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KNVB BEKER, KNVB BEKER REPORT

KNVB BEKER REPORT: Quarter-FInals

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30th January – 1st February 2018

The quarter final stage of this season’s KNVB Beker got underway on Tuesday evening at De Grolsch Veste where three goals in the space of sixteen second half minutes saw FC Twente end Eerste Divisie outfit, Cambuur’s hopes of making a second successive appearance in the final four of the competition.

Having amassed a formidable cup pedigree over the course of the past two seasons, the away side appeared on course to claim yet another big scalp when Nigel Robertha sent an untracked Mathias Schils clear to slot the ball past an onrushing Joel Drommel from just inside the area to break the deadlock twelve minutes before the break.

Despite enjoying a half time lead, the visitors would find themselves pegged back just before the hour when the home side were handed the opportunity to restore parity after Martijn van der Laan pulled Tom Boere to the ground on the edge of the box, leaving Oussama Assaidi to dispatch the resultant spot kick.

Buoyed by the Moroccan’s strike, the hosts would edge themselves ahead just eight minutes later when Adam Maher curled a free kick from just outside the area into the top left hand corner of Erik Cummins’ net before striking again fourteen minutes from time with a spectacular long range effort that left the visiting ‘keeper grasping at thin air to dispel any hopes the visitors may have harboured of staging a late comeback.

Wednesday’s cup action got underway at the AFAS Stadion where four-time cup winners, AZ Alkmaar remained on course to lift the trophy for the first time since 2013 by hitting an undermanned PEC Zwolle for four.

Buoyed by having claimed their first victory since the turn of the year by scoring twice in the opening fourteen minutes of their encounter with Willem II on Sunday afternoon, it took just twenty-one minutes for John van den Brom’s men to break the deadlock when, having been set away by a long ball from Stijn Wuytens, Wout Weghorst shrugged off the attentions of Dirk Marcellis and chipped the ball delightfully over an onrushing Diederik Boer to put his side a goal to the good.

Despite Wouter Marinus restoring parity for the visitors by glancing home a skewed effort from Younes Namli on the edge of the box just ten minutes later, when an untracked Guus Til ghosted in to fire home an Oussama Idrissi corner five minutes before the break things would swing back in the home side’s favour and when visiting ‘keeper, Boer was given his marching orders by referee, Bas Nijhuis, for handling the ball outside his area after haring off his line to snuff out an Alireza Jahanbakhsh-led breakaway nine minutes after the restart, John van ‘t Schip’s side were left with the proverbial mountain to climb.

Any thoughts of a comeback were dispelled just six minutes later when, having drawn the attentions of stand-in ‘keeper, Mickey van der Hart, Weghorst picked out an unmarked Idrissi at the back post to make it three before the AZ skipper claimed his second of the evening after being slipped in by an unselfish Jahanbakhsh seconds after the Iranian international had been sent clear by an incisive through ball from Fredrik Midtsjø nineteen minutes from time.

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The night’s action was concluded at De Kuip where 2016 cup winners, Feyenoord ended table-topping, PSV Eindhoven’s hopes of securing a double in the tie of the round.

The importance of this game wasn’t lost on the hosts who took just three minutes to break the deadlock when Sam Larsson beat Santiago Arias to slide the ball into an unguarded net after Jeroen Zoet could only partially block a low drive from Steven Berghuis, whose swift give and go with Nicolai Jørgensen had unhinged the visitors back line seconds earlier.

With any chance of defending their Eredivisie crown now long gone, the home side ensured that they would remain on course to add to August’s Johan Cruijff Schaal triumph when Tonny Vilhena doubled the host’s lead with a deflected strike from just outside the area after the away side could only partially clear a Larsson corner from the left ten minutes before the break.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side might have made their victory even more emphatic but, despite initially allowing a 59th minute effort by Jørgensen, referee, Pol van Boekel later chalked off the Danish international’s strike after consulting with the video referee as replays showed the 27-year-old to have strayed marginally offside as Renato Tapia set him away with an incisive through-ball.

Despite seeing Brad Jones palm a Mauro Junior free kick onto the bar just three minutes later there ultimately proved to be no coming back for PSV as the hosts held on to claim a semi-final berth.

The one remaining quarter final tie took place on Thursday evening in Tilburg where penalties were required to separate hosts, Willem II and Roda JC, with the home side edging out their guests 5-4 to claim a place in the last four of the competition.

Despite a covering Daryl Werker clearing a goal-bound effort from Fran Sol off the line thirteen minutes in and Fernando Lewis striking the foot of Hidde Jurjus’ right hand upright just three minutes later, the tie would remain scoreless until eight minutes before the break when, with Fernando Lewis having been penalised for pulling a marauding Jannes Vansteenkiste down inside the area, a nonchalantly taken spot kick from Feyenoord loanee, Simon Gustafson put the away side into a somewhat undeserving lead.

However, the visitor’s advantage would last just two minutes before Vansteenkiste’s attempted clearance of a Thom Haye free kick fell invitingly for Bartholomew Ogbeche to nod the ball beyond a static Jurjus.

The visitors would restore their advantage three minutes into the second half when Schalke loanee, Donis Avdijaj cut in from the left and unleashed a blistering drive into the top left hand corner of Mattijs Branderhorst’s net.

However, the home side would claw their way back onto level terms for a second time just after the hour when a deflected Konstantinos Tsimikas free kick found its way past Jurjus and the host’s Greek defender might have secured his side’s place in the final four in similar fashion were it not for a covering Henk Dijkhuizen, who was on hand to head the 21-year-old’s 66th minute set piece off the line.

With the game headed for extra time the away side looked to have snatched a late winner but Avdijaj’s 82nd minute effort was ruled out by the video referee, who deemed Mikhail Rosheuvel to have handled the ball earlier in the move.

The hosts might have snatched it at the death when Haye saw his volley from just outside the area clip the outside of Jurjus’ left hand upright seconds after Christian Kum had cleared an Ogbeche effort off the line when another Tsimikas free kick sparked chaos inside the visitor’s box in the first minute of added time.

Despite Mohamed El Hankouri striking the foot of Jurjus’ right hand upright with a low drive from the edge of the area seconds after replacing Haye during the break in extra time, the game would go to penalties with the decisive moment coming when, with the hosts having converted all five of their spot kicks, second half substitute, Tsiy William Ndenge saw his attempt saved by Branderhorst.

Results

Quarter Finals

FC Twente 3-1 Cambuur

AZ Alkmaar 4-1 PEC Zwolle

Feyenoord 2-0 PSV Eindhoven

Willem II 2-2 Roda JC

(Willem II win 5-4 on penalties)

Semi Final Draw

AZ Alkmaar vs FC Twente

Feyenoord vs Willem II

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REPORT

Russians eliminate second Dutch side out of UCL

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FC Rostov sealed qualification to the latter stages of a major European competition for the first time in club history after holding former European Cup winners, PSV Eindhoven to a goalless draw at the Philips Stadion on Tuesday evening reports Steven Davies.

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6TH DECEMBER 2016

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

PSV 0-0 FC ROSTOV

The Russian side who had also knocked out Ajax at the playoff round of the competition earlier in the season came into this encounter with the back-to-back Eredivisie champions off the back of a remarkable success over Bayern Munich and, despite a place in the latter stages of European club football’s elite competition being out of reach, knew that a place in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League would be theirs as long as they avoided defeat in Eindhoven.

 For Phillip Cocu’s men, who came into this meeting propping up Group D with just the solitary point earned from the 2-2 draw in Rostov on 28th September to their name, nothing less than a win would suffice as the reigning champion’s indifferent league form had seen them fall six points off the pace set by title rivals, Feyenoord and Ajax and tumble out of the KNVB Beker in embarrassing fashion at the hands of newly promoted Sparta Rotterdam.

Following a lacklustre goalless draw at relegation threatened, Roda on Saturday evening, the PSV coach opted to switch to a back three with Joshua Brenet coming in at the expense of Siem de Jong while Steven Bergwijn partnered Luuk de Jong up front with Gaston Pereiro surprisingly dropping to the bench.

