Five things we learnt from the opening Eredivisie weekend

The Dutch Eredivisie is back! After the first weekend of games, Michael Statham gives his thoughts on the games he watched. Groningen look set for a comfortable return to the Eredivisie A meeting between two newly promoted teams is a strange way to b

By: football-oranje.com

Aug 13 2024
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Five things we learnt from the opening Eredivisie weekend — Five things we learnt from the

The Dutch Eredivisie is back! After the first weekend of games, Michael Statham gives his thoughts on the games he watched.

by Michael Statham
Follow Michael on X @EredivisieMike

Groningen look set for a comfortable return to the Eredivisie

A meeting between two newly promoted teams is a strange way to begin a season, but it was nice to see two medium-sized Dutch clubs back in the top flight. I liked seeing Groningen’s young attacking players showing that they are ready to succeed at this level, and a small shout-out to Leandro Bacuna, who, after spending several years club hopping in England, is spending a second year with boyhood club Groningen after guiding them to promotion last season. I’ve always had a soft spot for Bacuna after he agreed to let me interview him back when he was at my beloved Aston Villa. I think he will be an important player for Groningen, even from right-back position.

Twente to join a five-horse title race?

I thought Twente looked really solid as they won 1-2 at NEC (a tough place to go). I think the new additions over the summer will help the Tukkers stay in a competitive title race, even though they have European football to think about this season too. AZ look like an organised side that will pick up win after win too, and then there’s the traditional top three. Hopefully we have an exciting title race to come.

Imagine this PSV attack with new defenders

Imagine this PSV side — with captain Luuk de Jong, the sensational Johan Bakayoko, an ever-improving Malik Tillman, and a fit-again Noa Lang — with a few defensive additions! Adding the likes of Robin Gosens, Sepp van den Berg and a replacement for outgoing Jordan Teze would really raise the level of a team that Peter Bosz led to a convincing Eredivisie title win last season. For the Champions League stage, it is so important that these players arrive to give a Dutch team a realistic chance of progression in Europe.

Farioli is making a good first impression

Ajax look so much better under new manager Fransesco Farioli. It was about time we saw a foreign coach in Amsterdam again (first time since 1998/99) to give some fresh ideas into how the club plays football. It is more defensive, but three clean sheets from four and four successive wins to start the campaign is not to be sniffed at. He likes to rotate his team for each game, but that will be very useful as the season progresses.

Where have the goals gone?

Did you know that the opening weekend of the Eredivisie was the least productive season opener since 2005/06, and it was the round with the lowest number of shots (205) since 2020/21? Normally the Dutch Eredivisie is known for its attacking play, though I will admit, the number of 3-4-3s and 3-5-2s (normally seen as more defensive formations) increased throughout last season as teams looked to be hard to beat. Only three out of eighteen clubs played a ‘back five’ in the first round, so let’s hope the goals return next weekend!

It is not too late to check out our Eredivisie season preview podcast, where we discuss each team in the Dutch league. The link is below: