Eredivisie : A Review of the Dutch League

Eredivisie, the Dutch League is currently the 9th ranked league in Europe by the UEFA. For those of you not familiar with the league, it was founded in 1956 and has 18 teams, with a similar system as the other leagues in Europe with minor differences. At the end of the season, only one team gets relegated to the lower division, the Eerste Divisie, with the winners of the Eerste Divisie getting a place in the Eredivisie.The next two clubs from the bottom of the Eredivisie go to separate promotion/relegation playoffs. The playoffs are played in two groups. Each group has one Eredivisie club and three high-placed clubs from the Eerste Divisie. In both promotion/relegation playoff groups, each club plays a home-and-away series with the other clubs. The winner of each playoff group plays in the following season’s Eredivisie, with the other teams going to the Eerste Divisie. At the end of the Eredivisie season, the winners of the league automatically qualify for UEFA Champions League, while the runners up make it to the CL 3rd qualifying rounds.

The Dutch League

DOMINANCE

This league has been one of the most dominated league in Europe, with Ajaz and PSV Eindhoven having won 21 and 18 titles respectively. Feyenoord come next with 9 titles, and then after AZ Alkmaar at 2, only four other teams have won it once, the most recent being last season when FC Twente won it in outstanding fashion. Such is the dominance of the top three clubs that since 1965, all the titles except the top 3 have been won by these teams. It is safe to say that barring a few teams, the level of other teams is low compared to Europe.

Some of the well known players in Europe have come from the Dutch League, and have left a strong mark on Europe, the recent examples being Luiz Suarez(Ajax), Dirk Kuyt( Feyenoord), Klass Jan Huntelaar( Ajax), Ronaldo( PSV), Ruud Van Nistelrooy( PSV) , Denis Bergkamp( Ajax) ,Wesley Sneijder, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Arjen Robben, Robin van Persie and Christian Chivu. The dominance of the top three teams is clearly visible here too.

Usual Suspect 1

Usual Suspect 3

Usual Suspect 2

2010-2011 Season

THE USUAL SUSPECTS :

FC TWENTE :

Last season, FC Twente won their first ever title in the League, finishing just one point ahead of Ajax, and thus making their first appearance in Champions League Football, making ex manger Steve McLaren the first British manager since Bobby Robson in 1992 to lead a Dutch side to the top position in the league. However, they were eliminated in the Group Stages, after being drawn in a group consisting of defending champions Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Werder Bremen. They finished third in their group, thus getting a spot in the Europa League where they reached the quarter finals before bowing out.

The beginning of the season saw a change in personnel, as McLaren left to Wolfsburg, with Michel Preud’homme taking charge having won the Belgian Jupiler League with Standard Liege as coach a few seasons ago. Twente was boosted with the arrival of Austrian striker Mark Janko in the summer, to replace veteran Blaise Nfuko. They started the league with two dull draws against Roda and Heerenven, but got back to winning wins soon, with thumping victories. Against the Big teams of the Dutch League, Twente have fared well this season, having won against Feyenoord and PSV away with a solitary goal in each match. They won convincingly against both the teams at home, maintaining a perfect record against them. Against Ajax, at home, they secured a 2-2 draw, whereas they lost both their fixtures against Alkmaar. Their record at home has been admirable with only one loss, which came against AZ, 4 draws, and 12 wins. Their away form has been decent with 9 wins, 4 draws and 3 losses. With their last match against Ajax this season, they lead their hosts by just one point, having amassed 71 points in 33 games so far. The title hinges on the showdown with Ajax and we’re in for a thrilling finale.

KEY PERFORMERS :

Summer signing Janko was a good buy for Twente

Luuk de Jong and summer signing Mark Janko have been scoring regular goals for Twente with a total of 26 goals between them. Their third striker Brian Ruiz has also pitched in with 9 goals. They have a good midfield quartet of Wout Brama( 2 goals), Denny Landzaat(2 goals) , Emir Bajrami( 1 goal) and Theo Janssen who has scored a respectable 12 goals in the League. Defensively, they have a strong and consistent back four, with Nikolay Mihaylov having done well between the posts.

AJAX AMSTERDAM:

A late surge last season saw them finish second last season just a point behind Twente. They scored an incredible 104 goals last season, with now Anfield man Luis Suarez having scored 35 of them. In the summer, they lost the services of their Serbian striker Marko Pantelic (14 goals last season), but managed to retain Dutch World Cup stars Maarten Stekelenburg and Gregory van der Wiel and Uruguayan hero Suarez, at least till the summer. They also gained the services of ex-Alkmaar man Mounir El Hamadaoui. The reins were in the hands of ex-Spurs coach Martin Jol, and their season started off great, with 6 victories out of the first 8 games, with two draws against Twente and Groningen. Their form against the big teams has been mediocre, having had goalless draws against PSV in both the ties. Against Alkmaar, they won one and lost one, whereas against Feyenoord, they won both the ties easily. Suarez left for Liverpool in January, but his absence did not affect Ajax, who hit their best form after January, after Martin Jol’s resignation. Frank de Boer took charge, and Ajax flourished under him. At home, they have won 12 , drawn 2, and lost 2, against mid tablet teams Den Haag and Ultrecht. Their away form has been decent winning 9, drawing 5 and losing 3. With just one match remaining, they host FC Twente at home, with a win necessary to win the League.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Main hit man Luis Suarez's departure for Liverpool has not reversed Ajax's fortunes

Luis Suarez, for the first half of their League, was the main man, having scored 7 goals in 13 games, before being suspended by the Dutch Football Association for 7 games for biting( yes, you read it right) PSV’s Otman Bakal. However, the likes of El Hamadaoui and Sulejmani have stepped up with a collective effort of 21 goals. Midfielder and No.10 for the club, Siem de Jong has also contributed with 10 goals. Their midfield is one of the strongest in the League, with the likes of de Zeeuw and Siem de Jong. In defense duties, van der Wiel has been exceptional , and defensive midfielder Jan Vertonghen has also contributed with 6 goals. In goal, Stekelenburg has carried on his form from the World Cup.

PSV EINDHOVEN:

Having finished third in Eredivisie last season, they were hoping to finish top of the season with great buys to boost their title hopes. Having dominated the last decade of Dutch football, they haven’t been able to push the last mile to get to the top, having ended third for two seasons now. They are currently on 68 points, with a small chance of finishing second, if Twente were to defeat Ajax to win the League. Big names left, but the departures of Andre Ooijer and Timmy Simons shouldn’t be overestimated as the pair moved well into veteran status last term. On the other hand, PSV bolstered their squad with Brazilian defender Marcelo and Canadian midfielder Atiba Hutchinson. But the biggest arrival in Eindhoven has been Swedish striker Marcus Berg.

PSV started their season in fantastic fashion by going twelve games undefeated, which included a 10-0 thrashing of Feyenoord. Their form turned erratic mid season, with some valuable points dropped against lower ranked sides, in what should have been easy victories. Feyenoord took their revenge two weeks ago when they beat PSV 3-1. With two dull draws against Ajax, two victories against AZ, and two disappointing losses against Twente in the Legaue have seen them remain at the third position, for most of the season. Their last match is against Groningen, and they will be favorites to win it, and will be hoping for a Twente victory, as to gain an automatic spot in the CL qualifying rounds next season.

KEY PERFORMERS:

Captain leading from the front

Marcus Berg, who joined PSV on loan from Hamburg SV after a disappointing first season in Germany scored 8 goals in 24 appearances in the red and white outfit. Berg made his mark in Holland with Groningen before his move to HSV and relished the move back to the Eredivisie. He was joined by Jeremain Lens, and along with Ola Toivonen, Danny Koevermans and Otman Bakkal it’s obvious PSV have had plenty of goal scoring outlets. The trio of Toivonnen, Lens and captain Balazs Dzsudzsak have scored 41 goals between the. The Canadian signing Hutchinson was a regular starter along with Orlando Engelaar. Marcelo has settled well, and is their pillar at the back, whereas Isaakson in goal has been good, although a bit inconsistent.

OTHER TEAMS :

Feyenoord lost the services of Roy Makaay and Giovanni van Bronkhorst in the summer when the experienced duo bid adieu to football. With no huge summer buys, the club wasn’t touted to do great, but were expected to qualify for Europe, which seems impossible now, with them in the 10th place having just got 43 points from 33 matches. It will be a long time before the fans forget the 10-0 bashing at PSV.

AZ Alkmaar lost their attacking duo Lens and Hamadoui in the summer, which has cost them as they are presently 4th in the table, 9 points behind PSV. Clubs like Groningen, Roda and Den Haag have finished just below the top 4, with some good performances against the big sides.

Players such as Bjorn Vleminckx have left their mark, having scored 23 goals. He might be hoping for a transfer to a big club from Nijmegen. The veteran Dmitry Bulykin was also among the top scorers, netting 21 goals for Den Haag, having transferred from German team Dussledorf in the summer.

WHAT IS LEFT?

With each team to play just one more match in the league, all eyes will be on Ajax as they host Twente. Only one point separates the teams at the top, and the winner will win the League. In the case of a draw, Twente will successfully defend their title. Ajax have an advantage of playing at home, where they have been exceptional. These two clubs also face off for the Dutch Cup final, on the 8th of May. The fans will be looking for a grand stand finish to the season to the Dutch season, which has had little drama except at the top.

Like other seasons in the past, this season also featured the dominance of the top clubs in the Eredivisie. Ajax would be hoping to return to the top, having last won the Eredivisie in 2003-2004. Let’s see what the final matchday has in store for us.