Tag Archives: Vitesse

EREDIVISIE: Vitesse 1-1 Heerenveen

September 21, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2014

VITESSE 1-1 HEERENVEEN

Heerenveen held Vitesse to a great 1-1 draw on Saturday evening however, they could have left Arnhem with more writes Will Burns.

The hosts started the better of the two sides with Davy Pröpper, Marko Vejinovic and Zakaria Labyad forcing early stops from Kristoffer Nordfeldt, however all efforts from long range.

After some great awareness from Morten Thorsby, Mark Uth grabbed the first goal of the game on 22 minutes in empathic fashion. Thorsby held the ball up, while Uth sneaked behind him down the left side of the area. The German striker then smashed a first time shot into the roof of the net at Piet Velthuizen’s near post to shock the home fans.

De Superfriezen were not in the lead for long after Davy Pröpper scored the equaliser after the ball was carried forward by Denys Olinyk. The ball fell perfectly at the edge of the area for Pröpper to side foot home.

Heerenveen looked more likely to take all three points with Velthuizen keeping the Arnhem side in the game while the Gelredome crowd became restless.

Peter Bosz’s Vitesse sit second bottom with just five points so far with their season is still to yet get going, Heerenveen sit in fourth claiming 11 points in the first six games so far.

TEAMS

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Van der Heijden, Kruiswijk, Achenteh, Vejinovic, Pröpper, Leerdam, Labyad (Ibarra 46), Dauda (Qazaishvili 71), Olinyk (Traoré 76).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Mori, McEachran, Diks.

GOALS: Pröpper 29.

BOOKINGS: Vejinovic 45, Pröpper 88, Wallace 90+1.

HEERENVEEN: Nordfeldt, Marzo, Buijs, Van Aken, Van Anholt, De Roon, Sinkgraven, Van den Berg, Slagveer (Schmidt 89), Uth (Dalgaard 81), Thorsby (Van Amersfoort 66).

SUBS NOT USED: De Fockert, Raitala, Otigba, Varga.

GOALS: Uth 23.

BOOKINGS: Van den Berg 45, Uth 70, van Aken 86, De Room 90+4.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Davy Pröpper (Vitesse)

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EREDIVISIE: PSV 2-0 Vitesse

August 31, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

PSV 2 – 0 VITESSE

Luuk de Jong grabs his first goal for PSV as he helps the Eindhoven side to a somewhat flattering 2-0 win against a Vitesse side who will be pleased with some aspects of their performance reports Ryan O’Grady.

PSV came into this game off the back of a brilliant 3-1 win away at Ajax that shocked the Amsterdam Arena crowd. Vitesse however were coming into this game having lost 2-1 to PEC Zwolle despite controlling large parts of the game. PSV made one change to the side for today’s game, new loan signing from Valencia, Andres Guardado replaced Jorrit Hendrix in midfield.

The first 40 minutes of this game belonged to Vitesse who from the get go pressed the PSV players high up the pitch. In only the second minute Guardado was dispossessed by Traoré on the edge of the box but the on-loan Chelsea midfielder could only get off a weak effort that was easily saved by Zoet.

After the first 15 minutes Vitesse already had 67% possession. Vitesse nearly wasted their early dominance when in the 15thminute a long ball was played forward that should’ve been easily dealt with by the Vitesse defence but instead Diks seemed to be at a loss as to what to do with the ball and decided to touch it behind for a corner without realising Depay was behind him but luckily Depay couldn’t capitalise.

Although Vitesse were the better team for most of the first half they rarely created any chances with Traoré having a couple that were easily saved and Vejinovic with a long range effort that was miles above the crossbar. Then in the last 5 minutes of the first half Vitesse appeared to let up slightly on their pressing game and PSV came into the game.

Firstly some good inter-play down the right wing resulted in Maher knocking the ball past Kashia on the edge of the box and seemingly through on goal but the central defender recovered well and managed to clear. Then Diks again couldn’t cope with a long ball and his poor touch fell to Narsingh who cut inside and unleashed a shot that was well saved by Velthuizen in the Vitesse net.

The first minute and a half of the second half started well for Vitesse before a quick counter attack by PSV resulted in a goal. Luuk De Jong picked the ball up around thirty yards out and ran towards goal but overran the ball, however the clearance by the Vitesse defence ricocheted off another defender and the ball fell to Narsingh who poked it towards De Jong and he side footed the ball into the corner of the net.

PSV then started a period of dominance that didn’t result in many chances. In the 61st minute Narsingh received the ball inside the box in a dangerous position but over ran the ball and it was easily cleared. During this period of dominance Vitesse did have one chance, Traoré tricked his way past two PSV players and ran into the box but was unable to get enough power behind his shot that was easily collected by Zoet.

In the 70th minute Depay crossed to Maher who mishit the ball but fortunately it landed to Narsingh although he could only hit the side netting. Vitesse came back into the game just after this chance. Substitute Achenteh was allowed to run towards the corner of the box before unleashing a powerful drive that went out for a corner after smacking the post. Then a cross came in from the left hand side of the box that was pushed away by Zoet straight to Labyad on the edge of the box whose shot was well saved by again by Zoet and ricocheted of Dauda’s head to go out for a goal kick. PSV went down the other end and Depay was allowed to come inside and release a shot but it went about two yards wide.

This was followed up in the 89th minute when substitute Jozefzoon played a lovely through ball to de Jong in the box and he should have scored from close range but his shot was well saved by Velthuizen, who was Vitesse’s man of the match. Velthuizen could do nothing about the next effort from PSV. Kashia slid for the ball about 40 yards out and completely missed it allowing Depay to run onto the ball and he tried to round the keeper but Velthuizen got a touch on it. Unfortunately for him the touch fell straight to Adam Maher who blasted it in from the edge of the box. To round the game off Depay had a chance at the very end but he slipped at the vital moment.

TEAMS

PSV: Zoet, Brenet, Rekik, Bruma, Willems (Arias 69), Maher, Guardado (Hiljemark 75), Wijnaldum, Narsingh (Jozefzoon 83), De Jong, Depay

SUBS NOT USED: Pasveer, Locadia, Ritzmaier, Hendrix.

GOALS: De Jong 48, Maher 90+1.

BOOKINGS: Maher 34, Guardado 73, Hiljemark 85.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Diks, Kashia, Van der Heijden, Kruiswijk (Achenteh 60), Vejinovic, Pröpper, Leerdam, Labyad, Qazaishvili (Dauda 60), Traoré (Olinyk 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Mori, McEachran, Ibarra.

GOALS: None.

BOOKINGS: Kruiswijk 24.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jeroen Zoet (PSV)

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EREDIVISIE WEEK 4: Sunday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 30, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

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

SUNDAY 31ST AUGUST

PSV vs. VITESSE (11:30 BST)

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

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

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

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

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PSV -1 (7/5 – Betfair)

FC GRONINGEN vs. AJAX (13:30 BST)

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

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

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

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

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Over 3.5 Goals (6/4 – Betfair)

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

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

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

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

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Zwolle to win (7/4 – Betfair)

FC TWENTE vs. FEYENOORD (15:45 BST)

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

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

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

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

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Twente to win (21/20 – Betfair)

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EREDIVISIE: PEC Zwolle 2-1 Vitesse

August 24, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 24TH AUGUST 2014

PEC ZWOLLE 2 – 1 VITESSE

PEC Zwolle came back from a goal behind to defeat Vitesse Arnhem 2-1 in Sunday’s first game in an exciting but heated encounter reports Will Burns.

Goalscorer from two weeks ago Soufain Moro, a summer free transfer from FC Utrecht, began the game on the left wing in place of Ryan Thomas, who may have been struggling with fitness after midweek exploits in the Europa League. While Peter Bosz made a change in the Vitesse goal as Eloy Room started in place of the injured Piet Velthuizen and 17-year-old left-back Kevin Diks introduced for his debut for the club.

After a good half-an-hour pre-game of lashing down rain, both sides decided to exchange long range shots early on but no decent efforts to trouble either keeper. After the opening ten minutes, the visitors experienced a decent spell and they should have taken the lead when Kelvin Leerdam forced a good save out of Diederik Boer from a corner on 20 minutes.

The good spell paid off when Davy Pröpper opened the scoring on 23 minutes despite the great efforts from Boer to stop the shot. The midfielder found space on the edge of the area and the shot deflected off Joost Broerse, and although Boer got a hand to the ball, the shot skimmed off the wet ground and into the corner of the goal.

Leerdam should have made it after Valeri Kazaishvili put him through on goal, but when Boer close the midfielder down he fluffed his lines and scuffed his shot wide. Vitesse’s new Ukrainian signing Denys Olinyk found more time as a substitute after Chelsea loanee Bertrand Traoré pulled up with an injury on 28 minutes.

On 35 minutes, Zwolle could have been levelled after Arnold Kruiswijk fouled Jody Lukoki and a referee Dennis Higler awarded a free-kick. Lukoki floated the ball in and Vitesse failed to clear when Broerse arrived at the back post to smash a shot that was well saved by Room. After some tempers had flared when Maikel van der Werff and Olinyk clashed, the crowd became louder and at the other end, Boer was tested by Kazaishvili’s effort from outside the area that the goalkeeper parried away.

As the sun shone for the second half, the home side seemed more composed, however they only really bothered Room early on with long range efforts from Broerse and Ben Rienstra. After an hour, Ron Jans decide to mix up his attacking options with Ryan Thomas and Stef Nijland joining the fray replacing Moro and Necid.

Seconds later, Zwolle were level when Van der Werff’s free-kick deflected in off Guram Kashia to make it 1-1. The defender who missed a spot-kick midweek against Sparta Prague made amends with the goal.

Zwolle’s tails were up and Jesper Drost nearly made it 2-1 minutes later with a great header from Lukoki right-wing cross that flashed across Room’s goal. Vitesse had their chances too with Zakaria Labyad and Olinyk proving to be constant headaches with the former forcing an easy save out of Boer with a header on 75 minutes.

The hosts finished the game the better and fitter side, not showing any European hangover as Bosz, visibly aware of this, replaced the active Labyad for former Zwolle defender Ronald Achenteh to try and seal a point, however this move did not help his side.

Substitute Stefan Nijland took advantage of some poor defending from Vitesse with just two minutes remaining. Jan Arie van der Heijden was disposed by Lukoki and Nijland was on hand to finish to send the IJsseldelta into raptures. The former Ajax winger Lukoki could have added a third in stoppage time forcing a stop from Room.

Zwolle’s great run continues and the way they fought back in the second half will deter any doubters in thinking this cannot be a successful season and they will head to the Czech Republic this Thursday full of confidence knowing that only a win will do against Sparta Prague. Vitesse on the other hand lack a lot up front and recruiting a striker is must this week before the transfer window slams shut.

TEAMS

PEC ZWOLLE: Boer, Lam, Van der Werff, Broerse (Sainsbury 80), Van Polen, Rienstra, Saymak, Lukoki, Drost, Moro (Thomas 64), Necid (Nijland 64).

SUBS NOT USED: De Jong, Dekker, Pereira, Ioannidis.

GOALS: Van der Werff 64, Nijland 88.

BOOKINGS: Van Polen 41, Rienstra 58.

VITESSE: Room, Diks, Kashia, Van der Heijden, Kruiswijk, Vejinovic (McEachran 74), Leerdam, Pröpper, Labyad (Achenteh 84), Kazaishvili, Traoré (Olinyk 28).

SUBS NOT USED: Houwen, Mori, Djurdjevic, Bosz.

GOALS: Pröpper 23.

BOOKINGS: Kashia 40, Pröpper 41.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Maikel van der Werff (PEC Zwolle)

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EREDIVISIE WEEK 3: Sunday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 23, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Five games on Sunday ending with Ajax vs. PSV in ‘De Topper’ for a preview of that game click here – for the rest, see below as Will Burns and Martijn Hilhorst picks their recommended bets for the remainder of Sunday’s games.

SUNDAY 24TH AUGUST

PEC ZWOLLE vs. VITESSE (11:30 BST)

PEC Zwolle drew 1-1 in their first ever European adventure against Sparta Prague on Thursday night and Will Burns thinks their could be another draw on the cards on Sunday at home to Vitesse.

