped over the bar by the outstanding Cillessen.

Despite a massive 16 attempts on goal for the Rotterdammers, Ajax held on to win their fifth consecutive victory over their bitter rivals, which adds more pressure on Feyenoord boss Fred Rutten.

TEAMS

Click the name above to follow Will on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Feyenoord 1-2 Willem II

September 14, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2014

FEYENOORD 1 – 2 WILLEM II

It was an historic night in Rotterdam as Willem II recorded their first away win in the Eredivisie since December 2009. A Samuel Armenteros inspired performance guided the away side to a surprise away victory against struggling Feyenoord. Feyenoord opted to rest their star player Jordy Clasie as they perhaps had one eye on Thursday’s Europa League clash against Sevilla writes Simon Prue.

Feyenoord dominated possession in the early stages of the match but failed to create any clear cut chances. Willem II’s defence looked shaky in the opening 10 minutes, however, it did not matter as a wonderful counter attacking move in the 8^th minute saw Frank van der Struijk give Willem II the lead. Armenteros broke away down the left hand side with pace before his deflected cross fell perfectly for van der Struijk to volley home with conviction.

Feyenoord’s best opportunity in the opening 20 minutes of the match came as a result of former Middlebrough man Luke Wilkshire whose free kick was directed straight into the arms of Willem II’s keeper Kostas Lamprou, currently on loan from the Rotterdammers.

Willem II continued to soak up Feyenoord’s pressure and were rewarded for their discipline as they caught Feyenoord on the counter attack once more and doubled their lead in the 23^rd minute through star man Samuel Armenteros. Ondaan skillfully passed Kongolo down the right hand side before pulling the ball back superbly into the path of Armenteros who guided the ball expertly into the roof of the net.

The hosts began to get a grip of themselves and started to threaten Willem II’s increasingly stubborn defence. Dries Wuytens made a crucial recovery tackle to deny Schaken a clear goal scoring opportunity before Te Vrede could only glance his header wide of the post from close range. After Kongolo saw a strong penalty appeal waved away, Feyenoord created their best chance of the game as Lex Immers latched onto a loose ball just inside the 18 yard box but he could only screw his shot horribly wide of Lamprou’s right hand post.

Feyenoord introduced Jens Toornstra and Elvis Manu at the break but there was no change in the pattern of play. Willem II looked to sit back and Feyenoord couldn’t find a way through the opposition’s defence. Kongolo summed up the hosts’ frustration and anxiety as he was cautioned for a reckless challenge from behind on Terell Ondaan.

Just after the hour mark, Luke Wilkshire delivered another good cross towards the near post and Manu should have done better with the opportunity as his header went straight into the hands of Lamprou.

In the 75^th minute Luke Wilshire’s teasing crosses were finally rewarded as Colin Kazim Richards leaped above his marker and flicked the ball into the top corner. Kazim Richards almost doubled his tally moments later with an impressive acrobatic scissor kick that flew past the stationary Lamprou but also past the post.

Two great chances for Feyenoord followed. Firstly, Manu went on a mazy run into the penalty area turning van der Struijk inside out but his shot was once again well saved by Lamprou. In the 89^th minute tricky winger Ruben Schaken floated in a cross that was cleared into the path of Toornstra whose powerful volley crashed against the post.

Samuel Armenteros had a wonderful chance to get his second goal of the game deep into injury time but his lobbed effort landed on the roof of the net.

TEAMS

FEYENOORD: Vermeer, Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen (Manu 46), Kongolo, El Ahmadi, Immers, Vilhena, Schaken, Te Vrede (Kazim-Richards 63), Boëtius (Toornstra 46).

SUBS NOT USED: Mulder, Nelom, Karsdorp, Basaçikoglu.

GOALS: Kazim-Richards 78.

BOOKINGS: Kongolo 51.

WILLEM II: Lamprou, Dijks (Heerkens 80), Peters, D. Wuytens, Van der Struijk, S. Wuytens, Haemhouts (Ippel 56), Braber, Ondaan (Sporkslede 71), Armenteros, Saher.

SUBS NOT USED: Meul, Cabral, Vleugels, Vicento.

