5 reasons for Netherlands' decline as a football superpower

2) Dutch Eredivisie is no longer an elite league

The Dutch Eredivisie is no longer among Europe's elite

One look at the most successful and consistent teams in the world now show that a strong foundation is required to build a team (even from scratch). Germany and Spain are shining examples of how to build a title-winning squad and the fact that their respective leagues are among the best in the world underline the fact.

La Liga and Bundesliga are breeding grounds for world-class talent. Sadly, the Dutch Eredivisie is not. Back in the day, Dutch teams such as Ajax and PSV Eindhoven ruled Europe when both teams had won trebles in the '70s and '80s.

Now, the Eredivise sees only one team qualify for the Champions League directly. Netherlands are not even in the top 10 member nations with respect to the UEFA Coefficient. They now find themselves in 11th - below leagues such as Russia, Ukraine and even Turkey.

Ajax reached the Europa League final but consistently fail in the Champions League

Without any significant investment and available sponsors, the Eredivise has now been reduced to a league that only serves to highlight young Dutch talent. The average age of the squads in the top Dutch clubs are between 23 and 24. In contrast, top Premier League sides have an average age of 27 to 28.

It is nothing more than a stepping stone to bigger things. But that leads to another problem altogether...