Zwolle really are the in-form team, defeating Ajax, FC Utrecht and FC Dordrecht before Thursday’s stalemate in the Europa League playoff first leg. One player that has impressed since joining a forthnight ago is big 6ft 3inches striker Tomas Necid. Formally tipped to be the next big thing in the Czech Republic, he has seen his career tail off after a big money move to CSKA Moscow. Look for him to be a big threat in this game giving Guram Kashia and Jan-Arie van der Heijden a tough time.

Vitesse signed English midfielder Josh McEachran midweek from ‘feeder club’ Chelsea as the 21-year-old has also seen his progress falter at Watford and Wigan Athletic of the English Championship last year. Zakaria Labyad has made a strong start to the new campaign and without a out-and-out striker, he will be the visitors’ main threat, with two goals in last weekend’s 2-2 draw with SC Cambuur.

Expect to see a game with goals but at the end of the final whistle a score draw will be the finale. A 2-2 draw at Bet Victor is valued at 12/1 and this might be worth a small stake but the draw is a great 5/2 and look out for this to be the best chance for profit in Sunday’s opener live on Sky Sports 5.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Draw (5/2 – Bet Victor)

NAC BREDA vs. FC TWENTE (13:30 BST)

Will Burns predicts that NAC Breda’s 6-1 thumping by PSV may effect them further as FC Twente roll into town on Sunday afternoon.

NAC recieved a right pasting last weekend and if it was not for veteran goalkeeper Jelle ten Rouwelaar it could have been worse. Adnane Tighadouini was the bright spark in that encounter and NAC coach Nebojsa Gudelj will look to him to inspire his team-mates to a better performance than last weekend.

Twente had a difficult trip to Azerbaijan on Thursday night in their 0-0 draw against Qarabag FK in the first leg of their Europa League playoff, however, Twente have enough depth in the squad to blow NAC away on Sunday afternoon. Hakim Ziyech is set to make his league debut and with him sitting besides fellow new signing Kamohelo Mokotjo in the middle of the park, is a mouthwatering prospect. Combine these two with Youness Mokhtar, Kyle Ebecilio and Kasper Kusk supplying chances for Luc Castiagnos and Alfred Schreuder has enough talent to compete for the Eredivisie championship this year.

Except a Twente win, and a big win at that. Twente to win is valued at 5/6 with Bet Victor but for extra value, Twente -1 looks a better bet at 21/10 and this is our reccommended bet.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Twente -1 (21/10 – Bet Victor)

ADO DEN HAAG vs. FC GRONINGEN (13:30 BST)

For ADO, with only one point after two matches, it doesn’t sound that good, but if you see the circumstances it is impressive says Martijn Hilhorst.

Den Haag faced Feyenoord (H) which the lost 1-0 and in the previous match away versus FC Twente, they eventually grabbed a 2-2 against them, however they deserved the three points, because Twente’s goals were lucky to say the least.

The last couple of years it seems that FC Groningen cannot win against ADO (home or away). Literally struggling every match against them and they have a bigger problem in the name of Henk Fraser and Ronald Alberg, the latter, a key player for Den Haag. The attacking midfielder has scored and assisted a lot under coach Fraser, just like last week when he scored against Twente.

Edwin van der Looi’s Groningen are on an impressive streak (8 Eredivisie wins in a row), but they have not faced big opponents in this period of time, only an away match versus PSV in March. Funny little detail: The last defeat from Groningen was 15th of March away at ADO Den Haag (2-1).

Because of the eight-win streak from Groningen, the odds for ADO Den Haag to win is ridiculous high at 7/5 at Bet Victor and they will win this match but not easy. However with Fraser as manager facing Groningen who could become overconfident, these are great odds.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

ADO to win (7/5 – Bet Victor)

FEYENOORD vs. FC UTRECHT (13:30 BST)

Feyenoord have not started their season with joy. A draw in a home match versus a ten men SC Heerenveen and a lucky win away at ADO Den Haag while their European matches have not been positive either. Just this Thursday they only played 1-1 versus FC Zorya Luhansk. However, Martijn Hilhorst thinks times are about to change for Fred Rutten’s men.

The last couple of weeks there have been rumours about the possibility that Feyenoord will buy a striker due to the departure of Graziano Pelle to Southampton. There is only one week left of the transfer window which has saw a loan for Colin Kazim-Richards arrive from Bursaspor. Because of the continuous news about a possible new striker, the current one Mitchell te Vrede is not quite popular among the Feyenoord fans. The general opinion is that he is not good enough. Technically, he does miss some qualities, but as a pure finisher he started this season with some great statistics. Till this weekend Feyenoord scored five times in all competitions, four of them were scored by the young Dutch striker. So, a fun bet could be: Mitchell te Vrede to score the first goal at 19/4, but that is not our main tip.

FC Utrecht have not started good either after a deserved loss in the first match at PEC Zwolle (2-0) they faced Willem II which they won with 2-1, but their tactics were not the level you would expect. The last couple of years it seems inevitable that you will lose as a Eredivisie at De Kuip (apart from the top-tier teams). Every manager tries a different approach towards their players convincing them they will win, but there is a certain amount of fear when playing away at Feyenoord. Fans and the entire entourage makes opposition players shaky.

Feyenoord fans are dying for three points and Utrecht will be blasted away and will lose with at least two goals between them. Feyenoord -1 is great value at 21/20 at Bet Victor as well is the following bet: Feyenoord to win to nil at 7/4 . Both bets are great value and Mitchell te Vrede will make at least on the goals this Sunday.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Feyenoord to win to nil (7/4 – Bet Victor)

Mitchell te Vrede to score the first goal (19/4 – Bet Victor)

Feyenoord -1 (21/10 – Bet Victor)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Vitesse 2-2 SC Cambuur

August 16, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SATURDAY 16TH AUGUST 2014

VITESSE 2 – 2 SC CAMBUUR

After coming back from a goal down, Vitesse were left to rue missed chances as Bartholomew Ogbeche rescued a point for Cambuur with just a minute to go on Saturday evening.

Cambuur got off to a dream start with a goal within the first ten minutes to silence the 13,967 inside the GelreDome. Striker Michiel Hemmen evaded two challenges before striking an effort at goal, which took a wicked deflection off Arnold Kruiswijk before looping over Piet Velthuizen’s head to make it 1-0.