Cocu’s opposite number, Ivan Danilyants meanwhile unsurprisingly opted for the same eleven that had so famously seen off Bayern Munich in their last outing in the competition on 23rd November which included a front two of Dmitriy Poloz and Iranian international, Sardar Azmoun who, if you include the qualifying rounds, had netted nine goals between them in the competition thus far this season.

Despite their need for victory, the home side failed to create a clean cut chance until a minute into added time at the end of the first half when French centre half, Nicolas Isimat-Mirin climbed highest to get on the end of an Oleksandr Zinchenko corner only to send his header wide of Soslan Dzhanaev’s near post.

The visitors meanwhile had shown little by way of attacking intent themselves with the Russian’s best chance falling to Poloz – the Russian international losing Isimat-Mirin before dragging his attempt wide of Jeroen Zoet’s near post seven minutes before the interval.

Coming into this crunch encounter, the statistics certainly favoured a close contest of few chances with PSV boasting the best defence in the Eredivisie but also the worst goal-scoring record of any of the top seven sides in the Netherlands, while despite only CSKA having conceded less goals than Rostov in the Russian top flight this term the visitors had scored just 19 times in 17 league games.

As such it came as little surprise that the first shot on target from either side didn’t arrive until Azmoun worked Zoet in the 67th minute – the Dutch international ’keeper having to be on his toes to parry a snap-shot from the edge of the box.

Frustration began to creep in as the former European Cup winners continued to find chances hard to come by – Steven Bergwijn seeing his deflected effort easily fielded by Rostov glovesman, Dzhanaev with a quarter of an hour left to play before substitute, Luciano Narsingh got free down the right and fired the ball across the face of the goal to the feet of fellow replacement, Siem de Jong whose fierce effort was repelled by the visiting ‘keeper.

With time rapidly becoming the enemy, the hosts had one final golden opportunity to clinch a place in the last 32 of the UEFA Europa League when another substitute, Gaston Pereiro got on the end of a lofted ball by Brenet in the visitor’s box – the Uruguayan being denied by an alert Dzhanaev who was quickly off his line to snuff out the opportunity before Bart Ramselaar saw his goal-bound follow-up cleared off the line by Vladimir Granat in the 86th minute.

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However, as so often this season, PSV’s inability to find the back of the net would ultimately prove their undoing as Rostov progressed into the latter stages of a major European club competition for the first time in club history at the expense of the reigning Eredivisie title-holders.

Man of the Match: Miha Mevlja  

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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, CHAMPIONS LEAGUE REPORT, EUROPA LEAGUE, EUROPA LEAGUE REPORT

German powerhouses too strong for PSV

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Five time European champions, Bayern Munich eased past PSV Eindhoven – hitting the Dutch champions for four with Thomas Muller, Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben all on target for Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the Allianz Arena in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday evening reports Steven Davies.

WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER 2016

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE – GROUP G

BAYERN MUNICH 4-1 PSV

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On a cold and wet night in Munich, PSV Eindhoven, whose sole European Cup triumph in 1988 had come on German soil – in Stuttgart, where they had overthrown Portuguese powerhouse, Benfica on penalties, endured a torrid opening – Thomas Muller dragging his finish wide of Dutch international ‘keeper, Jeroen Zoet’s left hand upright as early as the third minute following a rampaging run and pull back from Austrian full back, David Alaba.

The four-man PSV defence and right back, Joshua Brenet in particular, had no answer for the Bayern front three, nor the elusive Alaba who found himself unrestricted in the visitor’s area once again in the 11th minute but unable to keep his effort down after a penetrating run by Dutch international, Arjen Robben.

Despite coming into this encounter off the back of a five match dry spell in front of goal in all competitions, Robert Lewandowski tested Zoet’s reflexes on a number of occasions throughout the half and, following the Dutch international ‘keeper’s denial of the Polish marksman in the 13th minute, a quickly taken corner from Arjen Robben found Thomas Muller inexplicably unmarked at the near post – the German international beating a furious, Zoet at the second time of asking to put Carlo Ancelotti’s men into the ascendancy with only his second goal of the season in all competitions.

Alaba continued to terrorize the PSV backline and he would play a key role in the host’s second goal of the evening – the Austrian international’s deflected cross from the left finding the head of German international, Joshua Kimmich unmarked at the back post for the 21-year-old to double the host’s advantage and seemingly end the game as a meaningful contest, such had been the German champions’ dominance to that point of the match.

However, despite having not having had a single attempt on goal in the first 38 minutes of the contest, the ball suddenly ended up in the back of Bayern ‘keeper, Manuel Neuer’s net – Gaston Pereiro wrongly adjudged by Scottish referee, William Collum to have been offside when receiving the ball prior to beating the German international ‘keeper.

Yet, Phillip Cocu’s men weren’t to be denied and, just a minute later, Luciano Narsingh left the Bayern rear guard for dead having been sent streaking away from the host’s back line by an incisive pass from Pereiro before flashing a spectacular drive past Neuer into the top right hand corner of the net to reignite the game as a contest.

Both teams came into this encounter in indifferent form in their respective domestic competitions – reigning Dutch title holders, PSV lagging behind current Eredivisie pacesetters, Feyenoord by nine points following a disappointing draw at home to Heracles on Saturday evening, while, like their opponents, Bayern were also without a win in their last three matches in all competitions, although unlike their Dutch counterparts,  Carlo Ancelotti’s side remain atop the Bundesliga standings – two points ahead of both FC Koln and RB Leipzig despite having dropped points at home to Koln and away at Eintracht Frankfurt in their last two league outings.

Despite their faltering form in the Eredivisie and having taken just one point from a possible six thus far in group play in the UEFA Champions League, the visitors began the second stanza where they had ended the first – Uruguayan, Pereiro drawing a point blank save from Germany’s number one in the 52nd minute.

However, any momentum that the Dutch champions had built up early in the second half was brought to an abrupt halt just before the hour when former PSV player, Robben weaved his way through the Eindhoven backline and drew a save from Zoet whose parry fell invitingly onto the head of Lewandowski – the Polish international making no mistake with the goal at his mercy.

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With the resistance of the away side finally broken, the hosts, who came into the encounter with Phillip Cocu’s men off the back of a surprise loss in Spain to Atletico Madrid in their last UEFA Champions League fixture, continued to press – Zoet denying both Muller and then Robben before the Dutch maestro finally put the game to bed when he beat an onrushing Zoet to a lofted ball into the PSV box from the boot of Spanish international, Thiago Alcântara – sending a looping header over the Dutch international stopper and into the unguarded net to round off an incredible period of possession by the German champions that contained over thirty consecutive passes.

Realistically, with both Atletico and Bayern looking in imperious form in group play, it would appear that Phillip Cocu’s men must now focus on securing third place in the group and with it a ticket into the latter stages of the UEFA Europa League, with the visit of Rostov to the Philips Stadion on 6th December taking on extra significance.

Man of the Match: Arjen Robben    

 

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EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE REPORT: Week Six

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Advantage Feyenoord in the title race – Steven Davies is on hand to describe all the action from round six of Eredivisie season.

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The sixth week of play in the Eredivisie got underway at the Stadion Galgenwaard where two of the surprise early season strugglers came face to face as Utrecht – with three points and no wins from their first five games took on Ernest Faber’s struggling Groningen, who themselves entered this Friday evening fixture second off bottom with just two points and similarly without a win in their first five outings of the 2016/17 campaign.

A few months in football can seem like a lifetime – not least for Erik ten Hag, whose exploits last term resulted in an unsuccessful appearance in the final of the KNVB Beker, a fifth place finish and the Rinus Michels Award – an honour which recognises the Coach of the Year in the Netherlands. Yet few could have predicted just how quickly things would unravel for the Utrecht coach.

Despite arriving relatively early in the campaign, both sides understood the importance of collecting three points against an opponent facing a similar plight. Yet, it was the visitors who began the brighter – looking dangerous on the counter attack throughout the match and creating goal scoring opportunities with alarming regularity.

Unsurprisingly, it was Groningen who hit the lead with just 13 minutes on the clock when live wire attacking midfielder, Oussama Idrissi intercepted a misplaced back pass by Ramon Leeuwin and, having found himself one on one with Menno Koch, promptly turned the Utrecht defender inside out before slotting the ball past home ‘keeper, Robbin Ruiter.

Idrissi – easily the best player on the park, was on the scoresheet again as the clock ticked towards the half time break – the 20-year-old’s persistence being rewarded when, following a succession of goal scoring attempts that had been repeatedly blocked by the scrambling Utrecht rear guard, the Dutch starlet glided past three players before bending in an unstoppable drive into the top left hand corner of Ruiter’s net.

Despite Groningen’s dominance, the second stanza began optimistically for the home side and on the hour mark former Groningen player, Richairo Zivkovic found himself in space following a succession of quick fire passes on the edge of the visitor’s area and pulled Erik ten Hag’s men back into a contest that had seemed all but over just prior to the half time interval.

However, just six minutes later the contest was over as former Ajax and Fulham striker, Danny Hoesen latched onto a perfectly weighted ball from star man, Idrissi to break the home side’s offside trap and restore the visitor’s two goal advantage.

Things went from bad to worse as, with the clock winding down, Erik ten Hag’s men threw progressively more and more caution to the wind – substitute, Tom van Weert making it four at the second time of asking after Ruiter had fumbled the former Excelsior forward’s initial near post effort with ten minutes remaining before Hoesen added a fifth in stoppage time to give Ernest Faber’s men their first win of the campaign at the sixth time of asking.

Meanwhile, for Ten Hag and Utrecht, the wait for a first win of the season goes on.

Saturday’s Eredivisie action got underway at De Grolsch Veste in Enschede where FC Twente surprised their visitors from The Hague early on with Manchester City loanee, Enes Unal giving Rene Hake’s men a 13th minute lead with a spectacular free kick from well outside the area which the Turkish striker then doubled with a neat headed finish ten minutes before half time.

Few gave Rene Hake’s side a prayer following a tumultuous summer that had seen the club demoted, seriously consider plying their trade in the lower reaches of German football and very nearly cease to exist before a successful appeal against their demotion allowed them to begin the 2016/17 campaign as an Eredivisie outfit after all. Add to that the recent departure of talismanic playmaker, Hakim Ziyech to Ajax and the odds seemed to be well and truly stacked against the Enschede outfit.

Yet, despite starting the season with two straight defeats, Twente have hit their stride – coming into this meeting with ADO Den Haag with two wins from their last three games thanks in no small part to a profitable relationship with the blue half of Manchester – Kosovar forward, Bersant Celina following fellow Manchester City loanee, Unal onto the scoresheet on 54 minutes with his second goal in as many games.

A diving header from Kevin Jansen briefly reduced the arrears with two minutes remaining for the visitors who, having initially won their first three games of the season, are now without a win in their last three and a tough evening for Zeljko Petrovic’s men was concluded when South African midfielder, Kamohelo Mokotjo put the icing on a convincing victory for Twente with the host’s fourth of the evening in the final minute – tucking in the rebound after substitute, Jari Oosterwijk’s shot had rattled the post.

Next, the action shifted to the GelreDome in Arnhem where Henk Fraser’s, Vitesse played host to a Go Ahead Eagles side buoyed by the confidence of having recorded their first win of the season at the expense of Roda the previous week.

Following a goalless first period largely dominated by the hosts, the visitor’s impressive rear guard action was undone by a lack of pace when Moroccan substitute, Adnane Tighadouini showed right back, Lars Lambooij a clean pair of heels down the left before sending in a would-be cross that referee, Jochem Kamphuis harshly adjudged to have been handled by centre half, Sander Fischer and awarded a penalty – Ricky van Wolfswinkel making no mistake from the spot.

Any thoughts of an Eagles comeback were dashed just three minutes later when another substitute – Mitchell van Bergen, got free down the right and squared for Chelsea loanee, Lewis Baker who made sure of the points by driving the ball into the top left hand corner of Theo Zwarthoed’s net from just inside the area.

At the same time, Jurgen Streppel’s Heerenveen came out on top in a bad tempered affair at the Parkstad Limburg Stadion where hosts, Roda JC saw red twice while their visitors were also reduced to ten men.

When Swede, Sam Larsson fired the visitors into an eighth minute lead with a spectacular free kick from well outside the area there was little indication of the farcical scenes that were to ensue later in the half when first, Nigerian midfielder, Abdul Ajagun was given his marching orders for a second bookable offence just five minutes after receiving his first caution by referee, Bas Nijhuis before, just nine minutes later, Chris Kum received his second booking of the match leaving the home side down to nine men and the Roda faithful irate at Nijhuis and his assistants as they left the field.

With a two-man advantage as well as being a goal to the good, it came as little surprise when Jurgen Streppel’s men made their advantage tell – Henk Veerman doubling the visitors lead from close range on 68 minutes.

However, the drama wasn’t quite over, and when Manchester City loanee, Shay Facey picked up his second booking of the match with fifteen minutes remaining the visitors were reduced to ten men.

Yet the hosts never really looked like turning the game into a contest after having been reduced to nine men at the end of the first half and, when Arber Zeneli made it three in the 77th minute with his second goal of the season, any chances of an unlikely comeback were well and truly extinguished.

Saturday’s Eredivisie action was rounded off at the Koning Willem II Stadion in Tilburg where Willem II – winless in their last three matches, played host to Excelsior.

The hosts hit the front after only 6 minutes through a back post header from Spanish forward, Fran Sol but his strike wasn’t enough to secure all three points for Erwin van de Looi’s side – 24-year-old Moroccan, Hicham Faik earning Mitchell van der Gaag’s visitor’s a share of the spoils from a deflected free kick that deceived Willem II ‘keeper Kostas Lamprou with ten minutes remaining.

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Sunday’s Eredivisie action began at Het Kasteel in Rotterdam where Sparta played host to NEC Nijmegen.

Alex Pastoor’s men have quickly acclimatised to life back in the Eredivisie following promotion last term and the home side were ahead on 17 minutes through a well-placed half volley from Thomas Verhaar.

Peter Hyballa’s visitors came into this contest on the back of two straight defeats and were looking to rediscover the early season form that saw the men from Nijmegen begin the campaign with a run of three games without defeat.

Despite losing an early goal, Hyballa’s men remained in the contest for the majority of the match until Ajax loanee, Zakaria El Azzouzi doubled the home side’s advantage from close range with 9 minutes remaining to send the newly promoted side into the UEFA Europa League playoff places.

There was little doubt as to the match of the weekend as unbeaten table toppers, Feyenoord – fresh from their stunning UEFA Europa League success over Manchester United on Thursday, put their 100% record on the line against reigning champions, PSV Eindhoven.

Despite coming into this top of the table encounter trailing their visitors by two points, Phillip Cocu’s men had the benefit of an additional two days rest following their UEFA Champions League defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening and had beaten Feyenoord in the most recent meeting between the two sides – PSV lifting the Johan Cruijff Schaal at the expense of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side on July 31st.

Predictably, given their respective mid-week exertions, it was the hosts who enjoyed the lion’s share in terms of both possession and chances in a goalless first half – Luciano Narsingh in particular, being denied a trio of guilt-edged opportunities thanks to a combination of a resolute Feyenoord rear guard and the reflexes of Australian ‘keeper, Brad Jones.

Yet the second period proved to be more of an even contest as the visitors began to show their teeth – Tonny Vilhena – the hero of Thursday night’s victory over Manchester United being denied a penalty just after the hour mark when it appeared his goal-bound effort was handled by a diving Nicolas Isimat-Mirin. However, much to the consternation of visiting coach, van Bronckhorst, the visitor’s appeals were waved away by referee, Kevin Blom.

Nevertheless, the league leaders weren’t to be denied and when another of the stars of Feyenoord’s mid-week European heroics, Eric Botteghin saw the ball land at his feet from an 82nd minute corner just outside the PSV box, the Brazilian centre half smashed the ball past Dutch international, Jeroen Zoet to put the visitors into the ascendancy.

Feyenoord’s Australian stopper, Brad Jones has been in excellent form since his summer arrival at De Kuip and, following a string of good saves throughout the contest, was again on hand – this time to deny a goal-bound header from Hector Moreno in the dying seconds to seal all three points for the men from Rotterdam and, in the process, a five point lead over their hosts in the Eredivisie standings.

As the final whistle sounded the jubilation was clear to see on the faces of everyone associated with the long suffering Rotterdam giants whose attention now turns to the defence of their KNVB Beker title when the cup holders entertain second tier outfit, FC Oss in the 1st round on Thursday evening.

At the same time, bottom placed PEC Zwolle welcomed AZ Alkmaar to the MAC3PARK Stadion with Ron Jans’ struggling side hopeful of recording their first win of the season against an AZ team who could only draw at home to Irish minnows, Dundalk in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

However, despite their poor showing in Europe, John van den Brom’s side came into this fixture on the back of three straight league wins and hit the front shortly before half time through Wout Weghorst’s close range finish. But the visitors only made sure of all three points with three minutes remaining – 18-year-old substitute, Guus Til adding the second of the afternoon for the men from Alkmaar.

The sixth round of matches came to a conclusion at the Polman Stadion in Almelo where Ajax, fresh from an, at times, unlikely away success at Panathinaikos in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening, took on Heracles.

The hosts came into the game with no wins in their last three matches and without a home win over their visitors from Amsterdam for more than half a century. By sharp contrast, Peter Bosz and his men arrived in Almelo on the back of three straight wins in all competitions – the former Heracles boss naming an unchanged side from the one that triumphed in Greece on his return to Almelo.

Following a goalless first period, it was the visitors who, having started slowly, gradually wrestled control of the game away from the hosts before the Heracles defence misjudged a Mitchell Dijks cross from the left, allowing the ball to bounce invitingly into the path of Davy Klaassen – the Ajax skipper rolling the ball past Heracles ‘keeper, Bram Castro to put the away side a goal to the good in the 66th minute with his fifth league goal in six games.

Any thoughts of a comeback by John Stegeman’s side were dispelled with fourteen minutes remaining when Nemanja Gudelj latched onto a through ball from goal scorer, Klaassen before curling the ball into the bottom left hand corner of Castro’s net to score his second league goal of the season and ensure that all three points were heading back to Amsterdam.

RESULTS

FC Utrecht 1-5 FC Groningen

FC Twente 4-1 ADO Den Haag

Vitesse 2-0 Go Ahead Eagles

Roda JC 0-3 SC Heerenveen

Willem II 1-1 Excelsior

Sparta Rotterdam 2-0 NEC Nijmegen

PEC Zwolle 0-2 AZ Alkmaar

PSV Eindhoven 0-1 Feyenoord

Heracles 0-2 AFC Ajax

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 4

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Here is round four of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our 2016/17 Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition. All players have performed so well this weekend that Will Burns has selected them in the team of the week.  Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

TeamOfTheWeek-4

GOALKEEPER

MICKEY VAN DER HART – PEC ZWOLLE: If Zwolle did not have the former Ajax youth keeper in goal on Saturday evening, the 1-0 loss to Heerenveen could have been a lot, lot worse.

DEFENDERS

RICK KARSDORP – FEYENOORD: Excellent performance by the 21-year-old in the Rotterdam derby against Excelsior.

HECTOR MORENO – PSV: He makes our team of the week for the second week in a row. The Mexican was again a leader at the back and a threat up top.

ROBIN GOSENS – HERACLES: An first goal for the club, strong in defence with a 100% passing succession rate vs. ADO in a 1-1 draw.

RIDGECIANO HAPS – AZ ALKMAAR: Second week in a row that Haps has been selected in our TOTW. A great performance with a clean sheet in the 2-0 win over NEC.

MIDFIELDERS

HAKIM ZIYECH – FC TWENTE: Linked with a move away from Enschede and he notched two goals in possibly his last game in the Twente shirt.

DAVY KLAASSEN – AJAX: Davy lands our Player of the Week award leading Ajax to a much needed win over Go Ahead with two goals.

NEMANJA GUDELJ – AJAX: Scorer of a wonderful free-kick in the 3-0 away victory against Go Ahead.

ATTACKERS

STEVEN BERGHUIS – FEYENOORD: A commanding performance with an assist in the 4-1 win over Excelsior on his first start for Feyenoord.

DIRK KUYT – FEYENOORD: Notched a brace in the four goal turnaround against Excelsior.

FRED FRIDAY – AZ ALKMAAR: The Nigerian striker would have bagged his first goal this weekend but was ruled offside. Despite that, he played an important part in the 2-0 victory over NEC.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 3

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Here is round three of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our 2016/17 Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition. All players have performed so well this weekend that Will Burns has selected them in the team of the week.  Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

TeamOfTheWeek-3

GOALKEEPER

KOSTAS LAMPROU – WILLEM II: Kept Ajax at bay in his side’s shock 2-1 win at the Amsterdam arena.

DEFENDERS

SANTIAGO ARIAS – PSV: Inspirational in PSV’s 4-0 thumping away to PEC Zwolle.

TERENCE KONGOLO – FEYENOORD: The top performer at the back for Feyenoord, collecting their third clean sheet in a row away to Heracles.

HECTOR MORENO – PSV: Not only did he hold the PSV defence together he notched the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win.

RIDGECIANO HAPS – AZ ALKMAAR: The 23-year-old was tight at the back and great going forward in AZ’s 2-1 victory in Utrecht.

MIDFIELDERS

ERIK FALKENBURG – WILLEM II: The creator of the all important equalizer for Willem II in their first ever away victory over Ajax in their history.

ANDRES GUARDADO – PSV: The Mexican ran the show and his creativity should have produced more goals for PSV in their 1-0 win against AZ.

JORRIT HENDRIX – PSV: A beast in the midfield, defending the back four and pulling the strings in attack.

ATTACKERS

LEWIS BAKER – VITESSE: Notched a great goal in the narrow 1-0 win over Roda.

LUUK DE JONG – PSV: Big Luuk finally notched his first goal of the season against Zwolle and provided an assist to earn his spot in the Team of the Week.

ENAS UNAL – FC TWENTE: Flawless. The Manchester City loanee was the standout performer of the weekend, notching a hat-trick to claim the PLAYER OF THE WEEK award.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 2

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Here is round two of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our 2016/17 Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition. All players have performed so well this weekend that Will Burns has selected them in the team of the week.  Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

TeamOfTheWeek-2

GOALKEEPER

ERNESTAS SETKUS – ADO DEN HAAG: ADO’s new stopper denied Vitesse time and time again in his side’s 2-1 away win on Saturday.

DEFENDERS

MICHEL BREUER – SPARTA ROTTERDAM: The 35 year old led well from the back and his performance was imperative in Sparta’s emphatic 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle.

RON VLAAR – AZ ALKMAAR: PSV could have destroyed his side if it was not for Vlaar’s determination and communication at the back.

HECTOR MORENO – PSV: Not only did he hold the PSV defence together he notched the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win.

JURGEN MATTHEIJ – EXCELSIOR: A surprise to be making the team of the week but scored against the poor Groningen side and held strong against anything they could throw at him.

MIDFIELDERS

LORIS BROGNO – SPARTA ROTTERDAM: Claimed a brace in the unlikely 3-0 win over PEC Zwolle.

JENS TOORNSTRA – FEYENOORD: The midfielder bagged a goal and ran the show for the Feyenoord attacks in their 2-0 win over Twente.

ANDRES GUARDADO – PSV: The Mexican ran the show and his creativity should have produced more goals for PSV in their 1-0 win against AZ.

ATTACKERS

KASPER DOLBERG – AJAX: The 18 year old Dane that does not play like a teenager. Notched twice against Roda but his teammates let him down in the 2-2 draw – PLAYER OF THE WEEK.

KEVIN MAYI – NEC: The French striker scores a goal on his home debut that clinched a vital point in the 2-2 draw.

CRAIG GOODWIN – SPARTA ROTTERDAM: Excellent performance capped off with a goal for the new Sparta man.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

Eredivisie Team Of The Week – Round 1

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Welcome to week one of our Eredivisie Team of the Week which leads into our 2016/17 Eredivisie ‘Player of the Season’ competition.  All players have performed so well this weekend that Will Burns has selected them in the team of the week.  Each player in the eleven receives one point and whichever player is declared ‘Player of the Week’, he receives an extra point.

TeamOfTheWeek-1

GOALKEEPER

ELOY ROOM – VITESSE: A Fran Sol goal was the only thing that spoiled the fantastic outing for Eloy Room in his side’s 4-1 away win to Edwin van de Looi’s Willem II.

DEFENDERS

GIOVANNI TROUPEE – FC UTRECHT: At only 18, on his first start for Utrecht, the attacking Troupee was very impressive, defending well and forcing Jetro Willems into some difficult decisions.

ERIC BOTTEGHIN – FEYENOORD: FC Groningen rarely threatened due to Botteghin’s defensive play and great reading of the game.

DANIEL SCHWAAB – PSV: A solid performance from the experienced German that may force PSV fans to ask ‘Jeffrey who?’

LUCAS WOUDENBERG – FEYENOORD: Another youngster that impressed and deserving of claiming the left-back spot in the TOTW.

MIDFIELDERS

DAVY PROPPER – PSV: Lead the midfield to inspire a PSV comeback against a plucky FC Utrecht side in the 2-1 win.

TONNY VILHENA – FEYENOORD: Dominant performance in midfield and bagged himself a goal in the 5-0 demolition of FC Groningen.

DALEY SINKGRAVEN – AJAX: Finally looked settled in the Amsterdammers line-up and provided a great goal to give Ajax the lead in the 3-1 away win against newly promoted Sparta.

ATTACKERS

MITCHELL VAN BERGEN – VITESSE: Did anyone forget this kid is only 16 years old when watching him on Saturday?

NICOLAI JORGENSEN – FEYENOORD: A great performance for the Danish international in his league debut since his move from FC Copenhagen. Capped off with a goal.

ELJERO ELIA – FEYENOORD: The former Southampton winger notched a hat-trick and deserves the PLAYER OF THE WEEK award. Not even a dislocated finger could stop him on Sunday.

Click here to see the ‘Player of the Season’ standings.

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE PREVIEW: Antepost Betting Tips

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This article is produced in association with HeaderBlue

The Eredivisie season kicks off this Friday night and Will Burns is on hand with his thoughts on the nine months ahead.

The people of Eindhoven were worshipping De Graafschap on the final day of the season back in May, as the Superboeren prevented Ajax winning their 34th Eredivisie championship title. This campaign, the 60th anniversary of the Dutch top flight, will struggle to repeat a memorable story to match last season’s climax but Philip Cocu will not be complaining as I see them retaining the league title for the third consecutive year a lot easier than last.

Again for the big two, it has proven a summer of departures as PSV has lost Jeffrey Bruma to Wolfsburg while Maxine Lestienne and Marco van Ginkel have returned to their parent clubs after a season long loan deals. However, Cocu has completed a great piece of business and re-strengthened the defence with experienced German stopper Daniel Schwaab on a free from Stuttgart. Rumours are afoot that Jetro Willems and Jeroen Zoet could leave before the window closes at the end of the month but PSV have suitable back-up in Simon Poulsen and Joshua Brenet at the left-back position, while Hidde Jurjus has been recruited from De Graafschap for in-between the sticks. In addition, the money pot is bursting at the seams if Cocu wishes to restore some quality to the squad. Will this be the year that Steven Bergwijn is unleashed on the Eredivisie? If you have not heard the name… you will by the end of the year!

For Ajax, this season will all be about rebuilding as they have undergone major changes over the last three months and look to be slap bang in the middle of a transitional period. Frank de Boer has been replaced by former Vitesse boss Peter Bosz as first-teamers Arek Milik, Ricardo van Rhijn, Viktor Fischer and Mike van der Hoorn have followed out of the door. Bosz will be relying on youth to step up the plate and the Amsterdammers have plenty in defence to cover but attacking options are thin. Again, like the reigning champions, they have plenty in the coffers to recruit – time will tell if they will. For their leader Bosz, I fail to see him inspiring this Ajax side to honours over the next nine months.

The side I see challenging the closest for PSV’s crown this year is Feyenoord led by former Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona defender Giovanni van Bronckhorst. Extending the stay of Dirk Kuyt was the best piece of the business this summer and the additions of Watford’s Steven Berghuis and Danish winger Nicolai Jørgensen has bolstered the creativity in attack with Lex Immers leaving for Cardiff seen as the only real casualty. The Rotterdammers have been way overvalued in the betting markets and I really think they could pip Ajax to second place. Get on Feyenoord each-way at SkyBet at a massive 12/1.

Until the window closes all three have potential to work on their squads but it looks like PSV look best equipped to retain the shield for the three-peat best priced with 888Sport at 5/4 and I envisage Luuk de Jong clinching the Golden Boot now that the Dutch goal-machine Vincent Janssen has crossed the North Sea to join Tottenham. De Jong is a short price but rightly so at 5/6 with 10Bet.

If you are looking for an each-way bet in the goalscoring stakes, Janssen’s replacement at AZ Alkmaar, Wout Weghorst is priced up at 14/1 with Unibet.

TIPS

PSV to win Eredivisie title (5PTS placed on 2.25 at 888Sport)

Feyenoord to win Eredivisie title (1PT Each-way on 13.00 at SkyBet)

Luuk de Jong Eredivisie top scorer (2.5PTS placed on 1.83 at 10Bet)

Wout Weghorst Eredivisie top scorer (1PT Each-way placed on 15.00 at Unibet)

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NEWS

PSV capture first silverware of the season

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Reigning Eredivisie champions, PSV Eindhoven secured the first silverware of the 2016/17 campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over KNVB Beker winners, Feyenoord to lift the Johan Cruijff Schaal on Sunday 31st July at the Amsterdam ArenA reports Steven Davies.

An, at times, tempestuous first half began with Andres Guardado striking new signing Par Hansson’s crossbar with the Swedish stopper beaten after just five minutes and the reigning Eredivisie champions found plenty of joy from swift counter attacks throughout the first stanza.

Mexican international, Guardado edged ahead of his playmaking counterpart, Tonny Vilhena as Feyenoord were progressively forced to resort to long, hopeful balls into the PSV area as the half wore on.

It came as little surprise when, with 29 minutes on the clock and PSV enjoying the majority of possession, Jorrit Hendrix forced his way into the Feyenoord box and was brought down by El Ahmadi. Yet, despite 32 goals in all competitions last term, Luuk de Jong surprising sent his penalty attempt wayward – the ball shaving the bar on its way into orbit.

Tempers flared thereafter as an innocuous coming together between Isimat-Mirin and Toornstra resulted in handbags being thrown and yellow cards dished out to Toornstra and Jetro Willems respectively.

PSV were now well and truly in the ascendancy and minutes after a Pereiro shot had been screwed narrowly wide from a ball from the right a similar ball into the Feyenoord box saw an attempted clearance scuffed and Davy Propper flash a daisy cutter through a cluster of legs and into the far corner of Hansson’s net with the keeper rooted to the spot to give PSV a deserved 38th minute lead.

Cup winners, Feyenoord came out for the second half with purpose and, in a frenetic few minutes just after the restart, Vilhena drew a point blank save from PSV stopper, Jeroen Zoet before Toornstra fired over from close range.

