Tag Archives: PSV

Week 24 Eredivisie Report: Fulham loanee clinches PSV win

February 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

PSV clinched their third win in succession to sit in fifth place on Friday night after a gritty 2-1 win over the plucky Heracles Almelo.

Friday 14th February 2014

PSV 2-1 HERACLES

The Philips Stadion pitch was in a terrible state due to heavy rain all day on Friday which left passing across the pitch very difficult, but it was an entertaining game.

The visitors though they had taken the lead after just four minutes of play, after Moroccan midfielder Iliass Bel Hassani had floated a ball over the top of the PSV defence to play in striker Mark Uth. Unfortunately for the German, on-loan from Heerenveen, the PSV high-line had caught him out and as the 22-year-old striker was smashing the ball past Jeroen Zoet, the referees’ assistant on his right had the flag up.

A minute later, the damp Eindhoven crowd were on their feet as their side took the lead. Memphis Depay latched onto a through ball from Jürgen Locadia and the young winger twisted and turned the Heracles defenders as he entered the box. After his first powerful attempt was parried by Remko Pasveer, Depay instinctively pounced on the rebound and coolly placed it into the corner out of the keeper’s reach.

The next twenty minutes or so turned into ‘The Memphis Depay Show’. Everything went through the twenty-year-old and although he is frustrating at times with his decision making, and easily annoys the PSV faithful, the player has clearly the skill and speed to go onto bigger things in the game.

After Depay tested the reactions of Pasveer a few more times, it was the turn of Zoet to be called into action on 23 minutes. The ball came out to Mike te Wierik on the right wing, and the defender whipped in a vicious looking ball towards the penalty spot. Awaiting the delivery was Uth again, he nodded a testing header towards goals, but Zoet came out on top and tipped over the bar.

Before half-time, the Heracles pressure paid off and Jan de Jonge saw his side level the score. The in-form Bryan Linssen was the goalscorer yet again, notching his seventh goal in his last seven appearances. After receiving the ball on the edge of the area, the midfielder spun onto his right foot, slipping the challenge of Jeffrey Bruma and lashing a right foot shot past the diving Zoet. The PSV ‘keeper had no chance of stopping. Linssen, a summer signing from the relegated VVV Venlo, will certainly being observed by some of Holland’s and Europe’s top scouts in this sparkling form, and may be on the mover again this summer.

Just past the hour-mark, PSV regained the lead and it was the on-loan Bryan Ruiz scoring his first goal for the club. The always impressive Jetro Willems attacked down the left-wing and got his cross past Te Wierik. The ball took a slight deflection and fell perfectly for the arriving Fulham man at the back post to nod home with ease.

PSV started to control the play but in the dying moments of the game they needed to rely on Zoet to clinch all three points. With just a minute of normal time remaining, the young goalie needed to pull off a tremendous double save denying Moroccan substitute Oussama Tannane first then saving Uth’s rebound with his legs.

Heracles should have gained a point in the final kick of the match when it was Zoet again to PSV’s rescue. Veteran striker Berry Powel, brought on as a late substitute, nodded the ball down in the six-yard area for Uth, but the German failed to connect properly and Zoet dived on the ball to save the game for the hosts.

Philip Cocu will be pleased with his side’s gritty performance and it is wins like this that may see them creep into the automatic European qualification places. PSV currently sit just six points off second place which is certainly not out of reach at this stage.

Heracles, on the other hand, sit in 11th place only seven points from the drop zone and will need to pick up some wins soon to steer themselves away from trouble.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Arias, Bruma, Rekik, Willems, Schaars, Park (Hendrix 89), Hiljemark, Ruiz, Locadia (Narsingh 79), Depay (Jozefzoon 90).

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Zanka Jørgensen, Brenet, Maher.

GOALS: Depay 5, Ruiz 63.

BOOKINGS: None.

HERACLES: Pasveer, Te Wierik (Powel 85), Schenkeveld, Veldmate, Davidson, Hassani, Rienstra, Cziommer (Bruns 74), Rosheuvel, Uth, Linssen (Tannane 67).

SUBS NOT USED: Telgenkamp, Belterman, Quansah, Koenders.

GOALS: Linssen 42.

BOOKINGS: Te Wierik.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 24 – FRIDAY’S PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

February 13, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Tipster Will Burns is back with his picks for the Eredivisie this Friday’s game and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Friday 14th February

PSV vs. HERACLES – 19:00

Heracles travel to Eindhoven on Friday night after claiming a hard-fought point against Cambuur last weekend. The hosts, PSV achieved a great 3-2 win at the Philips Stadion against title-chasing Twente.

I fully expect for PSV to notch another win on Friday evening, making it their third win in a row. Possibly returning will be Georginio Wijnaldum who last Monday notched in Jong PSV’s 3-0 win over Helmond Sport. The PSV captain has been out for five months with a back injury.

The best bet in this game will be ‘PSV to win to nil’ although PSV have conceded five goals in the last three games. I except them to win without Heracles notching.

BURNS’ BEST BET: PSV to win to nil (13/8 – BetVictor) – Click here to bet on this market

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EREDIVISIE, NEWS

After five month absence, Wijnaldum returns

February 10, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

After been out of action for five months, Georginio Wijnaldum returned tonight in Jong PSV’s Eerste Divisie clash with Helmond Sport.

The Dutch international scored after just 10 minutes in Jong PSV’s 3-0 win in first game since PSV’s 2-2 away draw against FC Twente on 14th September last year.

Wijnaldum has been suffering with back complaints since the UEFA Under-21 European Championship last summer in Israel. PSV coach Philip Cocu has experienced a poor campaign in all competitions and could have certainly done with having his club captain in the team.

The first team of PSV next host Heracles in the Eredivisie this weekend but that game may come too soon for Wijnaldum’s fitness. However, it may be more likely that he will feature in a few more Eerste Divisie games, starting with Jong PSV’s game at Telstar on Friday night.

Cocu will be hoping that within the next few weeks his creative playmaker will be back, in the team he starred so well for earlier this season before being out with the back injury.

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EREDIVISIE

Week 23 Eredivisie Report: PSV stun Twente, Feyenoord hit five

February 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

A great day for Feyenoord, PSV and AJAX fans as FC Twente were felled by the Eindhoven side 3-2 to help Ajax out who could go seven points clear at the top with a win at PEC Zwolle. For Ronald Koeman’s men, it was a tremendous home performance smashing five past Anton Janssen’s NEC side.

Saturday 8th February 2014

PSV 3-2 FC TWENTE

FC Twente’s title hopes were stalled by a resurgent PSV side in a fantastic five-goal thriller on Saturday evening.

It was a dream start for PSV who exploded out the blocks and took the lead after just seven minutes. Colombian right-back Santiago Arias, a summer signing from Sporting Lisbon, bombed down the right-wing, cut inside the box, shrugged off Andreas Bjelland to fire past Nick Marsman in goal.

Both sides played with high-octane pressure all the way up the pitch and on 23 minutes, PSV broke through the Twente defence again. Memphis Depay whipped in a pin-point cross to meet the head of Jürgen Locadia who got in front of Bjelland to double the lead. The Eindhoven crowd was in raptures, and the feel good factor was back in the Philips Stadion.

The second goal fired some life into Twente who could possibly feel their title challenge slipping away. Just past the half-hour mark, Serbian playmaker Dušan Tadić, on-fire as of late with 9 goals and 11 assists this season, nearly reduced the deficit. He intercepted a ball in the final third of the pitch and skipped the challenge of Jorrit Hendrix and smashed a shot from 25 yards that rattled Jeroen Zoet’s crossbar.

The back and forth action returned in PSV’s favour with a decent chance for Depay on 37 minutes. Breaking on the counter has become a specialty for the young PSV side and from a Twente corner, Depay found himself through on goal, but the winger saw his effort creep wide.

Robbert Schilder’s quick throw-in lead them to getting a goal back on 40 minutes. High up the pitch, Schilder caught the PSV defence asleep as the ball was thrown into Quincy Promes’s path and holding off Jeffrey Bruma’s attention, Promes blasted the ball past Zoet for 2-1.

After the break, even though they still had the lead PSV did not sit-back and searched for a third and in the 52nd minute they had the goal. Left-back Jetro Willems scored the goal of the night, emerging from the left-wing with the ball and finely curling a low shot from the edge of the area past the scrambling Marsman that had misjudged the shot.

The scoring was not finished and nor were Twente as we saw the fifth and final goal on 68 minutes. PSV failed to clear a corner and Kyle Ebecilio took advantage a prod home. The two goal conceded by PSV today will the type of errors that Phillip Cocu and Guus Hiddink will want to cut out in future games.

Twente pressed hard to level the game but to no avail and in the final stages of the games, the Phillips Stadion maybe said goodbye to Tim Matavz, whose rumoured €8m transfer to Rubin Kazan could happen sometime this week.

The Eindhoven crowd were jubilant and it was a great win for Cocu’s side that took them to fifth in the Eredivisie standings with Heerenveen (6th) still to play in Sunday’s games.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Arias, Bruma, Hendrix, Willems, Park, Hiljemark, Schaars, Depay, Ruiz (Narsingh 82), Locadia (Matavz 90).

