Player Focus: Young wingers impressing in the Eredivisie

Gone are the days of the winger’s sole purpose being to hug the touchline, getting chalk on his boot, and delivering cross after cross. In recent years, the art of wing play was becoming a lost one. The role as we know it was becoming an endangered species; no place was it more felt than in the Netherlands, one of the few nations that can lay claim to producing more quality on the flanks than any other: Faas Wilkes, Rob Rensenbrink, Coen Moulijn, Piet Keizer, Marc Overmars, Arjen Robben to name but a few.

Thankfully, through conservation – essentially better education and clubs becoming more proactive – we can no longer worry, today’s wide-men are versatile, sometimes even required to play on the ‘wrong side’ (as inverted wingers), cut infield and act like inside forwards, even though they still occupy the wing. This season we’ve seen new faces emerge in the Eredivisie and familiar ones continue to thrive. Here are three, each under 23, that have caught the eye.

3. Jean-Paul Boëtius (Feyenoord) – 7.22

The season began in mid-September for Jean-Paul Boëtius, the 19-year-old winger had been side-lined with a knee injury since April, and it’s fair to say that since then he’s made up for lost time, starting all but one of Feyenoord’s subsequent nine games. His impact upon returning was immediate; five minutes after coming on away to NEC he restored Feyenoord’s lead in a game they would end up drawing 3-3.

The Rotterdammers, like many Eredivisie clubs this season, have struggled for consistency, but with Boëtius – one of the latest jewels off the never-ending Varkenoord production line – back in the fold Ronald Koeman can now deploy his first choice eleven. He gets them to play the standard of football he demands is the next step, their 3-1 victory over PSV over the weekend is a start, a game in which Boëtius played his part, ending with an 8.9 WhoScored rating. The equaliser against PSV was his third goal of the season, meaning only Lex Immers (4) and Graziano Pellè (12) are ahead of him at Feyenoord, while he also recorded his second assist of the season.

Given the severity behind his absence, returning to the form he displayed before has been a gradual process; against PSV he reminded everyone of his natural talent: his open-minded and attacking style is hard to defend against. He uses his raw pace to beat opponents rather than dribbling; he’s successfully completed only 7 dribbles all season. Another low return is his crossing (0.7 per game), but that could improve with a technical tweak: instead of drilling low and hard into the box, he should instinctively opt for a high cross. With accurate long balls he’s on point, attempting 12 with only 2 failing to come off.

Age is but a number, at full-flight, Boëtius gives the impression he’s a seasoned pro; off the ball movement, knowing when to make the right pass or keep hold of possession. In recent weeks we’ve seen glimpses of what De Volkskrant once called “uninhibited beauty”. As he grows into the season Boëtius will undoubtedly, like he threatened last season, become one of Feyenoord’s main outlets.

2. Memphis Depay (PSV Eindhoven) – 7.55

Another winger to come out of Rotterdam is Memphis Depay, though unlike Boëtius, his education was at Feyenoord’s rivals Sparta Rotterdam, before joining PSV’s academy in 2006. He made his senior debut in 2011 under interim manager Phillip Cocu.

Since then it’s been a gradual rise to where he is now. Cocu returned full-time in the summer and instantly instilled confidence by anointing Depay as Dries Mertens’ successor. Starting all but one of PSV’s games in what has been a difficult start to the season, Depay has been one of the few positives, and is PSV’s highest rated player on WhoScored.

Yet, even he has blown hot and cold. When he gets it right, though, there’s very few that can live with him. Depay meshes the old and new; a throwback to the mercurial winger, treating every game as a personal highlight reel, often humiliating defenders at whim through ingenuity and pace. But he is a modern creation, learning his trade by playing ‘panna ko’ growing up. He’s become one of the biggest benefactors of the YouTube generation in the Netherlands. He has produced the numbers this season, completing the second most dribbles in the Eredivisie this season (42) whilst also having the most shots (62), although his return of 3 goals shows is simply not good enough.

A dead ball specialist Depay has mastered the ‘knuckle ball’ technique (made renowned by Cristiano Ronaldo and Juninho Pernambucano) adding it to his repertoire; notably unleashing it against Go Ahead Eagles back in August.

There’s an element of positive arrogance; confidence is something he doesn’t lack, at times to the detriment of his teammates and frustration of the crowd when he gets carried away. Individuality is encouraged, especially when he’s one of the few that can generate something out of nothing.

He might, from time to time, give a look of indifference but the talented left-winger is dead serious about his craft, tirelessly working to improve himself. Only he can prevent himself from becoming the well-rounded dynamic forward many have touted.

1. Quincy Promes (FC Twente) – 7.76

It’s been a remarkable start to life as a fully fledged member of a top-flight side for Quincy Promes. This time last year he was out on loan at Go Ahead Eagles (where he formed a productive tandem with Antonia) in the second tier of Dutch football. The 21-year-old winger, who began his youth career at Ajax, wasted no time while he was away from FC Twente. His impressive performances saw him score 13 goals in 32 games and won him the Eerste Divisie’s player of the year award.

This season was always going to be make or break. To say Promes has seized his opportunity with both hands is an understatement. “He’s made an immediate impression,” manager Michel Jansen recently told Voetbal International. He’s added dynamism, ghosting past opposition defenders like they’re not there and doesn’t waste possession, making him a genuine threat from wide. Promes has been Twente’s outstanding player to date and that’s saying something with Dušan Tadi? around. The duo plus Luc Castaignos are responsible for 22 of Twente’s 35 goals – Promes and Castaignos are joint top goal scorers (8) – and no team has outscored the side from Enschede.

“Creative and technical, the type of player you come to watch,” Jansen added. Promes’ return of 4 assists is only bettered by Tadi? (7) at Twente, who remains their fulcrum, and is unsurprisingly their most creative player with 60 key passes, though Promes is getting better with each passing game, and is second with 39. No one else at the club has managed to create more than 20 chances. Promes’ work ethic has resonated; striving to be even better, he is someone “who lives to play football” as Jansen put it. His development is a pleasure to watch.