However, the lead did not last long as Vitesse found an equaliser through a deflection of their own on 19 minutes. Marko Vejinovic passed to Zakaria Labyad just before the midfielder approached the area and the former Sporting Lisbon playmaker fired towards goal as the ball flicked up off Lucas Bijker’s challenge. The ball ended up flying over the top of Leonard Nienhuis’ as the keeper managed to get a palm to the ball, but unable to stop it to level the scores.

Before half-time, Vitesse had turned the game on its head when they were awarded a penalty on 36 minutes by referee Eric Braamhaar after Valeri Qazaishvili was fouled by Mohamed El Makrini in the box. Labyad stepped up as Nienhuis dived in the opposite direction, as Vitesse took the advantage into the interval.

Cambuur keeper Nienhuis kept his side in the match with second half efforts from Chelsea on-loan pairing Bertrand Traoré and Wallace denied by the stopper. Ukrainian substitute Denis Oliynyk worked well to get himself into the area and skipped two challenges with just eight minutes of time remaining. The summer signing from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk tried to place the ball under Nienhuis to seal the win, but the keeper got a leg underneath the shot to parry away.

Missing chances sometimes comes back to haunt teams and that’s exactly what it did to hosts. Former Middlesbrough striker Bartholomew Ogbeche scored his first of the season to grab Cambuur a great away point. When Velthuizen failed to fully stop Martijn Barto’s effort from a Dijkstra corner, the Nigerian forward smashed home the rebound to make it 2-2 and send the 300 Cambuur supporters go wild.

Vitesse are now without a league win in an nine-game stretch, there worst record since 2008. Facing immense pressure, Peter Bosz will need to improve things and quick.

TEAMS

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Van den Heijden, Kashia, Kruiswijk, Vejinovic, Leerdam, Pröpper, Traoré (Olinyk 75), Qazaishvili (Dauda 90), Labyad

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Djurdjevic, Bosz, Achenteh, Diks

GOALS: Labyad 19 & 37P.

BOOKINGS: Pröpper 53, Velthuizen 90.

CAMBUUR: Nienhuis, Droste, Reijnen, Bijker, Andriuškevičius, El Makrini, Rusnák (Dijkstra 81), Bakker (Barto 64), Meleg (Schepers 56), Hemmen, Ogbeche.

SUBS NOT USED: Zeinstra, Pereira, Schokker, Man-Intosch.

GOALS: Hemmen 10, Ogbeche 89.

BOOKINGS: Ogbeche 4, Bijker 65.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Zakaria Labyad (Vitesse)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 2: Saturday’s Preview & Betting Tips

August 15, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Saturday brings four more games in the Eredivisie Week 2. Will Burns provides his betting tips with Bet Victor providing the prices.

SATURDAY 15TH AUGUST

PSV vs. NAC BREDA (17:30 BST)

Karim Rekik is back in Eindhoven and although PSV have missed out on signing Belgian midfielder Stefan Defour, they have a squad packed full of talent to make a charge for the Eredivisie title. This week, relegation contenders NAC Breda arrive in Eindhoven to try and halt Philip Cocu’s men, Will Burns seems to think De Boeren will not have much trouble on Saturday night.

PSV’s are Ajax main challengers and the signing of Rekik is a welcome addition in the defence. In more good news for Cocu, morale was boosted by skipper Georginio Wijnaldum penning an extension to his contract until 2018. Club officials are hoping the most-wanted winger Memphis Depay follows suit.

Historically, the odds way in the favour of PSV against NAC at the Philips Stadion. The Eindhoven side have been winning at both half time and full time in six of their last eight home matches against Breda in all competitions. In recent times, to stack the odds against Nebojša Gudelj’s side further, NAC have failed to find all three points in their last 12 league games, and with only two wins away all last season, leaving Eindhoven with anything looks highly unlikely.

With Stijn Schaars and Jetro Willems still not fit, expect Cocu to stick with the majority of the same team that defeated ten-man Willem II 3-1 last Sunday. Rekik may replace Jorrit Hendrix in defence alongside Jeffrey Bruma. Although, the performance was the greatest in the Koning Willem II Stadion, PSV will be out to impress in front of their own fans in the first home game of the season. Expect a convincing win for De Boeren and with the returning partnership of Bruma and Rekik, a clean sheet too. PSV to win to nil is valued at 23/20 at Bet Victor and that is our recommended bet in this one.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PSV to win to nil (23/20 – Bet Victor)

FC DORDRECHT vs. PEC ZWOLLE (18:45 BST)

FC Dordrecht host PEC Zwolle and the Eredivisie newcomers will look up to Ron Jans’ side as a prime example of a promoted side who can make a success of staying up and progressing. Will Burns predicts Zwolle easily overcoming Dordrecht in an entertaining goal-fest.

With attacking midfielder Stef Nijland playing on his own upfront the last two weeks, Ron Jans added a bit of quality in attack this week with Czech international striker Tomáš Necid joining on a loan deal from CSKA Moscow. Once proclaimed a young prodigy by the experts in his homeland, Necid has struggled in Moscow and was farmed out to PAOK and Slavia Prague the past two seasons. Jans will look to last week’s star man Jody Lukoki to supply the balls for the massive 6ft 3inch hitman if he decides to play the Czech up front.

Dordrecht pulled off the shock result of last weekend, turning over Heerenveen on their own patch, so coach Ernie Brandts should employ the same eleven. Though Rick ten Voorde, Rihairo Meulens and Mohamed Hamdaoui will be itching to get on the pitch and may push for a starting place.

I cannot see anything else but a PEC Zwolle win. A team in form after defeating Ajax and FC Utrecht in recent weeks, I see a resounding triumph for Jans’ men with plenty of goals on show. Bet Victor offer 13/8 for the PEC Zwolle victory but I see PEC Zwolle -1 in the Handicap market at a massive 4/1 at our best value bet.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PEC Zwolle -1 (4/1 – Bet Victor)

FC TWENTE vs. ADO DEN HAAG (18:45 BST)

An unimpressive Twente grabbed a late point last week against Cambuur, but they will have to perform much better against Henk Fraser’s ADO who suffered a late goal themselves last weekend in the 1-0 defeat to Feyenoord.