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Zanka Jorgensen, Maher, Jozefzoon, Brenet.

GOALS: Arias 7, Locadia 23, Willems 52

BOOKINGS: None.

FC TWENTE: Marsman, Rosales, Bengtsson, Bjelland, Schilder, Promes, Ebecilio, Gutiérrez, Mokhtar, Tadić, Castaignos.

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Koppers, Djurdjevic, Martina, Eghan, Tapia, Børven.

GOALS: Promes 40, Ebecilio 68.

BOOKINGS: Rosales.

NAC BREDA 2-0 RODA JC

NAC Breda jumped up to ninth placed with a 2-0 home win over Roda, who slip back into the bottom three.

It was an even game but Roda failed to make their chances into goals and it was NAC that nearly broke the deadlock just before the hour mark. Mats Seuntjens lofted a perfect ball over the top of the Roda defenders, and the onrushing Rydell Poepon stretched out for the ball but his effort scraped past the post.

NAC finally gained the lead on 73 minutes through substitute Adnane Tighadouini. Poepon knocked the ball down into Tighadouini’s path, who avoided Timo Letschert’s challenge to fire home.

The game was killed off two minutes before full-time by Stipe Perica. Also a substitute, the Croatian chased a ball down the right-wing in a tussle with the emerging Roda goalkeeper Filip Kurto. Perica won the race and got the ball before the ‘keeper and slid the ball home into the empty net.

TEAMS

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, De Roover, Drost, Buijs, Van der Weg, Seuntjens (Perica 73), Suk, Matic, Verbeek, Poepon (Swerts 82), Sarpong (Tighadouini 65).

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, Hooi, Gommeren, Bodor.

GOALS: Tighadouini 73, Perica 87.

BOOKINGS: Seuntjens, Sarpong.

RODA: Kurto, Letschert, Luijckx, Biemans, Van Peppen, Hupperts, Donald, Sutchuin, Bonevacia, Jansen (Hocher 21), Pluim (Shkurtaj 90+1).

SUBS NOT USED: Prus, Ramos, De Beule, Paulissen, Jacobs.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: None.

GO AHEAD EAGLES 2-1 AZ ALKMAAR

Dick Advocaat’s AZ side have been in good form winning defeating Groningen and Vitesse in the last seven days, but after a poor performance on Saturday, they fell to Go Ahead Eagles 2-1.

The Eagles took the lead with the goal of the day in the Eredivisie. Full-back Doke Schmidt found himself free to try a daring long-range shot from 40 yards out that gave Esteban no chance of stopping, hitting the post and into the net.

The 7,938 crowd inside the Adelaarshorst was loud and imposing as usual and AZ failed to get the ball down and play. Swedish striker Denni Avdić replaced the injured Aron Johansson up front and the 25 year-old failed to make an impact for Advocaat’s men.

The three points were clinched late on by a great counter attacking goal as AZ pressed for an equaliser. After a Stephan Andersen kick from the opposite end, Jeffrey Rijsdijk retrieved and dished out the ball to Jarchinio Antonia who was racing through on goal. The 23-year-old sidestepped Esteban and defender Jeffrey Gouweleeuw could not stop the effort on the line.

Roy Beerens notched a consolation goal for AZ, but it was a bad day at the office for the Alkmaar club.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Andersen, Schmidt, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk, Falkenburg, Overgoor, Türüç, Godee, Kolder (Rijsdijk 67), Houtkoop.

SUBS NOT USED: Ter Mate, Amevor, Antonia, Azevedo, Haps, Lambooij.

GOALS: Schmidt 35, Antonia 86.

BOOKINGS: None.

AZ: Esteban, Viergever, Reijnen, Gouweleeuw, Wuytens (Poulsen 73), Gudelj, Elm, Ortiz, Berghuis (Lewis 73), Beerens, Avdic.

SUBS NOT USED: Johansson, Gorter, Gudmundsson, De Winter, Henriksen.

GOALS: Beerens 90+4.

BOOKINGS: Avdic.

FEYENOORD 5-1 NEC NIJMEGEN

Ronald Koeman’s Feyenoord hit five past NEC as Jean-Paul Boëtius and Graziano Pellè ran riot all over Anton Janssen’s side.

The away side took the lead but should have had a goal earlier in the first minute if it were not for Feyenoord keeper Erwin Mulder. Michael Higdon, an aerial threat all game, knocked the ball down into the path of Christoph Hemlein. The German lashed a volley into the top corner but a strong palm from Mulder saved his side.

However, ten minutes later he could not stop another volleyed effort. Danish midfielder Søren Rieks opened the scoring after Higdon had again nodded the ball down into the Dane’s path and hit the first-time shot that looped over Mulder’s reach and into the goal.

Minutes later, John Goossens nearly scored the equaliser from a free-kick on the edge of the area but Karl-Johan Johnsson tipped the effort over.

The score was levelled up on 26 minutes after some great play from Boëtius. The winger played the lovely ball through to the overlapping Miquel Nelom on the left, the full-back swung a low cross into the back post where Lex Immers arrived to tap home.

Within nine minutes, Feyenoord has turned the game on its head with their second goal. Daryl Janmaat and Immers combined until the right-back found himself inside the area to pull the ball back from the byline to Graziano Pellè to make it two for the home side.

It should have been 3-1, on 39 minutes after the troublesome Boëtius pirouetted in the area and was subsequently brought down by NEC captain Ryan Koolwijk. Pellè stepped up but Johnsson saved with ease to the keep the score at 2-1 at half-time.

In the second-half, Koeman’s side ran riot. On 55 minutes, Jean-Paul Boëtius got a deserved goal tapping in an Immers cross at the back stick. Then the goal of the game came four minutes later.

Again, Nelom bombing down the left, crossed into the penalty at medium height. Italian hitman Pellè got in front of his marker Lasse Nielsen, and perfectly volleyed beyond Johnsson. A textbook goal that even gained the applause of the visiting fans.

He action was far from over as the visitors were awarded a penalty on 64 minutes after referee Reinold Wiedemeijer has adjudged Nelom fouled Hemlein in the area. This time, Rieks fired the ball into Mulder hands and the score stayed 4-1.

The final nail in the coffin for NEC came on 78 minutes and it was the impressive Boëtius grabbing his team’s fifth and his second after a great counter attack.

A great performance for Koeman’s side that moves ahead of Vitesse into third on goal difference.

TEAMS

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Janmaat, De Vrij, Kongolo, Nelom, Goossens (Bakkal 68), Immers, Vilhena, Pellè (Te Vrede 77), Boëtius, Schaken (Verhoek 82).

SUBS NOT USED: Graafland, Van Beek, Sleegers, Hardeveld.

GOALS: Immers 26, Pellè 35, 59, Boëtius 55, 78.

BOOKINGS: Janmaat, Boëtius.

NEC: Johnsson, Van Eijden, Conboy, Vermijl (Gravenberch 47), Nielsen, Koolwijk (Mulder 47), Foor, Rieks, Hemlein (Jahanbakhsh 75), Higdon, Jantscher.

SUBS NOT USED: Smits, Diarra, Leiwakabessy, Castillion.

GOALS: Rieks 11.

BOOKINGS: Van Eijden, Mulder.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 23 PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

February 8, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

In the midweek games, our top tipster Will Burns hit a four bets out of nine at massive prices to make a huge profit (13/8, 13/5, 11/4 and 19/10) and last night hit ANOTHER one at 6/5. He is back with his picks for the Eredivisie this coming weekend and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Saturday 8th February

PSV vs. FC TWENTE – 17:45

With both sides coming into this one on the back of good wins, it sure proves to a be a great game when second-placed Twente travel to the Phillips Stadion to face PSV on Saturday evening.

The installation of Guus Hiddink as Phillip Cocu’s advisor will only help the Eindhoven’s patchy season so far but Twente are in great form and are desperate to close the gap between themselves and Ajax. A win for Twente in this would sit them only a point off the top.

I believe a feel good factor could be back in Eindhoven for this one but Twente could be too strong for Cocu’s men. The best bet would be to sit on the fence and settle for a draw.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (5/2 – BetVictor)

NAC BREDA vs. RODA JC – 18:45

It’s a relegation battle in Breda. NAC missed the chance to pick up three vital points in Nijmegen on Wednesday night and with just two wins from their last nine matches, they now find themselves just four points above the relegation zone.

Jon Dahl Tomasson’s Roda find themselves in the drop zone but only due to a poor goal-difference. In the past five trips, two draws and three defeats does not fill you full of confidence when away from home but they do have a young prodigy on their hands who could fire them up the league.

Of course, I am talking about Guus Hupperts. He is the main reason I’m betting that Roda could grab the win.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Roda to win (28/11 – Unibet)

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. AZ ALKMAAR – 18:45

Dick Advocaat lead AZ to back-to-back wins last week, hosting Groningen and at Vitesse which gives them three wins from their first four games of the new year has revitalised their season.

The Eagles are yet to win in 2014 but have good form, one losing once in the last five games at Adelaarshorst but I see AZ’s firepower of Aron Johansson, 13 goals in 23 games being too strong for Go Ahead. Take AZ to win at 11/10.

BURNS’ BEST BET: AZ to win (11/10 – BetVictor & WilliamHill)

FEYENOORD vs. NEC NIJMEGEN– 19:45

Feyenoord had a great 2-1 away win to Roda midweek with Lex Immers and Samuel Armenteros getting involved in the goals, with Ronald Koeman not relying on Graziano Pellè notching.

NEC are undefeated in 2014 with two wins and three draws but four of those games have been played at home, the only away game was a tremendous 1-1 draw in Arnhem against Vitesse.

Could NEC gain another draw on Saturday night? Possibly… To play it safe I am going to say there are going to be goals in this one and plenty of them. Get on Over 4.5 Goals at Coral at 2/1 for the best bet of the day.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 4.5 Goals (2/1 – Coral)

Sunday 9th February

HERACLES vs. SC CAMBUUR– 11:30

Sunday’s set of games opens with Cambuur’s visit to Heracles. The hosts smashed ADO 3-0 on Tuesday so they will be full of confidence. Cambuur held their own against PSV even though they let a 1-0 lead slip to be defeated by Cocu’s men.

On the road, Cambuur’s form is not great, losing six out of the last seven away league matches. Heracles have been in decent form at home (losing only one in five) due to the in-form Bryan Linssen firing off all cylinders, scoring six in six.

The best bet will be Heracles to be winning at half-time and continuing on to defeat Cambuur at the final whistle.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Heracles HT/FT (3/2 – Ladbrokes)

PEC ZWOLLE vs. AJAX– 13:30

The resurgent PEC Zwolle go in search of a fourth straight win when they host league leader Ajax on Sunday.

Ron Jans’ men began the season in great form, winning their first four games and led the league for almost a month but a run of just one league win in 15 put pay to any title aspirations. Ajax started poorly for have clawed back and now top the league with a four point lead.

I predict this to be the game of the week and a real test for Ajax, with the game ending in a score draw.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (13/10 – Bet Victor)

RKC WAALWIJK vs. FC UTRECHT– 13:30

Even though Jan Wouter’s Utrecht have won six of their last seven matches against Waalwijk in all competitions, they have lost six of their last seven away matches in league. Utrecht are truly in horrible form at the moment even though they clinched a great point at home to Ajax last weekend.

Erwin Koeman’s RKC had a great week last week, defeating PSV on Sunday and drawing away to Go Ahead on Wednesday and need more points on the board to improve their position.

Utrecht also need points to and since loan signing Juan Agudelo has arrived from Stoke, he has started in back-to-back games alongside Steven de Ridder up front. Agudelo and De Ridder have impressed and I feel they could be the two help Wouters clinch a win.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Utrecht to win (12/5 – Coral)

FC GRONINGEN vs. HEERENVEEN – 15:30

The final game of the weekend sees Marco van Basten take his Heerenveen side to Groningen. Both teams will be looking to bounce back after midweek defeats as Groningen lost narrowly away to Ajax and Heerenveen at home against FC Twente.

Groningen were incredibly unlucky against Ajax on Thursday with a late goal snatching a great point away from their grasp. With Hakim Ziyech and Alfred Finnbogason, Heerenveen are always dangerous but I feel Groningen could win this game especially if Filip Kostic can put in a performance like he did against Ajax. BetVictor are offering 6/5 for the home win and I see this as the best bet.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Groningen to win (6/5 – BetVictor)

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EREDIVISIE, NEWS

Cocu pleased that Hiddink is to help PSV

February 7, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Obviously experiencing a difficult season, PSV head coach Phillip Cocu is delighted that legendary manager Guus Hiddink returns to the club to lend a hand in a consultancy role for the remainder of the season.

During Friday’s press conference ahead of PSV’s match against FC Twente, Cocu stated : “Guus is a PSV icon. He will be very valuable to PSV with all his experience at the highest level. Guus and I have been in regular touch by phone over the past few months. After his time in Russia, Guus enjoyed a brief break. I am happy that Guus will regularly be present at De Herdgang for the remainder of the season to help out myself and the technical staff.”

Hiddink will be taking a backseat at the Phillips Stadion, and will not undermine Cocu’s position as head coach: “He will be in attendance at least once per week at De Herdgang, but he will not be present on the bench during games.”

Hiddink was present at PSV’s training on Friday morning and Cocu stated his impact was evident from the start: “You immediately see that players approach him and ask for his advice. I learned a lot from him myself as well during my active career. It would not be smart to turn someone like Guus down if he offers to help out. His arrival does not have any effect on the current technical staff.”

In what has been a difficult season for PSV, its manager and its fans, the arrival of Guus Hiddink can only help spur the team on to try and achieve the best position possibly in the Eredivisie. They currently sit 15 points off leaders Ajax, but only eight off a top four finish, so reaching a top four finish will be achievable but things need to change immediately.

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EREDIVISIE

Week 22 Eredivisie Report – Wednesday: Twente up to second, PSV win

February 5, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Philip Cocu can breathe a sigh of relief as PSV bounced back and grabbed three points tonight, only a few days after suffering an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to RKC Waalwijk. In the final game of the evening, Twente’s Dušan Tadić helped his team leapfrog Vitesse into second place in the league, as they defeated Heerenveen 2-0 to go just a point of leaders Ajax.

Wednesday 5th February 2014

SC CAMBUUR 1-2 PSV

PSV have had a tough start to the week, hammered by the press for Sunday’s loss and tonight did not start any better.

After just two minutes of play, Cambuur striker Elvis Manu, on-loan from Feyenoord, put his side in the lead. From a corner, the PSV failed to clear and Manu poked home, sending the 9,600 capacity into raptures.

PSV gained some motivation and searched for the equaliser, but as the last few games have shown, the young Eindhoven side looked unsure in front of goal and lacked to find that final ball to create any clear cut chances.

It was a set-piece that got Cocu’s men back in the game before half-time and it was a howler by Cambuur goalkeeper Leonard Nienhuis. As a Stijn Schaars free-kick was lofted in, Nienhuis came to claim the ball but completely missed as Jeffrey Bruma got in front of the goalie to the ball to head into the open goal.

Just after the hour mark, PSV grabbed the lead as Manu went from hero to villain. The striker in unfamiliar territory was dispossessed by Luciano Narsingh up the field and the winger floated a cross to the back post where Jürgen Locadia was waiting to flick past Nienhuis.

The Eindhoven side held on to win the game and afterwards, PSV managing director Marcel Brands stated that Rubin Kazan has a made a big money offer for Tim Matavz, we will find out over the next few days whether or not the Slovenian will sign for the Russian club. The fee is rumoured to be around €7m – an amount that PSV cannot refuse for a player that has been out of favour with Phillip Cocu.

TEAMS

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Van Boxel (Feldballe 82), Droste, Pereira, Leeuwin, El Makrini, Ritzmaier, Bakker, Manu, Lukoki (Schepers 68), Ogbeche (Hemmen 20).

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Van Brakel, Van Moorsel, Dijkstra.

GOALS: Manu 2.

BOOKINGS: Manu.

PSV: Zoet, Willems, Rekik, Bruma, Brenet, Schaars, Hiljemark, Park (Zanka Jørgensen 90), Depay, Locadia (Matavz 88), Narsingh (Hendrix 81).

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Maher, Bakkali, Arias.

GOALS: Bruma 38, Locadia 61.

BOOKINGS: Rekik.

NEC NIJMEGEN 1-1 NAC BREDA

NEC are now undefeated in five consecutive home games but failed to take all three points against NAC Breda, that would have taken the Nijmegen side out of the relegation places.

It was an even game but the away side drew first blood with Rydell Poepon pouncing on a Tobias Haitz mistake to give NAC the lead. The German defender, tried to take the ball out of his domain but got caught out by Jeffrey Sarpong and the ball fell to the powerful Poepon to blast a wonderful drive past Karl-Johan Johnsson.

The away fans did not celebrate for long, as five minutes later the score was tied. After NEC won a free-kick midway through the half, the ball was fired into the back post towards English striker Michael Higdon. Higdon rose and nodded the ball into the path of Rens van Eijden who fired home.

The home side gained some confidence from the goal and chances by Higdon and Jeffrey Leiwakabessy should have gave Anton Janssen’s men the lead but both could not get the efforts on target.

It was a nightmare game for Haitz who was later (77) dismissed by referee Ed Janssen for two bookable fouls.

TEAMS

NEC: Johnsson, Vermijl, Van Eijden, Haitz, Leiwakabessy, Štefánik (Nielsen 80), Foor, Rieks, Hemlein, Higdon (Castillion 73), Jantscher (Jahanbakhsh 63).

SUBS NOT USED: Smits, Gravenberch, Mulder, Diarra.

GOALS: Van Eijden 23.

BOOKINGS: Haitz, Leiwakabessy.

SENT OFF: Haitz.

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, De Roover, Drost, Buijs, Van der Weg, Gilissen, Matic, Seuntjens (Suk 70), Hadouir (Verbeek 88), Poepon, Sarpong.