GOALS: Van der Struijk 8, Armenteros 23.

BOOKINGS: Peters 90+2.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Samuel Armenteros (Willem II)

Click the name above to follow Simon on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

FEATURE

THE MOST SHOCKING TRANSFER OF THE WINDOW!

September 3, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

“Wait, what?” Because I like to be on top of the news, but I’m not that surprised anymore when I read about transfers. Normally there are some rumours and in some cases I’m only waiting for the official news. This goes the same for the recent deadline day – it was exciting as always, but it did not match my feelings when I heard about the biggest transfer this year writes Jos Boesveld.

No, it’s not James Rodríguez to Real Madrid or Ángel Di María joining Louis van Gaal at Manchester United. It’s Kenneth Vermeer and his transfer to Feyenoord.

It has been a long time since I needed a moment to realise what just happened. A shock move, as they like to call it in English. FOX Sports was the first to report the news. I was ready to watch FC Groningen – Ajax on Sunday afternoon when they told about a possible transfer between the biggest rivals in the Eredivisie.

The social media exploded and in a few minutes. The hashtag Vermeer, Ajax and Feyenoord became trending topic in the Netherlands. I did not contributed to that. I just sat there with my mouth open, staring at nothing.

That moment took me back to the 22^nd of August 2012. I was a club-watcher for Ajax back then and in the heat of all the transfers, it was a busy month for me. I followed my Twitter feed, refreshed the website of Ajax every five minutes and had a list of players who were linked with the club. Christian Poulsen was not on that list, not even close.

And still, the Danish midfielder came to Ajax. I could not believe that a player with all his experience would choose for an adventure in Amsterdam. He did, and it stunned me. Some transfers just come out of the blue and can surprise everyone, no matter how interested they are in the club. It’s what’s making the transfer market interesting and makes deadline day better than Christmas, New Year’s Eve and whatever holiday combined.

Click on Jos’ name above to follow him on Twitter

NEWS, TRANSFERS

THE EREDIVISIE GOALKEEPER TRANSFER MERRY-GO-ROUND

September 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

The Eredivisie has experienced a goalkeeper ‘triangle-transfer’ this deadline day that began with yesterday’s shock transfer of Kenneth Vermeer leaving Ajax to join bitter rivals Feyenoord in a €700k deal after 14 years at the Amsterdam giants writes Will Burns.

Vermeer was set to spend a season on the bench at Ajax and is now set to compete with Erwin Mulder for the number-one shirt in Rotterdam. The 28-year old has signed a four-year deal but it emerged from the British press last night that he could have ended up with Louis van Gaal at Manchester United.

Van Gaal tried to strike a deal at the end of last week for the Vermeer, however the stopper said he had given his word to Fred Rutten that he was joining Feyenoord. New United boss Van Gaal is a fan of Vermeer, who would provide cover for current first choice keeper David de Gea at the Old Trafford club. It is understood, United discussed the possibility of a Anders Lindegaard plus cash deal, going to Rotterdam to help make the deal happen but Vermeer insisted on completing the move to De Kuip.

On the move, Vermeer said to De Telegraaf: “’It was a chance I had to grab with both hands. I’m grateful to Ajax for 14 fantastic years but I had to put myself first. I want to be playing. And I can do that at Feyenoord”

This controversial transfer has caused three clubs to adjust their goalkeeping options with PEC Zwolle signing Feyenoord’s reserve keeper Warner Hahn on a season-long loan. The Jong Oranje international goalkeeper Hahn signed for the Rotterdam club in the summer on a free transfer from promoted side FC Dordrecht but has yet to make his debut ahead of Mulder. Only 22-years-old, Hahn has time on his side and working under Ron Jans at Zwolle gives him great Eredivisie first-team experience.

Why PEC Zwolle needed to buy a keeper was due to the fact that Diederik Boer left the club to replace Vermeer at Ajax, as back-up for Dutch international Jasper Cillessen. The 33-year-old will wear the number ‘33’ shirt and signs on a three-year deal.