Playing the majority of the game with ten-men, ADO were incredibly unfortunate not to salvage a point against Feyenoord on Sunday. The game was a testament of all the hard work Henk Fraser has achieved with the team and ADO will head to Enschede looking to get the season back on track.

Twente could be too strong for ADO in this one and could become a real contender this year with the signing of Kamohelo Mokotjo last Friday for a snip at €1.5m. Mokotjo will be pushing for a start in this one and the South African combining with Kasper Kusk, Kyle Ebecilio and Youness Mokhtar is a mouth-watering prospect for striker Luc Castaignos, who should be eating up the chances created.

It was a valiant performance from ADO last weekend, however I see Twente far too strong for Fraser men on Saturday night. A Twente win gives you a short 2/5 at Bet Victor, however for them to win and keep a clean sheet in the process is a healthy 6/4.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Twente to win to nil (6/4 – Bet Victor)

VITESSE vs. SC CAMBUUR (19:45 BST)

Cambuur grabbed a great point at home to Twente last weekend, however this weekend they travel to Arnhem for a tough test against Vitesse. Will Burns thinks Cambuur will be overpowered by the Vitesse attack.

Finishing must improve from the home side after missing chance after chance in the first-half away to Ajax last weekend. Anyone watching would have thought how Vitesse had not scored three or four before the half-time whistle. This weekend, that must change and if Peter Bosz’s side can create the same amount of opportunities, they should be home and dry against Cambuur in Saturday’s late game.

The home side will have to watch out for Albert Rusnak, star of the show in Cambuur’s 1-1 draw with Twente. The young Slovak on loan from Manchester City stole the headlines with a great performance last weekend, topped off with a wonderful free-kick goal. Unfortunately for Cambuur, Rusnak was the only real threat and I cannot see Vitesse conceding many in this one.

For a Vitesse victory, Bet Victor offer 4/7 although for true value for Vitesse to win by two goals (-1) is at 11/8 which gives us some decent money back.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

Vitesse -1 (11/8 – Bet Victor)

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EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE REPORT

EREDIVISIE: Ajax 4-1 Vitesse

August 10, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST 2014

AJAX 4 – 1 VITESSE

Ajax got their title defense underway with 4-1 win over Vitesse, although the victory was not as one-sided as it sounds.

Whilst potential signing Samuel Eto’o was among the spectators at the Amsterdam ArenA, Frank de Boer went with three-pronged attack of Ricardo Kishna, Arkadiusz Milik and Lasse Schöne. He left all three of Ajax’s representatives at this summer’s World Cup on the bench, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind.

Meanwhile, Peter Bosz decided to feature two youngsters from the latest crop sent over to Arnhem from Chelsea. Burkina Faso attacking midfielder Bertrand Traoré returned for his second season at Vitesse while Brazilian right-back Wallace made his debut at the back.

Vitesse controlled the majority of the first 45 minutes with Ajax looking vulnerable at the back, however the visitors were due to rue all the missed opportunities especially when Ajax made the breakthrough five minutes before half-time.

Summer signing Nick Viergever got the first goal with a wonderful left-foot finish. Young full-back Ruben Ligeon got forward on the right-wing and planted a cross in the middle of the box, arriving late Viergever volleyed past Piet Velthuizen in goal to make the Amsterdam ArenA jump.

Just after the interval, the lead was doubled after Chelsea youngster Wallace brought down Kishna around 30-yards out. From the resulting set-piece, Lasse Schöne hit a dipping long range shot that made Velthuizen look rather foolish in goal.

The second goal woke Vitesse up immediately and Bosz’s men nearly reduced the deficit. Defender Guram Kashia cracked a header off the crossbar from a Zakaria Labyad corner and then nodded the rebound over. However, the game was settled just after the hour mark with Mike van der Hoorn’s first goal for Ajax. Schone whipped in the corner and the defender rose above Jan-Arie van der Heijden to make it 3-0. Game over for Vitesse Arnhem.

The entrances of new signing Denys Olinyk and young forward Uroš Djurdjevic did not bring Vitesse any joy, Ajax were in full domination and dictated the tempo of the play. Although, Vitesse did get a consolation goal with a lovely effort by Marko Vejinović with just six minutes to go. After shrugging off the challenge of Van der Hoorn, the midfielder caught the Ajax defence asleep as he surged through the area and slotted home inside Kenneth Vermeer’s inside post.

Ajax made it four before the final whistle when young substitute winger Ahmed El Ghazi played a ball into the back post, and Schöne sidefooted home to score his second of the match.

Great second half performance from the Amsterdammers which may have shown Marc Overmars and De Boer that, do they really need to spend €2million a year on wages for Eto’o when they have all this talent banging in the goals when it matters.

TEAMS

AJAX: Vermeer, Ligeon, Van der Hoorn, Moisander, Boilesen, Klaassen (Sigthórsson 80), Viergever, Serero, Schöne, Milik (Blind 59), Kishna (El Ghazi 70).

SUBS NOT USED: Cillessen, Veltman, Sigthórsson, Andersen, Denswil.

GOALS: Viergever 40, Schöne 48, Van der Hoorn 62.

BOOKINGS: Ligeon 43, Van der Hoorn 82.

VITESSE: Velthuizen, Wallace, Kashia, Van den Heijden, Kruiswijk, Pröpper, Leerdam (Achenteh 85), Vejinovic, Labyad, Kazaishvili (Olinyk 66), Traoré (Djurdjevic 66).

SUBS NOT USED: Room, Dijks, Bosz, Dauda.

GOALS: Vejinovic 84.

BOOKINGS: Wallace 47.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Lasse Schöne (Ajax)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 1: SUNDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

August 9, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Sunday sees the final four games of the first week of action as the big guns PSV, Ajax, Feyenoord and Vitesse begin their campaign. Will Burns to provide a preview and some betting tips – good luck.

SUNDAY 10TH AUGUST

ADO DEN HAAG vs. FEYENOORD (11:30 BST)

The very first Dutch game of the four-year Sky Sports deal will be a fierce battle between ADO Den Haag and Feyenoord.

This will be a tough test for Feyenoord, after the midweek exploits in Turkey, defeated by Beşiktaş 3-1 courtesy of a Demba Ba hat-trick. With a squad depleted after losing their leading scorer for the past two seasons and three of their representatives at this summer’s World Cup, Fred Rutten has a major job on his hands if he wishes to try steering Feyenoord to a title challenge this term. Signing Heerenveen winger Bilal Basacikoglu was a good start and the thought of Jean-Paul Boëtius on opposite wings is a mouth-watering prospect. Problem is the lack of strikers to cross the ball to. Apart from an uninspiring Mitchell te Vrede in the lone striker role, Elvis Manu, scorer in midweek, will be in Rutten’s mind and may get a start.

ADO manager Henk Fraser has been impressive since taking over midway through last season. Boasting an undefeated record of 11 of their last 12 matches, they head into Sunday’s game with confidence and some good new faces. Xander Houtkoop had a fantastic season at Go Ahead Eagles last year. Twenty four-year-old goalkeeper Martin Hansen, a former Liverpool youth excelled in the Danish league over last two season at Viborg FF and FC Nordsjælland. Finally, experienced Danish international midfielder Thomas Kristensen arrives after six success filled seasons at FC København. All three are set to start, however, the biggest news of the summer for ADO is that young highly-rated striker Mike van Duinen is still at the club.

With the tiredness and exhaustion from the midweek travel and mood affecting the result of the game, I cannot see Feyenoord walking out of the Kyocera Stadion with a win. I feel ADO will be set-up a fresher team and ready to exploit any weakness they find. Rutten will be hoping to get the season going but I feel Fraser’s side will hold the Rotterdammers to a draw.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (3/1 – Bet Victor)

GO AHEAD EAGLES vs. FC GRONINGEN (13:30 BST)

After a disappointing European adventure in the summer, Groningen began their league campaign in Deventer on Sunday afternoon away to Go Ahead Eagles.

A load of players to look out for in this game, Eagles have borrowed a couple from Ajax and both should be on the teamsheet. Young goalkeeper Mickey van der Hart started 27 games in the Eerste Divisie last year for Jong Ajax. Exciting winger Lesly de Sa also appeared for Jong Ajax last term, scoring seven goals in 17 starts. Another definite starter should be left-back Giliano Wijnaldum, brother of Georginio, who signed from Sunday’s opponents FC Groningen. Another two, who could also feature is striker Alex Schalk, signed on a free from NAC Breda and midfielder Peter van Ooijen who arrived from PSV Eindhoven.

Edwin van der Looi brought many exciting reinforcements into Groningen this summer. Danny Hoesen signed on a permanent deal from Ajax, as Richairo Zivkovic went to other way. Signing from Go Ahead, Jarchinio Antonia should start against his former club and possibly haunt them with his right-wing attacks. Big defender Martijn van der Laan arrived from Cambuur and goalkeeper Sergio Padt came from Jupiler Pro side AA Gent as Marco Bizot went the opposite direction to Belgium. All of these players will add some great depth to an already strong squad.

I predict this match could provide a lot of goals and could be the game of the round. Adelaarshorst is a challenging venue for any team but Groningen should have sufficient quality to be able to hold off their opponents to at least claim a point in this one.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (13/5- Bet Victor)

AJAX vs. VITESSE ARNHEM (13:30 BST)

Defending champions Ajax will be out for blood against Vitesse on Sunday after spending all week licking their wounds from last weekend’s Johan Cruijff Schaal defeat in their own backyard to PEC Zwolle.

Undefeated in the last 22 games in the league, Ajax will be vying to keep the run going and get off to a good start on Sunday. World Cup trio, Jasper Cillessen, Joël Veltman and Daley Blind have returned to full training this week after being given extended leave once their involvement in Brazil concluded. It is very unlikely that they will be named in the starting line-up against Vitesse, so in their absence Kenneth Vermeer, Mike van der Hoorn and summer signing from AZ, Nick Viergever should stand in. Elsewhere, Frank de Boer could hand a debut to young Polish striker Arkadiusz Milik, who was loaned from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen last month.

Peter Bosz will be looking for a change in fortune as his side have lost their last four away matches in the league, but he could not have asked for a harder first game than a trip to the Amsterdam ArenA. Preparations for the new season as usual, have seen Chelsea reserve players have made the switch from Stamford Bridge for the forthcoming season. Burkina Faso international midfielder Bertrand Traoré and Brazilian full-back Wallace have made the move over to Arnhem. Vitesse has strengthened their attacking options bringing in striker Abiola Dauda, who has a great goalscoring record at both Kalmar (Sweden) and Red Star Belgrade (Serbia).

One player who may lead the team to greatness this year has not been mentioned by many pundits but insiders have told me he will make a major impact in the Eredivisie. Arriving early in the window was Denys Oliynyk from Dnipro on a two-year deal. The Ukrainian international was once considered to be one of the most talented players of his generation, however, he has only played 13 games in the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see what happens with this player if he makes the first team.

Ajax will be looking to explode out of the blocks in front of their own crowd to make amends from last weekend’s disappointment; however Vitesse will be prepared for this. Without their World Cup stars, I’m predicting Ajax will find this game a struggle and the draw is my recommended bet.

RECCOMMENDED BET

Draw (33/10 – Bet Victor)

WILLEM II vs. PSV (15:30 BST)

PSV Eindhoven was in Austria this past Thursday to advance to the next round of the Europa League qualifiers, while Willem II would have been resting up preparing for this game, in their return to the Eredivisie.

PSV enter this game with a fantastic head-to-head record, having won their last 17 matches against Willem II in all competitions and I cannot see the streak being broken. Philip Cocu’s men should get the season underway with a hefty victory over Jurgen Streppel’s side. New striker Luuk de Jong has already notched this year in the Europa League and with most wanted Memphis Depay returning from a fantastic World Cup ready to fire PSV to a title challenge. I fail to see the likes of Jordan Peters and Tim Cornelisse keeping them at bay.

Our best bet will be PSV -1 which means we need the Eindhoven side to win by two clear goals to win the bet.