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, Tighadouini, Perica, Swerts, Bodor.

GOALS: Poepon 17.

BOOKINGS: Hadiour, Gilissen.

GO AHEAD EAGLES 2-2 RKC WAALWIJK

Xandro Schenk thought he had clinched all three points for Go Ahead tonight with a goal in the final minute, only for RKC’s Romeo Castelen to equalise a minute later to snatch a point.

After Prince-Desai Gouano fouled Joey Godee around 20 yards out, Jop van der Linden curled the resulting free-kick past Jan Šeda on 24 minutes to shoot the hosts in the lead.

RKC could not find an equaliser until the 64th minute after some great work down the left from Damiano Schet, the winger cut inside and fire the ball across goal but unfortunately for the hosts, Xandro Schenk stuck a book out to draw things up.

In the ninetieth minute, the action really started to heat up. From a Denis Turuc corner, RKC failed to clear as Šeda could not hold Bart Vriends header and the rebound fell to Xandro Schenk to get a goal at the right end.

As the home fans blew the roof of the stadium, RKC did not give up and from the kick-off they equalised. Jonas Ivens flicked on a long ball and Romeo Castelen held the ball up in the box, held off Schenk’s challenge and lashed a turning shot into the goal giving debtutant goalkeeper Stephan Andersen no chance of saving.

Go Ahead now sit in 13th with RKC a place below, both hovering over the relegation places, a draw was no good to either side.

TEAMS

GO AHEAD: Andersen, Schmidt, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk, Overgoor (Lambooij 82), Türüç, Falkenburg, Antonia (Azevedo 73), Kolder, Godee.

SUBS NOT USED: Ter Mate, Amevor, Rijsdijk, Haps, Kavak.

GOALS: Van den Linden 24, Schenk 90.

BOOKINGS: None.

RKC: Šeda, Lamey, Van Hoevelen (Ivens 69), Gouano, Amieux, Sno, Duits, Anderson, Castelen, Joachim, Schet (Beauguel 83).

SUBS NOT USED: Van Dijk, Jungschlager, Tavares, De Ridder, Apau.

GOALS: Schet 64, Castelen 90.

BOOKINGS: Duits.

HEERENVEEN 0-2 FC TWENTE

FC Twente jumped into second place tonight and did something no other team has done at the Abe Lenstra Stadion this season – stopped Heerenveen from scoring.

In a game that had expectations of many goals, it featured only two with a great defensive display from Michel Jansen’s side keeping Alfred Finnbogason out of the goals tonight.

It was a quiet uneventful first half with most efforts being kept outside of the post. Hakim Ziyech was his usual troublesome self for the Twente defenders but young goalkeeper Nick Marsman kept the goals from creeping in.

After the interval, neither team emerged with intent of attacking and both looked cautious of the others forwards. The first talking point came on 68 minutes when Twente’s Danish defender Andreas Bjelland grabbed Finnbogason on the shoulder to bring him down when he looked like he was through on goal. Referee Richard Liesveld did not deem as Bjelland being the last man since Rasmus Bengtsson was continuing just behind. Heerenveen head coach Marco van Basten was not happy with the decision and protested the case.

In the last twenty minutes, Serbian playmaker Dušan Tadić came alive. On 73 minutes, The Serb arrived in the box from the right-wing and skipped past one defender. Cutting inside he fired a shot at goal but the effort was deflected off Joey van den Berg, and the ricochet looped over Kristoffer Nordfledt arms and into the goal.

In the final moments, Heerenveen concede the second that confirmed Twente was leaving with maximum points. Tadić again involved, finding substitute striker, the 22-year-old Torgeir Børven, a winter signing from Vålerenga, to slide the ball home at the back post. This was the Norwegian’s first goal for the club in only two substitute appearances.

Twente have put real pressure on league leaders Ajax and look the main threat to stopping Frank de Boer clinching his fourth consecutive Eredivisie championship.

TEAMS

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo (Sinkgraven 85), Otigba, Kum, Dijks (De Kamps 64), De Roon, Ziyech, Van den Berg, Basacikoglu, Finnbogason, Lurling (Van la Parra 68).

SUBS NOT USED: Vandenbussche, Slagveer, Warmolts, Van Aken.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: None.

TWENTE: Marsman, Rosales, Bengtsson, Bjelland, Koppers, Gutiérrez, Ebecilio, Eghan, Tadić, Castaignos, Promes.

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Schilder, Mokhtar, Djurdjevic, Martina, Tapia, Børven.

GOALS: Tadić 73, Børven 90.

BOOKINGS: Rosales, Bjelland, Castaignos.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 22 PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

February 4, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

After nailing four out of nine games at the weekend, Will Burns is back with his picks for the midweek Eredivisie extravaganza (all nine games) and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Tuesday 4th February

RODA JC vs. FEYENOORD – 17:45

Roda’s last game at Parkstad Limburg Stadion was Jon Dahl Tomasson’s first win as head coach in a 1-0 win over Utrecht. After losing 3-1 at PEC Zwolle on Saturday, they face the tough test of Ronald Koeman’s Feyenoord tomorrow night.

Feyenoord featured in Friday night’s game which was a 1-1 draw against Vitesse that leaves the Koeman’s men seven points off league leaders Ajax. The title race is not out of reach yet and they will look to Italian striker Graziano Pelle to add to his tally of 16 in 19 games this campaign.

I can see Feyenoord being too strong for Roda and at 13/8 at Betfair for the Rotterdam side to be winning at half-time and full-time, it’s too big of a bet to miss.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Feyenoord HT/FT (13/8 – Betfair)

ADO DEN HAAG vs. HERACLES – 18:45

Both sides experienced defeats over the weekend: Heracles at home to NAC Breda and ADO at Heerenveen, with a five points separating them in the league table.

I see this being a close game even though both sides will be itching to get back on track, I see this match finishing as a score draw. For the best bet, take a look at BetVictor’s at 13/5 for this one.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (13/5 – BetVictor)

VITESSE vs. AZ ALKMAAR – 19:45

Tuesday’s main event will be second place Vitesse hosting sixth placed AZ Alkmaar. AZ have proved to be a bit of a jinx for the Arnhem side over the years, with Vitesse failing to find a win in the last eight meetings between the two sides.

Peter Bosz’s side will look to change all that this time round and place a bit of pressure on Ajax, currently two points clear them. A win would take Vitesse ahead of the Amsterdam side, with Ajax yet to play at home to Groningen on Thursday.

AZ will certainly not lay down for Vitesse and it will be a tough test for Bosz’s men. However, AZ has been a little inconsistent with two wins and three defeats from their last five matches played. Look for Vitesse to win this one and let’s take them to win by two clear goals to give us a bit of value.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Vitesse -1 (29/20 – SkyBet)

Wednesday 5th February

SC CAMBUUR vs. PSV – 17:45

After a shocking display at Waalwijk, a 2-0 defeat on Sunday, Philip Cocu needs to pick his side up for the trip to Cambuur on Wednesday evening. With only one win on the road in the last nine games, Cocu has a tough job.

Cambuur on the other hand put in a good showing away to Twente earlier on Sunday, despite running out on the wrong side of a 3-1 scoreline.

PSV are struggling to score goals and as we won on ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ in the RKC game on Sunday, let’s go for it again at 11/10 at Sky Bet. There has been under 2.5 goals in the last four games involving PSV so let’s see if that run will continue.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Under 2.5 Goals (11/10 – SkyBet)

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. RKC WAALWIJK – 18:45

The impressive Evander Sno hit both goals in RKC’s win over PSV on Sunday and the Waalwijk side will look to build on that victory away to Go Ahead Eagles on Wednesday evening. However, Erwin Koeman’s side has a horrible away record with only two wins in the last 21 trips.

Go Ahead on the other hand has faired well at home this season with only two defeats in ten, and those losses were against the current top two, Vitesse and Ajax. A win for RKC is not unthinkable but I cannot see it happening.

Although the draw on the other hand could, with six draws for the Eagles and seven for RKC already this season I can see them adding to this tally on Wednesday.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (13/5 – Betfred, SkyBet and Bet365)

NEC NIJMEGEN vs. NAC BREDA – 18:45

It is a close league this season with just five points splitting NEC (17th) and NAC (10th). NEC have a great home record this campaign with only losing two out of nine games (to Vitesse and Ajax) since the sacking of Alex Pastoor in September.

In an interesting stat, NEC Nijmegen have not beaten NAC in the last seven meetings between the sides in all competitions so going with the stats, I feel the best bet is a draw.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (11/4 – WilliamHill)

HEERENVEEN vs. FC TWENTE – 19:45

FC Twente are in tremendous form and have only experienced a defeat twice in the Eredivisie this season, both away games to ADO Den Haag and Vitesse.

Heerenveen striker Alfred Finnbogason is also in tremendous form notching an amazing 20 goals in 18 games, which persuade Fulham to offer €10m on transfer deadline day.

With the Icelandic international notching left, right and centre I am unsure that Twente can defeat Heerenveen, but what I can predict is goals!