Feyenoord chased the game throughout but looked increasingly unlikely to break PSV’s stranglehold on the game. New signing, Nicolai Jorgensen cut an increasingly frustrated figure up front, as did the rest of Feyenoord’s attacking trio and the Danish marksman was replaced by Michiel Kramer with a quarter of an hour left on the clock – their best opportunity falling to a defender, as a Botteghin header was cleared off the line after 57 minutes.

Despite having the majority of possession in the second period, Feyenoord found clean cut chances hard to come by and it was PSV who instead threatened to add to their lead: first, through Locadia who curled the ball just wide of Hansson’s left hand post after 54 minutes and then, with just a minute of normal time remaining, Jetro Willems was denied from point blank range by the Dane after being put through one-on-one with the keeper.

However, these missed opportunities did not come back to haunt the reigning Eredivisie champions who retained the Johan Cruijff Schaal for the second year in succession following their 3-0 victory over Groningen in the same fixture last season.

Man of the Match: Andres Guardado (PSV Eindhoven)

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FEATURE

Could these five Eredivisie players be on the move this summer?

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As one of Europe’s second tier leagues, the Eredivisie will always be at risk of losing its best players, as has happened in recent years. Last season it was Memphis Depay, Gini Wijnaldum, Luc Castaignos, Jordy Clasie and Oussama Tannane who were the big names to leave Holland. This year’s Eredivisie has had an intriguing title race with both PSV and Ajax level on points going into the last two matches. Meanwhile, there have been young players breaking through lower down in the league that will attract big interest this summer. The following are the five players that I feel will attract the most interest and are ready to try their luck in another league tells Jake Jackman.

Hakim Ziyech

The FC Twente attacking midfielder is almost certainly going to be leaving the league this summer, as he has outgrown the Eredivisie and his club are in desperate need of cash. Ziyech is a number ten, who is capable of scoring and creating goals as shown by this season’s tally of 17 goals and 10 assists. He has already tied Memphis Depay’s goal and assists haul from last season, and with two matches to play, he is set to beat it. Ziyech is a dead ball specialist, while his vision is also incredible as he often plays key passes that open up opposition defences. He has also showed his leadership ability as he has captained FC Twente this season after opting to remain at the club last summer.

I’d expect Ziyech to be available for a reasonable fee all factors considered, which could make him the bargain of the summer. He has been linked to Barcelona, Leicester City and Fenerbahce in recent months and it is impossible to predict where he will end up. The 23-year-old will be known to a lot of scouts across Europe and with the potential of making a huge profit, there will be lots of clubs asking about the midfielder.

Vincent Janssen

This year was Janssen’s first in the Eredivisie, but he is en route to being the league’s top scorer and he has also made his Oranje debut in recent months. He made an impact against England, getting a goal and an assist as the Dutch recorded a famous victory at Wembley. This match may have brought him to the world’s attention, but the AZ striker was already well known to regular watchers of the Dutch top flight. Janssen is a complete forward who is very capable of leading the line on his own. His strengths lie around the penalty box as he is a strong finisher, while he is good at anticipating potential chances. Janssen is a capable dribbler, while he also brings midfielders into the game in the final third.

He has an incredible 25 goals in his first Eredivisie season, which surpasses his tally from last season with Almere City. His rise to the top has been staggering and at the age of 21, he is likely to improve a lot more, which is exciting for Oranje fans, especially after the disappointment of missing the European Championships this summer. Janssen would suit Premier League football, and has been linked to both Liverpool and Manchester United. If he does move to a new league in the summer, fans will have to be patient and give him time to adapt as he is still very young. Janssen has adjusted quickly to every challenge he has been set in his career and I think he would be a huge hit wherever he goes.

Jetro Willems

Jetro Willems would have probably departed the league last summer if it wasn’t for his injury problems. He returned in the second half of the season and has performed well for the most part, but he has yet to find his form from last season. He has one goal and three assists to his name from just 13 league games, which shows that he is still a very effective player going forwards. Meanwhile he showed his defensive qualities in both legs against Atletico Madrid, playing a key part in two clean sheets. Willems is a modern day full back, who loves rampaging forwards. He is a good crosser of the ball and his ability to make the decision when on the ball in the final third shows intelligence beyond his years.

He has been linked with several clubs including Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in recent months. It is got to the point when he should consider moving to another league to test himself and to continue progressing. He would risk stagnation if he remains in the Eredivisie as he is comfortable and established as the best left back in the division. He could cost up to £10m this summer, but he would be a great signing for any of the clubs mentioned as he has the potential to become one of the best full backs in world football. Also, he brings experience of the Champions League and has a winning mentality, both of which will be invaluable when he finally leaves the Eredivisie.

Riechedly Bazoer

The Ajax academy is still bringing through great talents in each generation and Riechedly Bazoer could be the best for a long time. He has already established himself as a starter for both club and country, while he has interested the likes of Napoli in recent months. The central midfielder is a great passer of the ball, while he is capable of carrying the ball, which is often does as he drives Ajax forwards. His reading of the game is superb as he rarely makes mistakes. Moreover, he is able to score goals with his tally standing at five for the season, with his long shots being another strength.

He is only 19-years-old and his potential is enormous. Bazoer is likely to go for a big fee when he does eventually leave Ajax. He has been linked with a move to Arsenal recently, but he may feel another year in the Eredivisie would be beneficial for his development. A move too soon to the wrong club can leave your growth at a standstill as Memphis Depay has learned the hard way. If he does leave this summer, he will be a great pick up for one of Europe’s premier clubs.

Sebastian Haller

The striker has had a great season in the Eredivisie and at the age of 21, he will develop a lot more in the future. Haller is all the attributes to succeed in a bigger league. He is great in the air, a strong finisher and capable of beating defenders on the dribble. The Frenchman is also contributes defensively, especially when it comes to defending set pieces. He almost joined Norwich City in January for £6.5m and although his value may be more in the summer, he will still be a cheaper option for clubs. He is an exciting prospect and it might be worth taking a risk on him now at a fee around £8m, than waiting and seeing his value rise.

Haller has scored 17 goals and has 4 assists, an impressive return which has helped his club get in contention for a Europa League spot for next season. He remains inconsistent and often scores his goals in streaks, but that is to be expected given his age. Tottenham have been linked with him in recent weeks, but they may be looking for a more proven talent to be a back up to Harry Kane, especially with the Champions League next season. He may opt for one more season in the Eredivisie, there will be interest in him this summer though.

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KNVB

The last great Dutch side

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It’s no secret that these days, money has a huge influence in football, with the strongest clubs in the world mainly being the richest too. The financial situation has also created a huge gap between European leagues, with top sides from less wealthy league’s struggling to compete with those from England, Spain and Germany in particular writes Fin Crebolder.

In the Dutch Eredivisie, clubs have never been big spenders, but have instead created great sides mainly through either developing players in their own youth system, or buying players from abroad at a young age. In both cases, the players would usually reach their peak at the club, allowing the team to compete with the best, before moving on to a major European league. However, since the billionaire owners and the huge TV licensing deals have come into play, this has rarely happened, as the Eredivisie top talents are signed by the rich European clubs before they reach their peak. Gone are the days of great Dutch European sides such as the Ajax team of 1998, with mid-table clubs in major leagues such as Southampton and Newcastle now being more appealing to exciting young talents than the traditional giants of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. As these Dutch clubs all suffer the same fate, teams can be built that look excellent domestically, but simply are not good enough to compete with the bigger and richer teams in Europe. However, this was of course not always the case. There was a time, not so long ago, where a Dutch team went toe to toe with the best in Europe. And what a team it was.

It was 2004, and PSV Eindhoven were not in the best state. They had just lost out on the Eredivisie title to rivals Ajax, and Chelsea, recently bought out by a rather wealthy Russian man, had signed two of their key players, Arjen Robben and Mateja Kezman. To make matters worse, the chairman Rob Westerhof and the board had constantly clashed with manager Guus Hiddink regarding financial matters. Whilst off the pitch the situation may not have been good, as soon as the season started it became apparent that these problems had not affected the on pitch performance of the club, with them still possessing one of the strongest squads in Europe, not just the league.

