PSV Eindhoven are the reigning Champions of Holland but currently sit 9th, 14 points behind leaders Feyenoord.
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28 December 2016
Three Into One: Who Will Win The Eredivisie Title?
The Eredivisie campaign has passed it’s half way point and with just 15 games left to go in Holland’s top flight, there are three teams vying to lift the title come the end of the season. Ajax and Feyenoord share 47 Eredivisie titles between them, whilst FC Utrecht are looking to end 59 years without the title. Here, the BBC looks at who is most likely to win the title and who our experts are tipping to be successful come May 14th when the trophy will be paraded by the successful side.
Feyenoord Rotterdam
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Feyenoord currently sit 3 points clear at the top but could have been five points clear had they not drawn with N.E.C. last time out.
Information
Current Position: 1st
Record (W/D/L): 12/5/2
Points: 41
Last Season: 3rd
Eredivisie Titles: 14
Last Title: 1998/1999
Manager: Giovanni van Bronckhorst
European Football?: Yes. Feyenoord will meet Spartak Moscow in the Round of 32 of the Europa League.
Cup Commitments: Yes. Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men will meet N.E.C. in the Quarter Finals of the KNVB Beker on January 26th.
Notable Fixtures: Feyenoord play FC Utrecht away at Utrecht on the 29th January before meeting Ajax at De Kuip on Sunday 12th February. van Bronckhorst’s men then meet current Champions PSV Eindhoven on the 19th March and AZ Alkmaar on the 9th April although both of these fixtures are at De Kuip.
Opinions
What The Pundits think: Andy Brassell, BBC European Football Expert:
”Feyenoord look the most likely side to go on and win the title this season. However they do have certain deficiencies in their game, at the minute the most notable being a slightly shaky defence. They haven’t kept a clean sheet since the 3-0 win over Excelsior but going forward they are playing some good stuff and the majority of teams in the Eredivisie are struggling to deal with that. Fortunately though, they have 3 of their remaining 4 games against the sides that are likely to cause them problems at De Kuip, with their only away game against those sides coming against Utrecht at the end of January in a game that could be huge in the run in, but for me Feyenoord should go on and win the Eredivisie title barring a collapse now.”
What The Manager Thinks: Giovanni van Bronckhorst:
”We’ve proven over the first half of the season that we’re a more than capable side, and whilst at the start of the campaign we were very solid defensively, we’ve now started to push forward and score more goals and really we need to find a balance between the two. This is a long campaign and whilst we’re in a good position to challenge for the title now we need to make sure we maintain our focus and continue to get the results that put us on our way. We need to make sure we’re winning the big games too and there are going to be a lot of those in the second half of this season.”
What They Need: Goalscorers. Nicolai Jorgensen leads the way for Feyenoord this season with 19, but the next highest Goalscorer at the club is Bilal Basacikoglu with 9 and then Eljero Elia with 6. van Bronckhorst doesn’t really have a forward that is scoring goals alongside Jorgensen and if the Danish forward succumbs to an injury during the run in then Feyenoord may struggle to put the ball in the back of the net on a consistent enough basis to go on and win the title
FC Utrecht
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FC Utrecht haven’t finished any higher than 5th since 1991 when they finished 4th and haven’t finished inside the top 3 since 1982.
Information
Current Position: 2nd
Record (W/D/L): 11/5/3
Points: 38
Last Season: 5th
Eredivisie Titles: 1
Last Title: 1957/1958
Manager: Erik ten Hag
European Football?: No
Cup Commitments: Yes, FC Utrecht will host PEC Zwolle in their KNVB Beker Quarter Final on the 24th January.
Notable Fixtures: FC Utrecht have arguably the hardest run in of the three contenders as they host Feyenoord on the 29th January, in a crucial game at Galgenwaard before visiting the Philips Stadion and PSV Eindhoven on the 12th February, the same day Feyenoord meet Ajax. 2 weeks after that PSV game they travel to Alkmaar to meet AZ, although once they have played AZ they will have played all of the Eredivisie’s top sides as they beat Ajax 3-1 on the 11th December.
Opinions
What The Pundits think: Gary Rose, BBC European Football Expert:
”Leicester City’s story in the Premier League last season has really resonated around Europe and the Eredivisie is no different. FC Utrecht have taken inspiration from that story and gone onto have a campaign that no one expected from them. They are the underdogs in this campaign and really have nothing to lose meaning they can go into every game with no pressure and it has showed this season, having beaten Ajax twice and drawing with PSV. They’re playing some very nice stuff under ten Hag this season and in their remaining fixtures could make a real push at winning their first Eredivisie title since 1958. They will be hoping that they can keep hold of their best players such as Sebastian Haller and Yassin Ayoub over the January transfer window and if they do manage to then they can make a sustained push for the title.”
What The Manager Thinks: Erik ten Hag:
”Nobody expected us to be in this position just over halfway into the season, least of all us. However we are loving every minute of this season and long may it continue. The lads go onto the pitch every week confident of beating their opposition and without fear because there is no pressure. We are the underdogs and we are going to try and prove to everyone that miracles can happen and that we are capable of going on and pushing for the title over the remaining 15 games. We’ve beaten Ajax twice this season and for me there is no reason we can’t go and beat the other ‘big’ sides and cause a big upset this season.”
What They Need: To keep hold of their best players. It is no surprise to see the players that have really inspired Utrecht to second place being linked away from the club, especially top Goalscorer Sebastian Haller. He has scored 11 goals in 19 Eredivisie appearances and is being linked with moves both to the Premier League with West Brom and Stoke City being tipped to be interest, as well as to Utrecht’s fellow Eredivisie title rivals Feyenoord who are looking to bolster their own attack moving into this pivotal part of the season.
Ajax Amsterdam
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Ajax manager Peter Bosz has admitted that he has failed to utilise his squads young talent to the best of their ability so far this season.
Information
Current Position: 3rd
Record (W/D/L): 11/5/3
Points: 38
Last Season: 2nd
Eredivisie Titles: 33
Last Title: 2013/2014
Manager: Peter Bosz
European Football?: Yes, Ajax will meet Paris Saint-Germain in the Round of 32 in the Europa League.
Cup Commitments: Yes, Ajax will face second tier side Telstar 1963 in the Quarter Finals of the KNVB Beker on January 25th.
Notable Fixtures: Having already played FC Utrecht twice and lost 3-1 on both occasions, Ajax face Feyenoord and PSV in back to back Eredivisie games on February 12th and February 19th with a trip to Paris in the Europa League sandwiched between the two ties. They then host AZ Alkmaar on the 5th March before a relatively simple run in.
Opinions
What The Pundits Think: Mina Rzouki, BBC European Football Expert:
”Ajax were by far and a way the side with the most expectation on them in this title race. Tipped to be Champions by many at the start of the season, their campaign has been somewhat disappointing, they have had chances to push on but haven’t taken them. Part of it is down to the new manager, Peter Bosz coming in, meaning Ajax lost the momentum and unity they had under Franck de Boer. Bosz has admitted he has struggled to fully utilise the clubs incredible amount of academy graduates to best meet the needs of Ajax. They’re not at Feyenoord’s level at the moment this season and have lost twice to Utrecht this season which is why they sit third and unless they can pick up some points in those big games it could be a third straight season without the title.”
What The Manager Thinks: Peter Bosz:
”We’ve struggled at times this season to really get some momentum going but yet we are still third and only three points behind first place. If we can really galvanise this side, which admittedly is my job, then we can really push on for this title. Both Feyenoord and Utrecht have their weaknesses and hopefully we can play to our strengths and hope that those weaknesses are exposed in what is going to be an exciting run in for the title.”
What They Need: To find their best eleven. Peter Bosz has chopped and changed a lot this season as he tries to implement as many of the clubs incredible amount of academy graduates into his team. The average age of their first team squad is 22 which perhaps suggests a lack of experience but that youthfulness and drive will be huge if Bosz is to blend this team into one cohesive unit that goes on to push for the title in the final 15 games of the season.
I am confident, Utrecht and Ajax have been good but are taking points off each other and we need to make sure we see them off!