BURNS’ BEST BET: Over 3.5 Goals (13/5 – BetVictor)

Thursday 6th February

FC UTRECHT vs. PEC ZWOLLE – 17:45

Thursday sees PEC Zwolle travel to a struggling FC Utrecht full of confidence after Sunday’s 3-1 over Roda. While Jan Wouters’s Utrecht halted a run of four successive league defeats with a hard-fought point at home to Ajax, but they still remain five games without a win.

Zwolle look to clinch their third consecutive victory on Thursday but with the tricky Ryan Thomas providing balls for Guyon Fernandez and Mustafa Saymak, I think they could do it this Thursday at the Stadion Galgenwaard.

BURNS’ BEST BET: PEC Zwolle to win (19/10 – Unibet)

AJAX vs. FC GRONINGEN – 19:45

The final game of the Week 22 fixtures sees league leaders Ajax take on the underperforming FC Groningen.

The defending champions have won nine of their last eleven games and kept six clean sheets in their last seven at the Amsterdam ArenA. Do not look past an Ajax win if you are placing an accumulator this week, as I cannot see any other result coming close in this one.

Groningen lost away to AZ by two goals to nil on Saturday and I can see Ajax going one better winning the match 3-0. So let’s end the week with a huge 7/1 tip and good luck!

BURNS’ BEST BET: Ajax to win 3-0 (7/1 – Bet365)

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EREDIVISIE

Week 21 Eredivisie Report – Ajax held, PSV shocked and Twente win

February 2, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday 2nd February 2014

FC UTRECHT 1-1 AJAX

League leaders Ajax failed to take advantage of Vitesse’s slip-up on Friday with a 1-1 draw on their own against the struggling FC Utrecht.

In Friday night’s game second placed Vitesse were held at fourth placed Feyenoord giving Ajax a chance to extend their lead at the top of Eredivisie. However, Frank de Boer’s side dropped two points at Jan Wouters’ FC Utrecht side who were on a four-game losing streak before kick-off.

The hosts were roared on by the 19,245 inside the Stadion Galgenwaard and they nearly went ahead after just 8 minutes. Right-back Mark van der Maarel surged forward and combined with Stoke City’s Juan Agudelo, who back-heeled the ball back into Van der Maarel’s path who shot over. A minute later, Utrecht had another opportunity though captain Jens Toornstra, after the midfielder had beat Joël Veltman he unfortunately dragged his shot wide.

Ajax got themselves together after the two scares and started creating their own chances and central defender Niclas Moisander came close on 19 minutes. Danish midfielder Lasse Schöne curled a free-kick into the box from the right-wing and the Finnish defender rose above everyone and powered a header towards goal, only for Robbin Ruiter in the Utrecht goal to tip over.

The defending Eredivisie champions took the lead in the 25th minute and it was Daley Blind, the goalscorer. Blind started his career as a left-back but he is really excelling in his new found holding midfielder role and he lashed a low drive into the corner of the goal from 25 yards, the Utrecht crowd was silenced.

Only seven minutes, the scores were tied. Belgian striker Steve de Ridder, formerly of Southampton, deceived the Ajax defence to make it 1-1. A long ball from Ruiter was flicked on by Tommy Oar, the ball fell into the box, De Ridder slipped past Veltman, skipped the ball past Jasper Cillessen and slipped the ball into the empty net.

The Belgian nearly made it two early in the second half with a tremendous volleyed effort that gave Cillessen no chance of saving, but the ball smashed off the crossbar.

Fully aware of Friday’s result in the backs of their mind, Frank de Boer’s men pressed for a winner and on 57 minutes, they should have took the lead. Great link-up play from Thulani Serero and Viktor Fischer, eventually fed Fischer through on goal but the young Dane placed his shot the wrong side of the post.

Ajax had one last chance before the final whistle decided the draw, with Schöne lashing a volley from the right side of area direct from a long ball from Blind, but the midfielder’s effort smashed off the post and away to safety.

De Boer takes his side back to Amsterdam to face Groningen on Thursday night and with Vitesse facing the tough test of AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday, he knows that the champions could have another opportunity to pull away from the chasing pack, and this time the opportunity must not be missed.

TEAMS

UTRECHT: Ruiter, Van der Maarel, Markiet, Delpierre (Badjeck 59), Van der Winden, Ayoub, Sarota, Toornstra, De Ridder (Quesada 76), Oar, Agudelo.

SUBS NOT USED: Verhoeven, Diemers, Bjelica, Klabier, Van Velzen.

GOALS: De Ridder 33.

BOOKINGS: None.

AJAX: Cillessen, Van Rhijn, Veltman, Moisander, Boilesen (Poulsen 50), Blind, Klaassen, Serero, Schöne, Bojan (De Jong 65), Fischer.

SUBS NOT USED: Vermeer, Van der Hoorn, Duarte, Sigthórsson, Ligeon.

GOALS: Blind 25.

BOOKINGS: Van Rhijn.

FC TWENTE 3-1 SC CAMBUUR

FC Twente came from behind to defeat Cambuur 3-1 to further claim third place with a game in hand and just four points off the top of the league. It was a tough game for Michel Jansen’s side especially when Cambuur headed to Enschede full of confidence after turning over Heerenveen 3-1 last weekend.

Last week’s hero for Cambuur, new Nigerian striker Bartholomew Ogbeche controversially won his team a penalty that gave the visitors the lead. Tussling with Rasmus Bengtsson, Ogbeche linked arms with the defender while trying to pull himself back to his feet from a tackle and referee Pol Van Boekel pointed to the spot. Cambuur captain Ramon Leeuwin successful converted the spot-kick on 24 minutes.

Twente pressed for an equaliser with Luc Castaignos coming closest in the first half. Quincy Promes played the 21-year-old through on goal one-on-one with Leonard Nienhuis, but as the striker stretched for the ball he could only poke his effort against the post.

After the break, Twente were pushing the visitors into their own half and within 9 minutes of the restart the scores were level. The inspirational Dušan Tadić placed a right-wing free-kick into the box and Luc Castaignos powered a header past Nienhuis for 1-1.

Six minutes later, on the hour mark Twente had the lead. Tadić played a short corner low into substitute Shadrach Eghan on the edge of the area, the Ghanaian hit a low curling shot that bounced past Nienhuis to make it 2-1.

All three points were clinched 11 minutes from the end with another headed goal, this time Rasmus Bengtsson the scorer. Promes whipped in a corner to the front post and the big Swedish defender nodded home.

Twente now look to continue to their good run of nine games unbeaten away to Heerenveen on Tuesday evening.

TEAMS

TWENTE: Marsman, Rosales, Bengtsson, Bjelland, Schilder (Koppers 56), Promes, Ebecilio, Gutiérrez, Mokhtar (Eghan 59), Tadić, Castaignos (Borven 67).

SUBS NOT USED: Stevens, Djordjevic, Martina, Tapia.

GOALS: Castaignos 54, Eghan 60, Bengtsson 79.

BOOKINGS: Tadić.

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Van der Laan, Droste, Leeuwin, Van Moorsel (Mulders 61), Ritzmaier, El Makrini (Bakker 76), Ogbeche (Hemmen 61), Manu, Lukoki.

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Van Boxel, Pereira, Feldballe.

GOALS: Leeuwin 25.

BOOKINGS: Bijker, Van der Laan, Lukoki.

NEC NIJMEGEN 1-1 GO AHEAD EAGLES

NEC and Go Ahead Eagles shared the points in a poor game, but it was a result that saw the home side lift off the bottom of the Eredivisie standings.

The Nijmegen side will be disappointed not to grab all three points after leading for the majority of the game. They took an early lead with English striker Michael Higdon notching his eighth goal in 16 appearances after just five minutes gone.

Go Ahead did not grab an equalising goal until just before the hour mark with Deniz Türüç smashing home the goal of the weekend from 30 yards out.

TEAMS

NEC: Johnsson, Vermijl, Van Eijden, Haitz, Conboy, Mulder (Foor 61), Rieks, Štefánik (Leiwakabessy 50), Hemlein, Higdon, Jantscher (Jahanbakhsh 73).

SUBS NOT USED: Smits, Nielsen, Gravenberch, Castillion.

GOALS: Higdon 5.

BOOKINGS: Conboy.

GO AHEAD: Ter Mate, Schmidt, Vriends, Van der Linden, Schenk (Haps 78), Overgoor, Falkenburg, Türüç, Antonia (Rijsdijk 89), Kolder, Houtkoop (Godee 86).

SUBS NOT USED: Lucas, Amevor, Lambooij, Pot.

GOALS: Türüç 58.

BOOKINGS: Haps.

RKC WAALWIJK 2-0 PSV

In what has become a bogey ground for PSV, the Mandemakers Stadion has haunted the Eindhoven side again. Former Celtic midfielder Evander Sno hit a double to give Phillip Cocu yet another embarrassing defeat.

It was a case of the same old story for PSV with a total of 8 shots on target and 12 off with no goals. It is strange to say that PSV are struggling to score goals when you think of years past, but with only three goals in the last four goals, Cocu’s side could definitely do with something different up front.