Click the name above to follow Will on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: FC Twente 0-0 Feyenoord

August 31, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

FC TWENTE 0 – 0 FEYENOORD

There were no goals in the match between FC Twente and Feyenoord, but there were plenty of chances for both. The quality in the final third was lacking. However there were positives for both, especially in the midfields writes Jack Jackman.

Feyenoord were facing a difficult trip to face FC Twente and it would be a real test of the new side, after the summer of changes that have taken place. It looks like Jordy Clasie is set to stay, which will be a huge boost and he captained the side today. It was the away side that had the better of the early exchanges as Jean-Paul Boëtius had his shot saved by Nick Marsman, while the in-form Mitchell te Vrede had two chances, the first he headed wise, and the second was a shot well saved by the Twente goalkeeper.

The home side started to come into the game as Hakim Ziyech started to threaten, forcing a save from range. The likes of him, Kyle Ebecilio, Luc Castaignos and Youness Mokhtar in the same side is very exciting. Around the half an hour mark, Lex Immers had a great chance to open the scoring for Feyenoord, but his close range shot was excellently saved by Mulder.

Then the big moment of the first half arrived as Boëtius was brought down in the box by Cuco Martina and the referee awarded the away side with a penalty. It was Te Vrede who stepped up to take it, but Marsman guessed the right way and saved a tame penalty. Minutes later, Tonny Vilhena had a decent chance as he found room inside the box, but he failed to find a way past Marsman. The first half ended goalless, but it was an entertaining half and it started to look like the new look Feyenoord team could do things this season in the Eredivisie, with Boëtius looking particularly threatening.

The second half started even, Kamohelo Mokotjo came close with an effort from long range that forced a save from Mulder. This was quickly followed by Ziyech shooting just wide as the home side were turning up the pressure. Feyenoord didn’t create as much as they did in the first half, but te Vrede missed the target with two headers as he continued to be a handful, despite being wasteful in front of goal.

The Feyenoord striker had two chances in quick succession around the 75 minute mark, the first effort went fractions wide, and the second needed to be saved by Marsman after good work to create the chance by Jens Toornstra.

There were a lot of late chances with te Vrede forced a save with his head, the forward had lots of chances today, but couldn’t make one of them count. This was quickly followed by a chance for the home side as Ziyech’s shot from range was saved by Mulder, the midfielder will turn out to be a great signing for Twente, he looked very good today and created lots of problems for Feyenoord.

Elvis Manu produced an excellent bit of skill to put in a cross for Jordy Clasie who headed fractions wide, it looked for a moment like the skipper would score the winner for the away side. Feyenoord nearly nicked at with the last kick of the game as Elvis Manu headed past Marsman, but it was scrambled out by the defenders. The draw was a little unfair on Feyenoord who were the better team. However they lacked composure in the final third, especially te Vrede who had plenty of opportunities to score, but failed to find a way past Marsman, who was excellent all match. There were lots of positives for the side that finished second last season and it looks like they will continue to improve in years to come.

TEAMS

TWENTE: Marsman, Martina, Lachman (Breukers 46), Bengtsson, Koppers, Mokotjo, Ebecilio, Ziyech, Mokhtar (Eghan 69), Castaignos, Kusk (Ould-Chikh 79).

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Schilder, Borven, Andersen.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Martina 33, Ebecilio 67.

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Wilkshire, Van Beek, Mathijsen, Nelom, Clasie (Karsdorp 90), Immers (Toornstra 46), Vilhena, Schaken (Manu 72), Te Vrede, Boëtius.

SUBS NOT USED: Hahn, Kongolo, Basaçikoglu, Kazim-Richards.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Van Beek 39.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Nick Marsman (FC Twente)

Click on Jacob’s name above to follow him on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com

BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 4: Sunday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 30, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday brings three live games to Sky Sports 5 from the ever entertaining Eredivisie and Will Burns is here to select his four top tips.

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

PSV vs. VITESSE (11:30 BST)

Philip Cocu’s PSV are oozing with confidence after last weekend’s 3-1 victory in ‘De Topper’ against bitter rivals Ajax. The speed of Luciano Narsingh and Memphis Depay on opposite wings, demolished the Amsterdammers defence in the second half and I see these two causing problems for Peter Bosz’ Vitesse.

Depay, Europe’s most-wanted, gave the Eindhoven side another boost and signed a new contract this past week, he will be looking for celebrate his stay with more goals. The 20-year-old has currently netted five times in just three league games and eight in six of the season so far.

Without a win this season, Bosz’s side have now lost their last six away games in the Eredivisie and you can expect that dreary run to continue. Zakaria Labyad has made a strong start this season and with the team devoid of an out-and-out striker and struggling to finish chances, he will be the visitors’ main threat.

Many defences will fail to cope with PSV this season and with the Arnhem outfit already conceded eight goals in three matches, Vitesse could see a beating. Expect to witness goals and De Boeren winning by at least two with PSV -1 on the handicap valued at 7/5.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PSV -1 (7/5 – Betfair)

FC GRONINGEN vs. AJAX (13:30 BST)

FC Groningen host a wounded animal in Ajax and Frank de Boer will be looking to this game as the perfect chance to get back to winning ways, although this may be a tough test at the Euroborg Stadion.

Groningen’s home form is excellent and they are currently on a six-game winning streak and like PSV, Edwin van der Looi’s side possess a lot of pace in attack. Until last Sunday’s 3-0 defeat away to ADO Den Haag, Groningen have no trouble scoring with six goals in two games and Ajax proved last weekend they are vulnerable defensively.

As Ajax look for an unprecedented fifth Eredivisie title in succession they are lacking a top striker. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, recently linked with Queens Park Rangers, and on-loan forward Arkadiusz Milik have failed to inspire in the opening games so De Boer has relied on midfielders Lasse Schöne and Davy Klaassen along with 19-year-old wide striker Anwar El Ghazi to find the net this term.

A total of fourteen goals have been scored by these two sides in their first three outings, so the goalkeepers should have a real workout in this one. Over 3.5 Goals is valued at 6/4 and I see this is the best way to make a profit in this match.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Over 3.5 Goals (6/4 – Betfair)

NAC BREDA vs. PEC ZWOLLE (13:30 BST)

After European heartache midweek, Ron Jans will be hoping PEC Zwolle can bounce back with a win over NAC Breda, who are yet to win a game this season.

Sparta Prague ran out 3-1 winners on Thursday to knock Jans’ men out on their first ever European adventure. One thing is on their mind this season – get back into the Europa League. Sunday brings a good chance to help those dreams as they travel to Breda to face perennial strugglers NAC. NAC have Adnane Tighouadini to thank for the two draws they have achieved this season against Excelsior and last weekend against Twente.

However, I feel PEC Zwolle with a 100% record in the Eredivisie will be out to rectify Thursday’s defeat and they should have too much for NAC and leave Breda come Sunday afternoon will all three points. Betfair offer 7/4 for the Zwolle win and this price is decent for a team with three wins in three in the league this campaign.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Zwolle to win (7/4 – Betfair)

FC TWENTE vs. FEYENOORD (15:45 BST)

After selling the bulk of their stars in the summer, the Rotterdammers have suffered a stuttering season so far. After being emphatically knocked out of the Champions League by Beşiktaş, Fred Rutten’s side then a found narrow win against ADO before being held to a draw to Heerenveen.

Then last Sunday, Feyenoord suffered a bad defeat at De Kuip against FC Utrecht and one weak link in that game was young defender Sven van Beek. Big things are predicted for the 20-year-old centre-back however, he was easily beaten by teenager Rodney Antwi to score his first ever professional goal in the Utrecht’s 2-1 win.

Van Beek will have to deal with bigger and better things this Sunday, with six-foot two-inch striker Luc Castaignos looking sharp at the start of the campaign. Supplying him is skilful winger Youness Mokhtar and a new look midfield of Hakim Ziyech and Kamohelo Mokotjo.

Three great talents that have shown over the past season, that they are capable of providing the magic to win a game. Twente have the team to punish Feyenoord and I am backing the boys from Enschede at 21/20 to clinch all three points.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Twente to win (21/20 – Betfair)

Click the name above to follow Will on Twitter.

TotalDutchFootball.com WorldFootballWeekly.com