RECCOMMENDED BET

PSV -1 Handicap (31/20 – Bet Victor)

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW

EREDIVISIE WEEK 1: FRIDAY PREVIEW & BETTING TIPS

August 8, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

The waiting is over and the Eredivisie returns tonight as Ron Jans’ PEC Zwolle host FC Utrecht, hot off the heels of their Johan Cruijff Schaal win over Ajax on Sunday. Will Burns says backing Zwolle to claim victory is how to get the new season underway with a winner.

FRIDAY 8TH AUGUST

PEC ZWOLLE vs. FC UTRECHT (19:00 BST)

The Eredivisie returns tonight as Ron Jans’ PEC Zwolle host FC Utrecht, hot off the heels of their Johan Cruijff Schaal win over Ajax on Sunday and Will Burns says that backing Zwolle to claim victory is the way to start the new season with a winner.

PEC ZWOLLE

PEC Zwolle head into this opening day full of confidence after claiming their second trophy in 105 days. The Blauwvingers defeated Ajax by the solitary Stef Nijland goal last Sunday at the Amsterdam ArenA. Head coach Ron Jans suffered a blow to his season preparations earlier this morning losing arguably his best player last term, Kamohelo Mokotjo to FC Twente for a meagre €1.5m fee. However, it’s not all doom and gloom as earlier in the week, speedy winger Jody Lukoki arrived on a three-year deal from Amsterdam, the 21-year-old spent last season at Cambuur and should be a great addition to Jans’ selection. The winger should get a start on the right this evening with 19-year-old New Zealander Ryan Thomas on the left. On Sunday, Zwolle lined up with Nijland alone up front, however, Jans has added two Greek strikers to his ranks, Dimitrios Ferfelis (TuS Koblenz) and Nikos Ioannidis (Olympiakos) to help in front of goal, but may start on the bench this evening. Losing defensive rock Darryl Lachman to Twente earlier in the summer was disappointing, although the central defensive pairing Trent Sainsbury and Joost Broerse held well against Ajax on Sunday and should retain their place. In midfield, the defensive Ben Rienstra has arrived from Heracles this window and should protect the back four.

FC UTRECHT

It is a new season and a new manager for Utrecht after a disappointing campaign last year. After working his way up the ranks at the club, Rob Alflen replaced Jan Wouters in May following Utrecht’s horrific campaign which almost saw them involved in the relegation battle towards the end of the season. Looking to rebuild the team, Alflen brings a fresh approach and could hand lots of debuts to new signings tonight. A striker well known to watchers of the Eredivisie, Danny Verbeek arrived on loan from Belgian Pro League side Standard Liège after spending the last two years loaned out to NAC Breda. 24-year-old Dutchman and former Arsenal youth Nacer Barazite joined from Monaco and could line up in midfield. New defensive duo could start Christian Kum (Heerenveen) and Ramon Leeuwin (Cambuur) and Anouar Kali could make a return in the red shirt after a year at Roda. Alflen however, will be missing up to five first-teamers as midfielders Édouard Duplan and Willem Jansen, goalkeeper Robbin Ruiter, centre-forward Ruud Boymans and left-back Michael Zullo all miss out with injuries.

MATCH ODDS

After last weekend’s exploits, PEC Zwolle head into the game as favourites with evens being offered at Bet Victor and due to amount of talent that Utrecht is missing, I recommend this to be a great bet. With it being the opening game, it could be a cautious affair and a narrow Zwolle win could be the outcome, the scoreline of 2-1 to Zwolle at 8/1 looks very tempting. Ron Jans’ tactics may be more productive going forward than defensively this season and his side, as always will be an entertaining one to watch. If Zwolle do attack then Utrecht could do some damage on the counter with Jens Toornstra being the main threat scoring 19 goals in his total 48 appearances for the club from midfield. Toornstra is a menace from set-pieces also and is valued at 23/10 for anytime goalscorer. We all know how the goals can flow in the Eredivisie and both teams to score is an interesting but short price of 8/13, nevertheless, if combine that with a PEC Zwolle win and you can nail a great price of 5/2.

RECCOMMENDED BETS

PEC Zwolle to win with Both Teams to Score – 5/2

Jens Toornstra to score anytime – 23/10

SAFE BET

PEC Zwolle to win – Evens

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BETTING TIPS, EREDIVISIE, EREDIVISIE PREVIEW, FEATURE

EREDIVISIE 2014/15 SEASON GUIDE

August 7, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Total Dutch Football previews all 18 teams ahead of the new Eredivisie season beginning this Friday night. Click on a club’s badge below to view their extensive preview and how our team think they will fare in the upcoming 2014/15 season.

The Eredivisie is back and for viewers based in the United Kingdom, it is an exciting time. As of this season, Sky Sports have signed a four-year deal to show the Dutch top flight, so we will the breeding ground for some many playing and coaching talent right in front of our eyes. Lots of changes as per usual in the Eredivisie, as is every year when the vast amount of talent the season before, have moved onto bigger clubs across Europe. It is very apt that the league does get named ‘The Stepping Stone’ division as many stars like Luis Suarez, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Robin van Persie honed their skills in Holland before moving on to the big time. In recent times, we have saw Jan Vertonghen, Christian Eriksen and Siem de Jong all leave the Amsterdam Arena for the dizzy heights of the Premier League.

Could Ajax win an unprecedented fifth title in a row or could we see a new winner of the Eredivisie?

Well what are you watching for?

Click on a club badge below and find out who we think will be holding aloft the Eredivisie shield in May.

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EREDIVISIE PREVIEW, FEATURE

VITESSE SEASON PREVIEW

August 6, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

VitesseArnhem

A mixture of high and low points will greet Vitesse fans when they think back to last season. Highs, such as a six-game winning streak that included wins away at Ajax and an astonishing 6-2 win away at PSV, were balanced out by low points like losing 4 out of the last 10 games of the season before being beaten 5-1 on aggregate by Groningen in the semi-final of the Europa League play-off writes Ryan O’Grady.