PSV’s most dangerous man was Memphis Depay and he came the closest to scoring throughout, in fact he has 12 shots in total himself, and with only four being off target, that made all PSV’s shots on target being Depay’s.

The Eindhoven dominated with 69% of the possession and the majority coming in the first half, and PSV were unlucky not to be awarded a spot-kick on 23 minutes. Depay again causing trouble in the RKC area, and after he turned Michael Lamey inside out, the defender tugged Depay’s shirt and pulled him down but referee Bas Nijhuis deemed it not to be a foul.

After the interval, it was more of the same for PSV but Cocu had ordered his side to play higher up and it cost them on 54 minutes. Bursting out on the counter attack, Aurelien Joachim and Damiano Schet combined to play in Evander Sno down on the right-wing. The 26-year-old midfielder cut inside, kept his shot low and nutmegged PSV goalie Jeroen Zoet to send the Mandemakers Stadion into raptures.

Philip Cocu brought out attacking pair Zakaria Bakkali and Florian Jozefzoon to try and inject some energy in front of goal but the more PSV attacked, RKC sprung the counter.

It was all over deep into stoppage time when substitute Daniel de Ridder slipped in fellow sub Jean-David Beauguet on the left. The Frenchman pulled the ball back to Sno on the edge of the box who confidently side-footed a first-time effort past Zoet to end the game for PSV.

TEAMS

RKC: Šeda, Lamey, Van Hoevelen, Amieux, Gouano, Anderson (Jungschläger 78), Duits, Sno, Castelen (De Ridder 72), Schet, Joachim (Beauguel 88).

SUBS NOT USED: Van Dijk, Ivens, Tavares, Apau.

GOALS: Sno 54, 90.

BOOKINGS: Lamey.

PSV: Zoet, Willems, Rekik, Bruma, Arias, Maher (Bakkali 76), Schaars, Park, Depay, Locadia, Narsingh (Jozefzoon 76)

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Zanka Jørgensen, Brenet, Hiljemark, Hendrix.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: None.

STANDINGS

League table courtesy of FIFA.com

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 21 PREVIEW – Sunday

February 1, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday brings another four games in the Eredivisie and Will Burns is back with his picks and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Sunday 2nd February

FC UTRECHT vs. AJAX – 11:30

Utrecht face the league leaders Ajax in a fight to end a horrible run that could now stretch to five consecutive defeats. It may an impossible task for Jan Wouters side as Ajax have proved this season to be defensively sound, keeping six clean sheets in their last eight games.

With the amount of injuries that Utrecht have, especially the attacking options, I cannot see Ajax not winning this one and by big margin. The best bet is along at PaddyPower.com and will be Ajax to win by 2 goals.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Ajax -1 (11/10 – PaddyPower)

FC TWENTE vs. SC CAMBUUR – 13:30

SC Cambuur’s confidence will be oozing heading into Enschede on Sunday afternoon after two successive wins in the Eredivisie. They aim for a third for the first time ever in their history, however, they will face a tough test against Twente, whose recent home form has tremendous.

Michel Jansen’s side are undefeated in their last ten games, including winning their last three, hitting the net 11 times and conceding just four.

Twente need to win by three clear goals for our bet to come in and I can see Quincy Promes, Luc Castaignos and Dusan Tadic have a field day of chances come Sunday afternoon.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Twente -2 (15/8 – Bet365)

NEC vs. GO AHEAD EAGLES – 13:30

Go Ahead Eagles have lost six of their last seven away matches in the league as NEC Nijmegen have won their last three home matches in Eredivisie. So everyone must be expecting a NEC win?! Not exactly.

My tip in this one is a draw. NEC fought hard to gain a draw away to second placed Vitesse last weekend, as Go Ahead were unlucky not to clinch a point in the 2-1 defeat at home to Ajax.

Eagles new goalkeeper Stephan Andersen will make his debut in replace for Eloy Room who returned back to parent club Vitesse earlier this week.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (3/1 – Betfair, BetVictor & Bet365)

RKC WAALWIJK vs. PSV – 15:30

Apart from the long-term injury to Georginio Wijnaldum, Phillip Cocu has a full strength team heading to Waalwijk to face RKC in the final game of Week 21.

I can see PSV grabbing a narrow win in this one, but do not except many goals. In the last three games there has been under three goals in their last three games. They defeated AZ at home last weekend in a 1-0 win, defeated by Ajax the previous week by the same scoreline and before the winter break, overcoming ADO at the Philips Stadion 2-0.

On the other hand, RKC have drew their last three games at the Mandemakers Stadion and will look to stifle the PSV attack, which obviously works in our tips favour.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Under 2.5 Goals (5/4 – Ladbrokes)

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EREDIVISIE

Week 20 Eredivisie Report – Feyenoord fall, PSV defeat AZ

January 26, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 25TH JANUARY 2014

A few shocks in Saturday’s Eredivisie games with title challengers Feyenoord losing points and relegation battlers ADO and Roda gaining them.

ADO DEN HAAG 3-2 FEYENOORD

Maurice Steijn walked out of the Kyocera Stadion on Saturday a happier man as he saw his ADO Den Haag side defeat title-chasing Feyenoord, to lift his men off the bottom of the league table.

It was Ronald Koeman’s men that were more dangerous early in the match but failed to score during their domination. The closest they came was a great chance for the lively Jean-Paul Boëtius after 16 minutes. A long ball came out of midfield from John Goossens landed at the feet of Boëtius, but unfortunately for the young winger, Tom Beugelsdijk placed Boëtius under sufficient pressure that the Feyenoord man smashed his shot into the side netting. The 19-year-old had a further chance ten minutes later but shot straight at goalkeeper Gino Coutinho.

As the half went on, ADO started to get into the game more and went a goal ahead on 36 minutes. Aaron Meijers was bundled over by Bruno Martins Indi on the right-wing and from that free-kick, Danny Holla crossed for Mike van Duinen who won a corner. Holla whipped in the corner that met a Tom Beugelsdijk header that sailed past Erwin Mulder in goal, the big defender was being poorly marked by Lex Immers.

The goal took the confidence out of Feyenoord and in first half stoppage time they found themselves another goal down. Surging down the right was ADO full-back Dion Malone, he planted in a dangerous whipping cross and Danny Bakker got in front of the visitors defence to place home a glancing header.

Koeman’s team-talk fired up Feyenoord and they pressed from the restart. It was not until the 68th minute before they a goal back. From a Goossens corner, striker Graziano Pellè (reasonably quiet until now), held the ball up to play into Jordy Clasie’s path on the edge of the area. The tenacious midfielder lashed a ball home to fire up the away crowd.

The tails were up for Feyenoord and ADO were against the ropes trying to protect their lead, but to no avail as the game was tied six minutes later. Meijers turned the ball over to Clasie on the edge of the box and the ball fell to Immers to the right of the area. Immers played in a low cross towards Graziano Pellè and the Italian does not miss from five yards out and it was 2-2.

From the restart, ADO began to play the ball and three minutes later they took the lead again, and won the game with the best piece of movement all match. Holla again involved crossing into the feet of Roland Alberg on the edge of the box, and with beautiful link-up play, Alberg played an excellent one-two with Van Duinen to finish elegantly.

A bitter blow for Koeman and his side’s title chances but a vital three points for the hosts today in their relegation fight.

TEAMS

ADO: Coutinho, Malone, Beugelsdijk, Zuiverloon, Holla, Meijers, Bakker (Kanon 87), Van Haaren, Alberg, Schet (Merencia 90), Van Duinen.

SUBS NOT USED: Zwinkels, Wormgoor, Gouriye, Buwalda, Cabral.

GOALS: Beugelsdijk 36, Bakker 45, Alberg 77

BOOKINGS: Alberg, Schet

FEYENOORD: Mulder, Janmaat, De Vrij, Mathijsen (Nelom 55), Martins Indi, Clasie, Immers, Goossens, Boëtius (Te Vrede 83), Pellè, Schaken (Armenteros 46).

SUBS NOT USED: Lamprou, Verhoek, Bakkal, Van Beek.

BOOKINGS: None

NAC BREDA 1-2 PEC ZWOLLE

As the rain lashed down in Breda, Ron Jans celebrated extended his contract for another year leading his side to a great 2-1 win away to NAC Breda.

It was a game of few chances but Zwolle went behind on 20 minutes with an excellent finish from NAC’s Joey Suk. Danny Verbeek crossed from a free-kick on the left and after an aerial scramble to the ball right for the striker to acrobatically volley home.

Zwolle fought to get back into it and should have been level through Guyon Fernandez on 37 minutes. Great link-up play Kamohelo Mokotjo and Ryan Thomas played Fernandez in the area, the striker did well to turn his defender and a shot away but unfortunately dragged the effort just wide of Jelle ten Rouwelaar’s goal.

It took a penalty just after the restart to get the visitors level with Guyon Fernandez converting after Anouar Hadouir fouled Mokotjo in the box.

Zwolle stole the game in controversial fashion on 75 minutes. It was a tremendous goal by Mustafa Saymak who hit the ball from 35 yards out that gave Ten Rouwelaar no chance, but the goal should not have stood. Video replays after the game proved that seconds earlier, substitute Thanasis Karagounis had took the ball out of play on the right wing but the assistant referee missed the call.

TEAMS

NAC: Ten Rouwelaar, De Roover, H. Drost, Buijs, Van der Weg, Gilessen (Hooi 81), Suk, Hadouir (Tighadouini 74), Sarpong, Poepon, Verbeek (Perica 67).

SUBS NOT USED: Babos, Kwakman, Swerts, Bodor.

GOALS: Suk 20.

BOOKINGS: None.

ZWOLLE: Boer, Van der Werff, Broerse, Van Hintum, Van Polen, Mokotjo, Klich, J. Drost (Karagounis 45), Fernandez, Thomas (Mahmudov 65), Saymak (Gravenbeek 89).

SUBS NOT USED: Begois, Benson, Hiwat, Labylle.

GOALS: Fernandez 50, Saymak 75.

BOOKINGS: Klich 83.

RODA JC 1-0 FC UTRECHT

Jon Dahl Tomasson clinched his first win as Roda manager on Saturday evening sending Jan Wouters’ Utrecht to a fourth consecutive league defeat.

Wouters should have seen his side take the lead on 12 minutes, but Tommy Oar failed to guide Yassin Ayoub’s great through ball on target.

Tomasson has to re-jig his side after a mid-week defeat in the KNVB Beker to AZ Alkmaar. In that game, Hungarian striker Krisztián Németh was stupidly sent-off after charging into a referee, which has gained him a five-match suspension. In his place in this game was Vasil Shkurti, a 21-year-old Albanian striker only appearing in his second game for the club. However, it was the Albanian that nearly grabbed Roda the lead on 23 minutes, but Utrecht ‘keeper Robbin Ruiter was on his usual top form protecting the goal.

Just after the half-hour mark, Roda scored the only goal of the game. The man in-form for the Kerkrade side is Guus Hupperts, and he showed his worth again to Tomasson in this game. After Mitchell Donald robbed Kai Heerings of the ball and played in Shkurti, the Albanian flick the ball onto the on-rushing Hupperts at the right of the box and the winger slammed the ball home past Ruiter.

Utrecht barely bothered opposition goalkeeper Filip Kurto and Wouters will need to spark in his side and quick before they are dragged into the relegation battle.

TEAMS

RODA: Kurto, Dijkhuizen (Monteyne 39), Biemans, Van Peppen, Sutchin, Donald, Luijckx, Kali, Paulissen (Hocher 81), Shkurti (Pluim 68), Hupperts.

SUBS NOT USED: Prus, Ramos, Bonevacia, Jacobs.

GOALS: Hupperts 23.

BOOKINGS: None.

UTRECHT: Ruiter, Markiet, Derijck, Heerings, Van der Gun, Sarota, Diermers (Agudelo 59), Toornstra, Ayoub, De Ridder, Oar.

SUBS NOT USED: Verhoeven, Martensson, Bjelica, Klaiber, Van Velzen, Badjeck.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Heerings.

PSV 1-0 AZ ALKMAAR

After a great showing at the Amsterdam Arena in their close 1-0 defeat against rivals Ajax last Sunday, PSV returned to winning ways with a great win over AZ Alkmaar in Saturday’s evening game with the same scoreline.

Phillip Cocu saw his team explode out of the blocks and were 1-0 up after just three minutes. The relentless PSV attack bombarded the AZ goal with shot after shot with pinball like effect. Eventually after Santiago Arias, Ji-Sung Park and Memphis Depay saw shots blocked, the ball fell to left-back Jetro Willems at the edge of the area, and his tame long range effort crept past Esteban to put the hosts ahead.

Cocu can thank his goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet for the three points as the 22-year-old pulled off save after save for his side. His most vital, was his first on 12 minutes. From a corner, Jan Wuytens emerged at the near post and back-heeled flicked the ball towards the goal and once the ball had ricocheted off the post, Zoet bravely palmed the attempt away out of the AZ preying attackers.

PSV had their chances to further the lead and win the game comfortably. With 18 minutes gone, Adam Maher latched onto a long ball from Willems and volleyed towards goal but the attempt raised to high to bother Esteban in goal. Also, on the half-hour mark, Stijn Schaars spotted Arias sprinting down the right-wing and when the young Colombian found himself one-on-one with the Costa Rican goalkeeper, he smashed his effort into the side netting.

AZ pressed after the break and Zoet’s gloves were kept warm, denying them time and time again. Most notably, Johann Berg Gudmundsson combining well with Aron Johansson but both were unable to find the leveller.

PSV held on and grabbed a vital three points in their chase for a Europa League place in the top four. Dick Advocaat will be disappointed with his return to the Phillips Stadion but look forward to next week’s game hosting Groningen to get back on track.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Arias, Willems (Hendrix 67), Rekik, Bruma, Schaars (Hiljemark 79), Park, Maher, Depay, Locadia, Ruiz (Narsingh 90).

SUBS NOT USED: Tyton, Zanka, Bakkali, Brenet.

GOALS: Willems 3.

BOOKINGS: Depay, Willems.

AZ: Esteban, Wuytens, Gouweleeuw, Viergever, Reijnen, Elm, Gudmundsson (Lewis 73), Gudelj, Ortiz (Henriksen 80), Beerens, A. Johansson.

SUBS NOT USED: De Winter, M. Johansson, Gorter, Haps, Avdic.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Wuytens, Reijnen, Gudelj, A. Johansson.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 20 PREVIEW – Friday & Saturday

January 23, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

Week 20 of the Eredivisie is upon us and can Ajax and Vitesse maintain their good form and stay at the top of the pile or can Feyenoord catch up on Saturday and place a bit of pressure on them? Will Burns is here with this predictions and like all his tips, you will not see a ‘best bet’ under evens – good luck!

Friday 24th January

HERACLES vs. RKC WAALWIJK– 19:00

Currently undefeated in their last six Eredivisie games, RKC Waalwijk are surprising a lot of pundits in the Netherlands but on Friday night they face the tough challenge of Heracles.

With Romeo Castelen missing with a knee injury for RKC, it only get tougher. Heracles will want to bounce back from last week’s 3-1 defeat away to Twente, and will look to star player Bryan Linssen to get on the scoresheet.

The hosts will have Jeroen Veldmate serving a suspension for this game, after last Friday’s red card, but the central defensive pairing of Bart Schenkeveld and Ben Rienstra will cover in his absence.

Look for RKC to keep their undefeated run going by notching another point as I see this game being a draw, and with BetVictor offering 29/10, it’s a bet too good to miss especially when Heracles have just won one of their last six games at the Polman Stadion.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (29/10 – BetVictor)

Saturday 25th January

ADO DEN HAAG vs. FEYENOORD – 17:45

A huge 5-2 win away to Utrecht last Sunday meant Feyenoord have now won five out of the last five Eredivisie games, but sadly for the Rotterdam side, they were knocked out of the KNVB Beker on Wednesday in a tough 3-1 defeat away to Ajax.

ADO will be the fresher side with no midweek game this week but due to far superiority in Ronald Koeman’s camp, I cannot see Feyenoord not coming out the victors. At 4/7 (BetVictor) Graziano Pelle and co. might be worth adding to your accumulator but it is certainly not our best bet.

Like last week I fancy Feyenoord to win both half-time and full-time in this one and we stick with BetVictor again at 11/8. For the record, Koeman’s men have now won this bet in the last four Eredivisie matches.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Feyenoord HT/FT (11/8 – BetVictor)

NAC BREDA vs. PEC ZWOLLE – 18:45

PEC Zwolle will be oozing with confidence after their trimpuant 5-1 win over Topklasse outfit JVC Cuijk in midweek to fire themselves into the semi-finals of the KNVB Beker.

No disrespect to JVC, but Zwolle will face a much stronger side in NAC Breda on Saturday evening. A side that is undefeated at home in the last six games, with five wins (AZ Alkmaar, Heracles, Go Ahead Eagles, PSV and Cambuur) and one draw (Groningen).

Breda have no real injury problems but Zwolle still are without strong powerful defender Darryl Lachman due to hamstring problem. Zwolle are on a four game losing streak in league games, but I can see the hunger to end that unwanted streak ending on Saturday. I can see this one ending as a draw and ending one streak for Zwolle, and continuing another for NAC.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Draw (13/5 – Bet365)

RODA JC vs. FC UTRECHT – 18:45

Both teams will be hurting after being knocked out of the Dutch cup in midweek, Roda at home to AZ (2-0) and Utrecht away to NEC (1-0).

Jon Dahl Tomasson still searches for his first win and he will be without main striker Krisztián Németh, after the Hungarian’s stupid red card on Tuesday night, as he serves his first of a five match suspension.