THE LINEUP

In goal was the new signing Heurelho Gomes, who after initial struggles and question marks, became a fan favourite, often bailing the team out with his reflexes and acrobatic, if somewhat erratic style. However, he was not called upon all that often due to the defence in front of him. Starting at right back was club legend Andre Ooijer, who had been at the club since 1997. Whilst he was not a marauding and exciting full back, he more than made up for it with his defensive solidity. Wilfred Bouma led the defence from the centre, being partnered by the 21 year old Brazilian Alex, who was on loan from Chelsea, and would remain so for three years. Completing the defence was the more adventurous and attacking of the two full backs, Lee Young-pyo, who Hiddink brought to PSV after the two worked together at the 2002 World Cup. His incredible speed and stamina allowed him to constantly run up and down the left side, becoming a key player for PSV in both defence and attack.

Whilst the defence was very impressive, it was the midfield of PSV that truly made them one of the European elite. In the holding role of the three was Johann Vogel, whose work often went unnoticed. With an excellent tackle and intelligent positioning, Vogel would sit in front of and protect the defence, allowing his two midfield partners to make an impact further forward, and they did just that. Phillip Cocu had just been brought back to PSV after an extremely successful six year spell at Barcelona, and became a key player, playing as the most attacking of the three midfielders, often getting forward and posing a goalscoring threat, shown by the ten goals he scored, but also tracking back and putting in excellent defensive work in tougher games. What Cocu lacked in technical ability he more than made up for with his work rate and off the ball movement. The third and arguably most important cog in the PSV midfield was club captain Mark Van Bommel, who was simply the complete midfielder. Often starting in a deeper position, Van Bommel would relentlessly press the opposition and more often than not win the ball. However, contrary to popular believe, there was far more to his game than just brute force, as he was often the creative hub of the team with his excellent range of passing and set piece abilities. This midfield three was wonderfully balanced, with all three players possessing excellent technical, mental and physical abilities between them, making them an efficient and at times unbreakable machine.

As said, the midfield was the key to this team, providing stability and balance, but that’s not to say the attack wasn’t equally as impressive. Usually on the right was Park Ji-Sung, arguably the side’s player of the season behind Van Bommel. He had struggled for first team opportunities after joining with Lee following the 2002 World Cup, but after the departure of Arjen Robben, he was given a chance in the starting lineup, and took it. He may not has possessed the unbelievable attacking abilities of Robben, but more than made up for it with his work rate in both pressing the opposition in their own half and man marking players into his own. This is not to say he lacked attacking ability. At the time Park was extremely quick and possessed impressive passing and crossing ability, shown by the ten goals and six assists he got. On the opposite side of the attack, Farfan and Beasley, the two players brought in to replace Arjen Robben, competed for the starting spot, with Farfan usually taking it. As they were brought in to replace Robben, both of these players were far more attacking and direct than Park, often running directly at the opposition defence with their pace and dribbling, making them key to PSV counter attacks, whilst off the ball they would make runs behind the defences. Leading the line for PSV was Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. After signing in 2001, Vennegoor of Hesselink struggled, and before the start of the 2004/05 season looked set to leave. However, after Kezman left for Chelsea, he too was given a chance in the first team and became an important player, with his physicality key to the side. He often held the ball up before laying it off to one of the onrushing Cocu, Park or Farfan, and was also a threat inside the box both in the air and on the ground, finishing the season as the side’s top scorer with 19 goals.

STYLE OF PLAY

This side was very different to the traditional great Dutch sides. Rather than focusing on possession and freedom of movement, Hiddink set up this team to be fast, direct and efficient. They were defensively sound, not only due to the individual quality of the defenders, but the structure of the midfield in front of it.

Off the ball, Vogel and Van Bommel would form a double pivot in front of the defence with Cocu pushing slightly further forward to press the opposition, forming a stable 4-2-3-1 formation, with Park tracking back on the right to protect the solid but aging Andre Oojier, who would then tuck in and sit narrower and deeper to his fellow full back. The protection provided by the midfield meant that the central defenders would rarely have to press the opposition midfield, allowing them to sit deeper and mark the attackers, making it extremely difficult for the opposition to find space near the PSV box.

psv

On the ball the team was still a largely structured unit, but were certainly more fluid than off the ball. Van Bommel would push higher up, leaving Vogel as the lone holding midfielder and changing the formation to a more attacking 4-3-3, where Cocu would push even further forward most of the time, although he sometimes swapped roles with Van Bommel. On the left side of the pitch, Farfan would often drift into the position of left striker, leaving space for Lee to bombard forward and provide a cross for one of Vennegoor of Hesselink, Farfan, Park or Cocu to get on the end of, with Van Bommel lurking outside the area ready to recover the ball or release a long shot. On the right was Park, who was given the most free role in the team, often drifting central behind the striker, and this, coupled with Farfan’s movement created a diamond shape in the team. This was also beneficial defensively at times, as it allowed Park to mark and harass the opposition defensive midfielder (I’m sure you’ve all heard those Pirlo quotes).

The team’s main philosophy was quick transitions, aiming to get the ball from one of the pitch to the other as quickly as possible. This does not mean that they were a long ball side who simply punted it forward to Vennegoor of Hesselink, but instead moved up the pitch quickly through either the individual pace of Park, Lee or Farfan, or through the excellent passing ability of the midfield, and Van Bommel in particular. The creative ability of the midfield along with the pace and movement of the wingers made this strategy extremely successful, with Vennegoor of Hesselink also key to it, holding up the ball with his back to goal before setting up one of the onrushing players.

THE SEASON

In their first three matches of the league season, they managed to score 15 goals, and this was reflective of their domestic season, as they stormed to the league title, finishing ten points ahead of Ajax, who they beat 4-0 in the ArenA in one of their many scintillating displays. They finished the season with 87 points, 89 goals and just one defeat, a quite incredible record. They managed to complete the domestic double when they won the KNVB Beker, breezing past Willem II 4-0 in the final, after defeating Feyenoord on penalties in the semi-final. Whilst their domestic achievements were undeniably impressive, there have been many great Eredivisie title winning sides over the years. These teams achievement among the European elite is what set them apart from other Dutch sides of recent times.

After breezing through the play off, PSV were drawn in a group with Rosenborg, Panathinaikos and Arsenal. In the group stages, their first game was their toughest, as they faced arsenal at the Emirates. Despite a strong defensive performance, they lost 1-0 due to an Alex own goal just before half time. They followed this with a 1-0 win over Panathinaikos, a 2-1 win away at Rosenborg and a 1-0 win over them in the return leg. They entered the home game against Arsenal two points clear at the top of the group, and managed a creditable 1-1 draw to maintain this advantage going into the final game. However, they played their worst performance of the season in the final group game, losing 4-1 to Panathinaikos, and finishing 2nd.

In the first knockout round they were drawn against Monaco, who had topped their group above Liverpool. Like in the group stages, PSV were excellent defensively, scoring early on through a Alex set piece in the first leg before holding a 1-0 lead to take to Monaco, where they put in an excellent performance, scoring a goal in each half through attackers Vennegoor of Hesselink and Beasley to win 3-0 on aggregate against a largely fancied side.

In the quarter-finals they were drawn against an even stronger French side, Lyon, the team who had won three consecutive league titles and were storming the French league yet again, and also finished above Manchester United in their Champions League group. Lyon’s class was clear straight away, as they came racing out of the blocks and were 1-0 up after twelve minutes. They continued to dominate PSV and Heurelho Gomes was inspired in the PSV goal, single handedly keeping it at 1-0 going into halftime. However, in the second half PSV looked like a different side, starting to take control of the game and equalising through Cocu in the 80th minute, giving them a crucial away goal to take back home. In the second leg, it was clear that both sides were nervous, as both failed to play to the best of their ability. However, like in the first leg, Lyon managed to score early again, this time after a mistake from Bouma, and things were looking bleak for PSV, as the rest of the half was poor. After half time, PSV got that all important goal through a superb Alex volley, but it did not provide the spark to their performance, and the scrappy game continued through the rainy night, until penalties loomed. The Dutch side held their nerve, with Gomes the hero again, saving two penalties, and sending PSV to the last four of the Champions League. Their opponents? AC Milan.