Last season’s goal tally of 65 was the 3^rd best in the league, behind only Feyenoord and FC Twente, but with this summer’s departures 32 of those 65 goals have departed which is a huge loss and it will be extremely hard if not impossible to replace. This summer like last summer saw the departure of star players such as Lucas Piazon, who was Vitesse’s top scorer with 11 goals, and Christian Atsu who both returned to Chelsea after there loan deals expired. Star striker Mike Havenaar also departed this after scoring 10 goals last season. While he was a free agent his decision to sign for newly-promoted Spanish side Cordoba is somewhat surprising considering he was attracting interest from Napoli of Italy. The situation upfront is certainly worrying. After Havenaar the second top scorer in the strikers department was Kazaishvili with 4 goals and it remains to be seen whether new signing Abiola Dauda, who has a decent record at both Kalmar of Sweden and Red Star Belgrade of Serbia, can deliver the goods when needed. Another miss for Vitesse will be left back Patrick van Aanholt who returned to Chelsea before signing for Sunderland permanently. Van Aanholt made 29 appearances in the Eredivisie last year and also chipped in with four goals.

To try and compensate for the loss of van Aanholt the club have turned to Chelsea again, this time signing Brazilian right-back Wallace on a one-year loan deal. Another loan signing from Chelsea saw the return of Bertrand Traore, who made a great impression last season and was welcomed back with open arms. An important player for Vitesse this year will be right back come defensive midfielder Kelvin Leerdam. He made 28 appearances last year and contributed a brilliant 8 goals making him 3^rd top scorer at the club. This summer Vitesse have played six preseason games, they started off with 4 draws against Cercle Brugge (1-1), Sparta Rotterdam (0-0), Osnabrück (2-2) and Hertha Berlin (0-0). The game away at Hertha was followed by a visit to Stamford Bridge to play against Chelsea, who took a 3-0 lead in the game before Vitesse pulled one back at the end. Their last pre-season friendly was against Bolton Wanderers and that resulted in a 1-0 win with a free kick from Vejinovic.

TRANSFERS INS AND OUT

IN: Abiola Dauda (Red Star Belgrade), Arnold Kruiswijk (Heerenveen), Denys Oliynyk (Dnipro), Wallace (Chelsea).

OUT: Christian Atsu (Chelsea), Lucas Piazon (Chelsea), Marko Meerits (FC Emmen), Mike Havanaar (Cordoba), Patrick van Aanholt (Sunderland).

MANAGER – PETER BOSZ

The former Vitesse and Feyenoord midfielder was appointed last summer after previous manager Fred Rutten stepped down after leading the club to an impressive 4^th placed finish. The former Netherlands midfielder has also played at a number of other clubs including RKC Waalwijk and even as far away as JEF United Ichihara in Japan. After retiring from professional football he became head coach of amateur side AGOVV Apeldoorn before moving to De Graafschap and then Heracles Almelo where he won the Eerste Divisie in 2005. In 2006 he became Technical Director at his old club Feyenoord, but he left his position in January 2009 due to his opposition of the sacking of then manager Gertjan Verbeek. In 2010 he replaced Verbeek as manager of Heracles, returning for a second spell as manager before joining Vitesse in the summer of 2013.

KEY PLAYER – BERTRAND TRAORE

Great things are almost certainly to come from this youngster. It seems that Jose Mourinho believes he is good enough for the Chelsea first team but he is unable to play in the Premier League due to work permit problems. This led to the Vitesse management to take advantage of the two clubs controversial partnership and sign him on loan for another season. The club are quite clearly delighted to have him back; Vitesse Technical Director Mohammed Allach has been quoted as saying “he made a strong personal impression on us” and that “we are thrilled that Bertrand is joining us again”. He will probably get more than the 15 appearances he attained last season and will gain more valuable first team experience.

PREDICTION – 8TH

BET VICTOR EREDIVISIE TITLE ODDS: 20/1

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FEATURE, PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Can Van Aanholt solve Sunderland’s left-back problems?

July 26, 2014 Will Burns Leave a comment

Left-back has been a defensive quandary for Sunderland for the past few seasons, seeing loanees or others playing out of position being temporary solutions. However, Black Cats boss Gus Poyet has employed Chelsea’s Patrick van Aanholt for the next four years to try and solve the left-sided problem.

North-East football fans may remember that name, as Van Aanholt did spend a month over the Tyne at Newcastle United during their Championship winning season in 2009/10. Then Magpies boss Chris Hughton was full of praise for Van Aanholt and it was reported that the Irishman asked Chelsea if the loan could be extended, meanwhile the then 19-year-old had more ambitious ideas. He rejected a return to St. James Park to challenge Ashley Cole’s spot in the Chelsea defence. Unfortunately for the young Dutchman, only two full appearances materialised and strangely enough, one of those games was a 4-3 League Cup defeat to Newcastle at Stamford Bridge in August 2010.

With lack of chances at the London club, Van Aanholt consequently was farmed out onto Leicester City and later returning to his homeland to play for Vitesse Arnhem in the Eredivisie. Spending the next two and half seasons in Arnhem, playing regular first-team football is where the young man has matured into a 23-year-old very secure in a role that Sunderland so badly need filled. You can say it has been a successful time at Vitesse for Van Aanholt, that led Sunderland’s new man being named in Louis van Gaal’s 30-man provisional World Cup squad this summer.

I cannot see Van Aanholt blowing the roof off the Premier League, but expect a firm defender with some impressive offensive expertise. He is courageous in a tackle and solid when marking, but Sunderland will see more positives in his attacking than his defending. In Holland, like a modern full-back you see nowadays, he showed the confidence and ability to take his opposite number on, although the defenders in the Eredivisie are not as tough as some he will come across in the Premier League. Strong on the ball, he uses his speed along with his ingenuity to get past his challenger and whip a ball into the box. He produced three assists last term, while in fairness, his distribution could be stronger. Furthermore, in the 67 appearances made Van Aanholt has provided Vitesse with goals too, delivering five with four of those coming last season. Opposition goalkeepers will need to be aware of the powerful left-foot he has behind him, that could leave their fingers stinging from distance.

Though great going forward, getting back to defend could cause a problem leaving his team-mates exposed, but he does have pace in his arsenal to use when needed. For Sunderland fans, the burning issue regarding this signing will be whether or not the player can be seen as a permanent fixture in the starting line-up at the Stadium of Light. Time will tell, but with two years of great experience in the Dutch top flight under his belt, he is certainly worthy of being given a chance to prove himself in the red and white shirt of Sunderland.

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