Both sides are in dire need of a win and I can see goals a plenty going in here. Utrecht started well last weekend against Feyenoord but ended up conceding five losing 5-2. Jan Wouters will be looking to capitalise on Roda’s poor form of losing their four Eredivisie games at the Parkstad Limburg Stadion. Roda have not won a game in eight league matches and you have to go back to late October when they defeated PSV for the last time they clinched all three points on offer.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Utrecht to win (29/10 – BetVictor)

PSV vs. AZ ALKMAAR – 19:45

Saturday night’s main event pits PSV vs. AZ in a repeat of the KNVB Beker final last May. Of course, the star of the show that day was Adam Maher, who has since swapped clubs.

On reflection, even before last week’s defeat to bitter rivals Ajax, PSV’s season is already over with only qualification to the Europa League to play for. AZ can still hope to retain their Dutch cup after Tuesday’s 2-0 victory at Roda, and in the league they currently sit in 7th, a place and one point above Saturday’s opponents.

PSV were unlucky to not get at least a point at the Amsterdam Arena on Sunday, and the addition of Bryan Ruiz looks like he could inject life into the PSV attack, linking up well with Memphis Depay and Jürgen Locadia.

Look for PSV to be successful here as Phillip Cocu’s men have only lost once in their last 11 Eredivisie games (a 6-2 defeat against high-flying Vitesse). However, for my ‘best bet’ I pick Fulham’s on-loan winger Bryan Ruiz to score anytime, which you can pick up for 7/5 at Bet365.

BURNS’ BEST BET: Bryan Ruiz to score anytime (7/5 – Bet365)

Click here for a preview of Sunday’s games.

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EREDIVISIE, FEATURE

Ajax vs. PSV Analysis

January 22, 2014 Will Burns 1 Comment

In the past three years, many teams have been forced to bow before the superior quality and resilience of Frank de Boer’s Ajax. On Sunday, it was the turn of PSV. The latest Derby van Nederland in Amsterdam was an absorbing affair, with both sides playing some insatiable football and displaying great technical skill. Ultimately, the sheer relentlessness of Ajax outlasted the brave adventure of PSV; de Amsterdammers remaining stoic when faced with a half of varied Eindhoven pressure before capitalizing on a typical lapse in the PSV backline to secure victory. In many respects, this game encapsulated finely the prevailing narrative of modern Dutch football.

As a PSV fan, I knew that the season was on life-support heading into this fixture. The early season positivity created by stirring home performances and a 4-0 September victory over Ajax were distant memories, washed away in a sea of frustrating inconsistency. A spiraling decline saw Phillip Cocu’s side mired in eighth place prior to kick-off; any slim hopes of a roaring comeback after the Winter Break were dependent on victories against closest rivals. It was a must-win for PSV.

The opening exchanges provided great cause for encouragement. Cocu fielded an attacking lineup, with Bryan Ruiz handed a debut alongside Jürgen Locadia and Memphis Depay in a lively forward three. The silky Costa Rican, loaned from Fulham last week, was intelligent in possession and helped create a steady flow of attacking opportunities for PSV. Locadia steered agonizingly wide on two separate occasions; Depay, whose technical development continues to impress, diverted a whipped cross barely wide of Jasper Cillessen’s post; and Ruiz himself flashed a left-footed shot tantalizingly across the face of goal. PSV looked strong, fit and powerful in the attacking third, with strong pressure being applied. On the counter-attack, they manipulated a number of three-on-three situations, with only the finishing touch lacking. At times, it looked like Ajax would cave as PSV attacked with strength and verve. The capacity crowd became somewhat restless as Ajax scrambled to extinguish a persistent PSV threat. I was surprised and incredibly excited.

Cocu’s side also looked strong defensively. The unorthodox midfield combination of Stijn Schaars and Ji-Sung Park lacked pace in defensive transitions, but compressed gaps adequately and helped command the pivotal space between defence and midfield in which Ajax’ technical playmakers so frequently devastate. Ajax instead attempted to work an overload against PSV right-back Santiago Arias, taking advantage of Ruiz’ low defensive work rate. Viktor Fischer was lively, asking many questions with tremendous dribbling skills and incisive vision. When Jeffrey Bruma and Rekik stood strong, and Jeroen Zoet proved reliable between the sticks, this game may have started to resemble a stalemate to the neutral. However, for the purists, it was fascinating to watch another fine tactical battle between Cocu and de Boer.

During the half-time break, de Boer won that battle, and the second half proven to be a morbid postmortem of this failed PSV season. It was a half totally different to its forebear in emotion, tempo and quality. It was quintessential Ajax. I do not know what Frank de Boer said in that Amsterdam ArenA dressing room, but his tinkering resembled the work of a genius. The Ajax coach somehow managed to alter the entire pattern, narrative and outcome of this game almost instantaneously; the second half feeling like a siege from the very kick-off. It was quite remarkable that Ajax could, with the succinct influence of de Boer, rebound from a rigorous half of football into a state of utter dominance. The resounding self-confidence of this Ajax team is incredible.

As a PSV fan, I was naturally frustrated as my team became ragged and stretched but, as a football fan, one can only admire what de Boer has built. Eventually, he will graduate to the very top with Barcelona, and I cannot think of a more deserving coach. The native tribalism of this game often lends itself to hatred, cynicism and delusion. I regularly have heated football debates with Ajax fans fueled by the rivalry but, on Sunday, I had to strip all of that back. After a half of vibrant PSV pressure and a capricious change of momentum orchestrated by de Boer, I was entirely devoid of answers as to how any domestic Dutch outfit can consistently out-perform this current Ajax team. They’re just too strong.

It was torture and it was educational. Simultaneously. Ajax pressed in packs at such ferocity that PSV struggled to construct a meaningful sequence of passes. As with all world class teams, de Boer’s Ajax strike fear into opponents when in possession anywhere on the field. Even when Veltman or Moisander are on the ball, stroking it about the backline, Ajax look to be on the very verge of creating something terminal. It’s just terrifying.

Such was the case with the winning goal. In this entire Eredivisie season, you’ll struggle to find a more symbolic goal. It encapsulated the root of PSV’s problems and explained why Ajax will likely march to a fourth successive crown. Moisander plays a darting cross-field ball to the highly-impressive Lasse Schöne, whose instinctive side-foot into the penalty area exposes a fatal lapse in concentration between Bruma and Rekik. Sigþórsson nips in-between them to head home what proved to be an Ajax winner. Initially, this goal informs of Ajax’ granite-like resolve and spirited belief. They will keep probing and penetrating and working until an opportunity presents itself. As for PSV, this goal highlights the undeniable need for leadership.

The occasional brilliance of Bruma & Rekik has been regularly unhinged by such momentary lapses in concentration. Earlier in the game, both central defenders bestrode the backline with passion and intelligence, blocking shots and cutting-out Ajax passes with ease and elegance. However, the lack of a fearsome captain to preach the importance of concentration throughout an entire ninety minute game proved costly again. In dealing with such naivety, PSV are desperate for a midfield stopper in the mould of Mark van Bommel; a true captain who the younger players feel accountable to, and are perhaps even a little scared of. PSV need a quality combative anchor in midfield with the heart, intelligence and passion to provide security and inculcate a message of awareness throughout a whole game.

Since van Bommel’s retirment, those human qualities haven’t been replaced. The summer sale of superstars like Kevin Strootman, Dries Mertens and Jeremain Lens again demonstrated the importance of Champions League football to a club like PSV; the greater revenue streams opened-up by such a competition are required to acquire and keep this calibre of in-prime player. Strootman and Mertens have flourished into global superstars, with sensational performances in Serie A for Roma and Napoli, respectively. Mertens has been ubiquitous in the selection of Rafael Benítez, whilst Strootman has settled into a multi-talented midfield alongside Daniele De Rossi and Miralem Pjanić. Cocu can only yearn for such proven quality within his current squad. If PSV had a van Bommel or Strootman-type figure this season, they would still be challenging on three fronts.

Ultimately, the Ajax game resembled so many PSV encounters this season. In the first half, Cocu’s side had thrown everything at Ajax, who seem impregnable even when pressured intensely. A lively start full of youthful exuberance yielded no breakthrough, before a naïve lapse in attention let the opposition grab a goal from a most unlikely situation. Once behind, the youthful heads dropped, the tactical shape became frayed, and the opposition trampled all over PSV. Ajax rushed through a disintegrated PSV midfield, creating opportunities and taking aim at Zoet. Their only failure was in adding more goals. It was one-way traffic, with many PSV players again bypassed by the emotion of a big game. It was excruciating to watch, but this kind of scenario has become a regular hardship for PSV. The script isn’t new.

But we must continue to support our team. We must believe in the process of change embarked upon by Cocu. Of course, it hurts to lose to a fierce enemy, but all true football fans must endure to enjoy. We have watched PSV win Eredivisie Titles, play in Champions League semi-finals and thump close enemies by huge scorelines. Now, perhaps it’s the turn of other clubs and other fans to have their moment in the sun. I firmly believe that those who flee in times of darkness have no right to enjoy the eventual glory. That glory will return. Even de Boer said as much, stating his belief that “I think it will eventually turn out right for Cocu and PSV.” It’s incredibly difficult to admit that a bitter rival is plainly better than you. However, at this moment, arguing that fact would be futile. PSV must act honourably, accept the reality, and strive to emulate the kind of steely resolve on show in Amsterdam.