This was an AC Milan team of incredible quality, boasting the likes of Cafu, Maldini, Pirlo, Kaka, Seedorf and Shevchenko in their illustrious squad. They topped Barcelona in the group stages, and beat Manchester United and fierce rivals Inter Milan in the knockout stages, and were unsurprisingly heavy favourites against this PSV side. The following matches would define this PSV team, and ensure they went down in history as one of the great Dutch sides.

The first leg was played at the San Siro, and Hiddink set the side up in a diamond formation in an attempt to match AC Milan man for man, whilst also giving Park a more central role to both mark Pirlo off the ball and drive at the heart of the AC Milan defence of it. Vennegoor of Hesselink was left on the bench as Hiddink went for pace in attack, hoping to counter attack Milan with Beasley and Farfan. For the first fifteen minutes of the match, PSV were under siege from AC Milan, barely surviving the constant attacks thrown at them. However, the defence (just about) held on and by the twenty minute mark the Dutch side began to gain a foothold on the game, largely due to the performances of midfield duo Van Bommel and Cocu. Park’s direct running was also causing AC Milan all sorts of problems, with Farfan missing a golden chances after springing the offside trap. This warning woke Milan up who began to press forward again, forcing Gomez into two excellent stops from Kaka. However, just before half time, Shevchenko got the goal to send Milan into half-time with a deserved 1-0 lead. I don’t know what Hiddink said during the break to his players, but it must have been some speech, because a different side came out in the second half. PSV dominated and created chance after chance, with Park, Lee and Farfan all guilty of failing to finish. Vennegoor of Hesselink was brought on with half an hour left, allowing PSV to go more “route one”, with Van Bommel being the next to miss a chance, narrowly hitting over the bar from close range. Ultimately though, the effort had worn the PSV players out, and AC Milan finished the game strongly, pushing forward and getting a crucial (and very avoidable on PSV’s part) second goal from Tomasson. A lapse in concentration had left them with it all to do.

Going into the second leg, PSV had to score at least two unanswered goals against a side who had only conceded two goals all season in the Champions League. Ooijer was suspended whilst Beasley was injured, meaning Theo Lucius and Vennegoor of Hesselink were given the nod, with the team playing their usual 4-3-3 formation. They startled AC Milan with their high paced start, constantly pressing to win the ball and running directly forward with it. This intense start paid off when Park put PSV ahead after just nine minutes when he drifted inside from the right and finished off an excellent move. This put a real spring in the Dutch side’s step, with them maintaining their high intensity for the rest of the half, although they couldn’t find that second goal. The second half was more of the same, with the home crowd louder than ever before, and they would only get louder after Cocu equalised with a header following excellent wing play by the marauding Lee. Farfan, who had arguably been the star of the show, continued to tear apart the Milan defence and force multiple saves from Dida. With ten minutes left, PSV were pressing for the winner whilst Milan, who had no shots on target, seemed content to survive to extra time. However, in the 90th minute, PSV hearts were broken, when captain Van Bommel lost Ambrosini, the man he was marking, who headed home an excellent Kaka cross. Although Cocu managed to score a simply stunning volley only a minute later to make it 3-1, it was too late, and PSV were cruelly knocked out on away goals against a team they had well and truly outplayed and outclassed over two legs. In true Dutch fashion, they had a team capable of winning it, but fell at the (semi) final hurdle, Football, ay? It’s a cruel mistress.

THE AFTERMATH

Unsurprisingly, the financial superpowers in football took notice of the excellent talent at PSV and sadly the best Dutch club side since 1998 was largely ripped apart. In defence, both Bouma and Lee couldn’t resist the temptation of the English top flight, moving to Aston Villa and Tottenham respectively. However, the real losses came in midfield where Vogel went to AC Milan, Park joined Manchester United in a big money move, and Van Bommel left on a free transfer to Barcelona. They all left Eindhoven as club icons, beloved by the fans, and Park, Van Bommel and Bouma would all return to the club in the swansong of their careers, receiving a heroes welcome. PSV still managed to win the Eredivisie the following season, but didn’t have the quality to replicate their incredible Champions League run, falling to Lyon in the first knockout round.

As I said at the start of this article, these days it is very rare for a Eredivisie side to be able to hold on to key players and build a side capable of competing on the European front like they used to. However, this wonderfully talented side showed just what can happen when it does happen, when everything just clicks, and we can only hope that, in this game dominated by money, another Eredivisie side manages to build and maintain a team even half as good. With billionaire owners and TV licensing deals hurtling more and more money into the major leagues, it may take a while for this to happen, but I assure you, if it’s anything like this PSV side, it’ll be worth the wait.

 

Name-FinCrebolder

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FEATURE

Depay or Wijnaldum? Did Manchester United buy the wrong player from PSV?

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PSV had perhaps their best team for years last season and clinched the Eredivisie with relative comfort, with Memphis Depay and Gini Wijnaldum taking most of the plaudits. Both managed to secure a move to the Premier League, but they have had differing fortunes in England. The former has struggled and has lost his place in the side to the homegrown Jesse Lingard, which shows how Depay has under-performed this season. Meanwhile, Wijnaldum has been a revelation for Newcastle, despite their struggles as a side. He has stood out as a complete midfielder capable of taking his Eredivisie form into the Premier League, which begs the question, why weren’t there bigger clubs in for him last summer? And did Manchester United buy the wrong player from PSV last summer asks Jake Jackman.

20160130 - Depay vs Wijnaldum

Manchester United wanted to add some attacking talent to their squad over the summer and opted for Depay, who was excellent last season for PSV, scoring 22 goals and getting 5 assists. However, Manchester United don’t play out and out wingers, which has prevented Depay from settling in. Also he is only 21 years old and perhaps Manchester United underestimated how much time the Dutchman needed to reach his best form. He has scored just two goals in 17 league appearances and has looked like a weak link at times, especially against Stoke when the first goal was down to his poor touch.

The one time dominant force of English football haven’t managed to get a balanced partnership in central midfield, with Bastian Schweinsteiger, Michael Carrick and Morgan Schneiderlin being very similar, and none of them offer that attacking impetus from deep, which makes the team one dimensional in attack. This is why I feel Georginio Wijnaldum would have been a better fit for Louis van Gaal’s side this summer, as he can play in central midfield, and he is a forward-thinking player, who would have given their midfield another dimension. It’s odd that the club didn’t at least try to sign Wijnaldum, considering that the manager knows him well from his time as manager of the national side.

Another reason why Wijnaldum would have been a better fit is that he has been involved in transferring clubs before, and he is far more experienced than Depay. This has allowed him to be better prepared for moving to a new league, which is evident in his immediate impact. He has nine goals and three assists for Newcastle, and he still has 16 games to play. The Dutchman has a great chance of securing a big goal tally for the season, which is rare for a midfielder in his debut Premier League season. He has the potential to be one of the most complete midfielders produced in the Netherlands since Wesley Sneijder. Although he would have had less freedom at Manchester United, he would have been a better fit than Memphis Depay and would have been a big improvement on their current midfield options.

It is concerning to see the failures of Depay this season and Manchester United doesn’t look a good fit for him. Hopefully he manages to make an impact in the second half of the season as he has a lot of talent and it would be a shame for his confidence to be hit so soon after his big money move. If he doesn’t do any better before the summer, he should try and look for a move away from Old Trafford, unless van Gaal departs as it doesn’t look like he will ever have sustained success under his former national team manager. In hindsight, Depay should have moved to a smaller club, in order to bridge from PSV to a huge Champions League club, like Wijnaldum has.

 

Name-JacobJakeman

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