Other Domestic Leagues 2019/20

[Ajacied]

Here's my Eredivisie preview. Fun to look back at when it's all said and done.

PREDICTIONS 2019/2010

STANDINGS

Finish	Team	Points	Reasoning
1)	Ajax	82	Lost two elite players, but bought in well. Deep at every position. Ten Hag will fine tune his system even better, but the team isn't close playing to its potential right now, meaning they might lose a point here and there during the first few games. Midfield still worries me a bit as Marin hasn't won me over at all.
2)	PSV	72	PSV is never to be underestimated in the domestic race, but they have glaring holes at defense and midfield. Van Bommel is a stubborn, weak tactician. Has yet to find a fitting system for his current players. Lozano left, but in his current form won't be nearly as missed. They will miss the target man that Luuk de Jong was. Mitroglu enters here, but he's merely a sub. Too many offensive weapons to not finish in the top 2. Could challenge Ajax for the title if they play their cards right (ie: Ihattaran at midfield. Buy Doan). If not, I think there will be a gap between them and Ajax.
3)	AZ	63	Idrissi, Stengs and Boadu up front. Felix Correia, highly touted teenager from City will fit in well. Koopmeiners behind them. Experienced defense. They always play an entertaining and attacking brand of football as well. Will be close with Feyenoord, but they don't have as much pressure. I see them finishing 3rd if they remain healthy as they aren’t as deep as the Big 3. Hopefully they can manage to hold on to Stengs and Boadu for the entire year.
4)	Feyenoord	62	Lost Vilhena, van Persie, St. Juste and replaced them with interesting, but still questionable players. Team is filled with loanies and different nationalities and they have a new coach to boot. Senessi (8M) will be their new leader on defense and big things are expected. Haps and Karsdorp, the widebacks, are Oranje material when fully fit and in form, while Ie, the other CB is already a fan favorite this early in the season. They've greatly improved its defense. Their midfield is solid and they still have a very nice attack. Jury is still out on Stam. I have them fighting for #3 with AZ and it can go either way.
5)	FC Utrecht	56	Bought in extremely well. By far the best in the entire Eredivisie when you factor in budget. Bart Ramselaar was a major talent for them and was even capped for Oranje. He now returns from PSV and should be entering his prime. Dalmau will pop in 15 at least while fellow forward Kerk seems to have improved even further. Cerny is an interesting option on the wings, while Maher and Hoogma are absolutely excellent players fort hem at MF and CB respectively. Utrecht is always a pain to play against. They will steal points from those teams ahead of them in De Galgenwaard, guaranteed. Tough place to play at. Wouldn't shock me if the gap between them and Feyenoord is just a few points and close all season.
6)	Vitesse	54	Lost Odegaard, which is a huge miss, but they did buy Bazoer. Will be a great opportunity for him to realize his huge upside. Solid team all-around. Linssen stayed, which is huge for them. Matavz now healthy. Sloetsky is an entertaining character as a coach, but he seems to deliver. Will be fighting with Utrecht closely for 5th. They always put up a fight.
7)	FC Groningen	47	Lost their vacuümcleaner in Reis to Barcelona but replaced him with a player that might be even better as they bought Matusiwa from Ajax. Also lost Chabot, their best CB to Sampdoria. No replacement bought for him. Groningen is a very stingy, defensive orientated side. Scored barely over a goal a game last season while doing nothing to improve on that, so I’ll expect much of the same. Should be fighting more with Heracles and Heerenveen than they will with Vitesse and Utrecht, though. Doan still with them, which is huge, but rumors are he might leave to PSV. Also like Schreck, a MF from Leverkussen, which they already bought as Doan's replacement. Expect big things from him. Sierhuis could break through for them as their main striker.
8)	SC Heerenveen	41	Lost a lot of talent in Vlap, Pierie, Lammers, Thorsby. Especially Vlap and Lammers carried them a lot offensively last season. They scored exactly 50% of their totals. I do like their acquistions (van Rhijn, Ejuke, Odgaard and Faik). Their scouting is usually money. I expect Odgaard, loanie from Sassuolo and former Inter product, to be their leading scorer. Might even score in double digits. Heerenveen might drop a few places all the way to 10th or 11th rather than I see them moving up.
9)	Heracles	41	Lost their entire attack for peanuts (barely 4M). And it was a good one as well. Kuwas, Dalmau and Peterson combined for 41 goals (67% of their entire goal total) and 21 assists last year. That trio ranked third in the Eredivisie that year. I think they did way too little to replace them, even though their hands are tied with such a small budget. They did manage to get Mauro Junior on loan from PSV. He’s a pretty entertaining player to watch. I don’t think it’s nearly enough nor do I feel they have the talent that will step up in their absence, but Heracles seems to have a lock on that 8/9/10 spot these years and I keep underestimating them. Don't think they will reach European football this year, even though they've been close these past few seasons.
10)	Willem II	40	I have Willem II finishing 10th again. Decent roster with a lot of grit and spirit. Will miss Isak’s goals, but Pavlidis seems to have a nose for the net as well. He could really breakout this season. Will likely finish higher than 10th rather than move down.
11)	FC Twente	40	Newly promoted side making their return. Lost a few players, but managed to keep most of its core in tact. They are excellent in finding fallen or forgotten talents from bigger sides. This year was no exception with acquisitions from Fiorentina, Mainz, Arsenal and Wolfsburg. Watch Aitor (a Barcelona product himself) prove his worth in the Eredivisie as well and earn himself a move to a bigger side. Twente plays attacking football and should be getting a lot of praise this year. I believe Twente is back and here to stay. They’ll slowly find their way into the top 5 again, IMO. First up, the top 10, which I think might come too early for them this season
12)	ADO Den Haag	39	Transfer market is still open and they’ll likely be active with the money they received from the El Khayati deal. He’ll be missed, as will Kishna a bit and Troupee. Got Kramer back. He’ll be good for a few goals. Immers and Beugelsdijk are still there; two real “Hagenezen” who play with their hearts on their sleeves. I think they’ll drop a few places in the standings as they overachieved a bit last season. Could move ahead of Twente and Willem II if they spend the El Khayati money wisely, but can’t see them finishing higher than 9th.
13)	VVV	38	Didn't manage to keep Mlapa, which sucks for them. They were already having trouble scoring goals and he was lethal in the box. VVV furthermore lose Lars Unnerstall, one of the better goalkeepers in the Eredivsie to PSV and Rutten, a wingback to Crotone. Especially the former will hurt them, but they believe Kirschbaum to fill the void just as well. Still a fun, entertaining team to watch. They like to play an offensive brand of football, but always get scored on pretty easily. Germany is close to Venlo, so they scout a lot over there. They hauled in a few new Germans again this summer which brings their total at 7. They always seem to blend in well with the team.
14)	PEC Zwolle	37	Lost three of their best players (Namli, Ehizibue and Sepp van den Berg). Replaced them from within or with players from lower leagues. A bit concerning as they did haul in 6M. Kersten and Paal are solid, lowbudget acquisitions. PEC Zwolle will likely hoover between 12th and 16th all season long, but should be save from relegation. They finished top 10 in 3 of the last 5 seasons, including 6th in 2015, but I think that's not realistic these next few years.
15)	Sparta	32	The oldest club of the Eredivisie. Everyone is a closet fan of them. I see Lars Veldwijk score 12+ goals in the Eredivisie as well. I like how they managed to get Rigo on loan from PSV, very talented MF. Rumored they are working on Piroe as well, who's even better. Will lose Dervisolgu in January to Brentford, which is a shame. He’s a big talent bigger Eredivisie sides should’ve jumped on. They should avoid relegation but might not escape the relegation playoffs. Will be rooting for them, though.
16)	Fortuna	31	They will likely finish above Sparta, but I am very weary about the chemistry here. They have 17 foreign players in their group of 22. Added 15 new players as well. No identity, but like to play opportunistic football. Not to mention they play on an artificial pitch. Bleh. I have low expectations, but they are very unpredictable right now. Wouldn't mind them relegating, to be honest.
17)	Emmen	28	Lost Scherpen to Ajax, but not sure he’ll be missed seeing as he made so many errors last season. Acquired a boat load of unknown new players, most were free agents, so the jury is still out on those. Nikolai Laursen is probably their best player. Nice dribbler with dangerous through balls. I think he'll join a team such as Heerenveen or Groningen within a year. Emmen and Fortuna should be lucky RKC somehow got promoted as they are no longer leagues worst now.
18)	RKC	19	RKC promoted by somehow overachieving at the right time during the playoffs, but I can’t see them staying up. I like how they got Fred Grim as a coach. He was once Oranje’s interim coach. I just don’t think he’ll make enough of a difference. Even if he does, I am not sure they will be in the Eredivisie in 2020/2021 when it's all said and done. Just lack overall talent and depth, though they've showed they aren't pushed over easily.

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TOP SCORERS

1)	Dusan Tadic	AJA	26
2)	Donyell Malen	PSV	21
3)	Myron Boadu	AZ	19
4)	Hirving Lozano*	PSV	18
5)	Adrian Dalmau**	UTR	16
6)	Hakim Ziyech	AJA	16
7)	Steven Bergwijn	PSV	16
8)	Nikolai Jorgensen**	FEY	14
9)	Steven Berghuis	FEY	14
10)	Donny van de Beek	AJA	14
11)	David Neres	AJA	13
12)	Bruma	PSV	13
13)	Tim Matavz	VIT	13
14)	Lars Veldwijk	SPA	12
15)	Oussama Idrissi	AZ	12
16)	Gyrano Kerk	UTR	11
17)	Vangelis Pavlidis	WIL	11
18)	Bryan Linssen	VIT	11
19)	Jens Odgaard	HEE	11
20)	Klaas-Jan Huntelaar	AJA	11
21)	Evert Linthorst	VVV	10
22)	Teun Koopmeiners	AZ	9
23)	Calvin Stengs	AZ	9
24)	Thomas Necid	ADO	9
25)	Vito van Crooy	PEC	7

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*Will likely leave before the end of the season.
** Currently injured

BREAKOUT PLAYERS
I think Martinez and Alvarez will surprise those who haven't seen them play, but if he can work his way into the first team, I think Perr Schuurs (19) will be Ajax' breakout candidate for 2019/2020. Holland brightest defensive talent who captained Fortuna Sittard to the Eredivisie at just 17; pegged as De Ligt's replacement and after a rather dull 2018/2019 season with Ajax II, he seems totally back on track.

Donyell Malen (20) from PSV. Went through the academy's of Ajax and Arsenal before making the wise decision of joining PSV. Malen is the reason PSV sold Luuk de Jong and how Lozano is now often benched. He's a trickery, fast paced winger with good ball control, but will likely play striker this year due to his goal instinct. I see him score between 15-20 goals and perhaps even double digit assists as well. He will make his Oranje debut this season as well, count on it.

Orkun Kökcü (18) from Feyenoord. Was very impressive as a 17 year old last season. He instantly made Feyenoord much more dangerous whenever he came on, yet van Bronckhorst was too cautious with him and preferred more experience. He seems to be the main man at midfield now under Jaap Stam. All-round CAM. I think he'll contribute a lot. About 10 goals and 10 assists wouldn't surprise me. Not sure about an Oranje invite. He represented the Oranje youth teams, but has hinted he likes to play for Turkey, where his parents were born. He'll make his debut for them this year.

AZ's academy has been sprouting out talents like no tomorrow these past few years, but their most notable ones might be Myron Boadu (18) and Calvin Stengs (20). Both already made their debuts last season, but both also had season ending injuries. Boadu is a striker in the Patrick Kluivert mold. If he starts, which looks like it, he could score 15. Stengs is much like Donyell Malen, but more of a true winger in that he's a bit more light footed. Both could make their Oranje debuts this season and are expected to be important pieces for Oranje in the future.

AWARDS

Award	Player/Coach	Club	Previous winner
Player of the season	Hakim Ziyech	AJA	Frenkie de Jong
Talent of the season	Myron Boadu	AZ	Angeliño
MVP (grade average)	Daley Blind	AJA	Matthijs de Ligt
Golden boot	Dusan Tadic	AJA	Luuk de Jong
Silver boot	Donyell Malen	PSV	Dusan Tadic
Best Coach	Arne Slot	AZ	Erik Ten Hag

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Edit: updated with latest transfers.

 

[Savi]

Thanks for that one. I feel once Anderlecht gets going, they might squeak into the top two. I love their mix of veterans and youth, especially Doku. Not to mention I am a big fan of Vlap. They just seem to have a special player at nearly all positions.

At this point I can't see them going top two unless they drastically improve, and fast. Mixing veterans with youth sounds nice, but then you look closer and you see an old, tired, completely out of shape Nasri walking around the field not doing anything besides losing the ball - and a bunch of young guys who only seem to play because they are young and they are academy products. In all three of their games so far Anderlecht have played well in the first 20 minutes and then did almost nothing for the remaining 70. All those young guys seem gassed in the 2nd half.
Doku has shown flashes but he is wildly inconsistent and his decision making needs a LOT of work. Vlap has been completely invisible in 2 of 3 games. They need at least another RB, another LB, they need a way better player at the 6 position than what they have now, they need more depth up front. Their CB depth is very weak as well, if Kompany ever goes down injured (and you know he will at some point) I can see that entire team just collapse, that's how important he already is.

I am not too familiar with the acquisitions of Brugge, with the exception of Okereke. Tried to follow him since Ajax showed interest during the winter window. Last thing I heard was that they didn't want to go higher than 6.5M. That will bite them in the ass in a year or two. Seems like he's off to a great start in Belgium as well. I think he'll replace Wesley well. Groeneveld was expendable with Diatta. Not sure how they will manage the loss of Denswill, who most considered one of the better defenders in the entire league. Vanaken and Vormer are solid at MF. Will be interesting to follow

Okereke has started the season with 4 goals in his first 3 league games and he looks excellent so far, he'll be a good replacement for Wesley although he's a completely different player.
But it's incredible how fast we are up front. With a likely starting trio of Okereke, Diatta and Percy Tau (who looks sensational so far), and Emmanuel Dennis on the bench with academy product Lois Openda (who was subbed on last night v Kiev and had a goal and an assist) making great strides as well there's not a single team in Belgium who can match that or will be able to defend that.
Denswil was a big loss however he's been replaced with Simon Deli (came over from Slavia Prague) and actually already made us forget all about Denswil. Scored a big goal last night as well.
Still some holes in the team though with our defense not being very mobile, LB is a weak spot as well, and with Nakamba leaving for Aston Villa that leaves us without a physically strong DM. Mats Rits is playing the 6 now (you might remember him, he had a spell in the Ajax youth ranks), he's excellent with his feet but he gets exposed in Europe too often. Amrabat is just OK but can't seem to force his way into the team.

I feel the Jupiler Pro League is on the rise and getting more attractive. There's more parity than in most of the leagues. I feel the Eredivisie is on a the rise as well, but Ajax seems to be a little too dominant these and the next few years.

Yeah, the JPL has been hugely competitive for a few years now. Four different teams winning the league in the last 5 years is great, with only Club Brugge managing to win it twice. Something like that seems impossible for the Eredivisie right now, with Ajax only becoming more dominant in the future.

 

[Prntscrn]

In Sweden, Malmö once again is on the way to win the league. that would be the 5th time in 7 years. pure domination. Malmö qualifed to euro league 2011,2018 and to cl 2014,2015...so MFF showed they can manage in Europe aswell. I would say the team MFF has this season is the best they had in a long time, so reaching Europa League group stage should be a very high possiblity once again.

Its too bad Zlatan is wasting time in MLS when he could play for MFF, which is his home town team.

They still might but they need to turn those draws into wins.

 

[Ajacied]

Mats Rits is playing the 6 now (you might remember him, he had a spell in the Ajax youth ranks), he's excellent with his feet but he gets exposed in Europe too often. Amrabat is just OK but can't seem to force his way into the team.

I do remember Mats. Hauled in as a massive talent but failed miserably. I heard about his resurgence last year and was quite surprised. Nothing during his Ajax stay led me to believe he was ever going to amount into a valuable player for a team such as Brugge.

Amrabat not being able to work his way into the first team is not surprising, however. He was great with Utrecht when he was 19/20. Should've stayed there a little longer. When you can't crack Feyenoord, you shouldn't go to Brugge. He needs to take a step back, join a mid table team and rejuvenate his career.

Yeah, the JPL has been hugely competitive for a few years now. Four different teams winning the league in the last 5 years is great, with only Club Brugge managing to win it twice. Something like that seems impossible for the Eredivisie right now, with Ajax only becoming more dominant in the future.

Yeah. Can't say I hate it as an Ajacied, but as a football fan it is a bit disappointing. The rest of the pack is certainly improving, though. Especially the lower ranked teams and the top ones in the second division. Quality increased a lot within that section. I think those teams have come a long way. Just this past season teams such as Twente, NAC, NEC, Roda JC, Cambuur, Go Ahead and Sparta all played in the second division and prove to be no pushover once they reach the Eredivisie. It helps when they play the second squads from Ajax, PSV and the likes as well.

 

[YNWA14]

Deloitte will present their findings from the BeNe League study in October. Can't remember if it was talked about here but basically they were doing an inquiry into the benefits of potentially merging the Belgian and Dutch leagues which came from:

Behind the scenes, an exploratory discussion was held about a Belgian-Dutch football competition. On Tuesday a meeting was held in the Philips Stadium with ten clubs and the Dutch and Belgian football associations.

Representatives from Ajax, PSV, Feyenoord, AZ, Vitesse, FC Utrecht, Club Brugge, Standard Luik, Anderlecht and RC Genk were present at the meeting. AA Gent was prevented. The unions were also present for the first time after a number of clubs had already sat down for exploratory talks.

Personally I think it would be good for both sides. It would hurt at first, but I believe it would lead to a higher level of play in general and, seemingly more importantly today, more money.

 

[Savi]

I do remember Mats. Hauled in as a massive talent but failed miserably. I heard about his resurgence last year and was quite surprised. Nothing during his Ajax stay led me to believe he was ever going to amount into a valuable player for a team such as Brugge.

Really, he was seen as a massive talent? Didn't know that. He had a good reputation in Belgium as a youngster, and he was certainly seen as a talented kid, but not as a massive, can't miss prospect. But yeah I agree, I also didn't think when Brugge bought him from Mechelen, that he would be able to get into the team. We already had an excellent DM (Nakamba, who came from Vitesse the year before) and Rits was mainly seen as a cheap (and Belgian) back up option for both Nakamba and Vormer.
But then what happened last year is Nakamba got injured in preseason, so Rits became the starting DM for the beginning of the league and played so well that he just kept his starting spot for most of the season and made Nakamba expendable. Even though still most Brugge fans will say Nakamba is the better player. But I'll say this about Rits; he's very smart, he's always calm, an excellent passer and always in good position. He's just not very fast or strong and that could be fatal in CL games - even in the Belgian league, teams like Genk or Antwerp showed last year you can overwhelm Brugge when you really pressure Rits. So I really think he's at his ceiling right now.

Amrabat not being able to work his way into the first team is not surprising, however. He was great with Utrecht when he was 19/20. Should've stayed there a little longer. When you can't crack Feyenoord, you shouldn't go to Brugge. He needs to take a step back, join a mid table team and rejuvenate his career.

He had a great stretch last season with a couple of very good games where he scored some goals as well and looked like a future starter, but then he just faded away again. I remember when we got him from Utrecht, the board basically said they saw it as low risk high reward kinda deal. We didn't really need him but he was pretty cheap so.. yeah. I can't see him staying beyond this year, seeing as how we're still in the market for another DM before the summer window closes.

 

[Ajacied]

Really, he was seen as a massive talent? Didn't know that. He had a good reputation in Belgium as a youngster, and he was certainly seen as a talented kid, but not as a massive, can't miss prospect.

I remember Ajax fighting with the likes of Real Madrid for his autograph back in the days.

 

[Ajacied]

Ten Hag starting with a different starting 11 once again:



Swap Promes for Neres and you have the strongest line up possible, IMO. I like Dest over Mazraoui and Veltman as well. Would like to see Alvarez, but Martinez is a freaking beast and Schuurs is the CB for the foreseeable future.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Ten Hag starting with a different starting 11 once again:



Swap Promes for Neres and you have the strongest line up possible, IMO. I like Dest over Mazraoui and Veltman as well. Would like to see Alvarez, but Martinez is a freaking beast and Schuurs is the CB for the foreseeable future.

At this point Martinez has locked up his spot no? Sucks I can’t tune in to watch because of city/spurs match. Lisandro is actually really fun to watch, weird to say that about a CB

 

[Ajacied]

At this point Martinez has locked up his spot no? Sucks I can’t tune in to watch because of city/spurs match. Lisandro is actually really fun to watch, weird to say that about a CB

I think so. But it's a weird situation. Alvarez was hauled in as the big summer acquisition and was pegged as the better CB of the two. Martinez was more of a glue guy who could play at multiple positions. But he can't be taken off with this level of play he's showcasing right now. He's been the best Ajacied so far this season. Bought for 7M. This totally makes up for the Magallan buy.

Ten Hag is still searching for the perfect complimentary duo though. He tried Veltman these last two games. He did well, but both are below 1.80. Schuurs is a massive talent, standing tall at 1.93, just a bit inexperienced and inconsistent. I think he and Martinez could form a good partnership. Can't see Ten Hag going with a Alvarez-Martinez duo as they are much of the same.

 

[HajdukSplit]

I know they normally dominate the Austrian league but Salzburg have started the season scoring 17 goals in 4 matches with their lowest total in a single match being 2

 

[Savi]

Anderlecht lost at Kortrijk today 4-2. Kompany with 3 crucial mistakes which led to goals against (he didn't sub himself off though ). They now have just 2 points out of 4 games (against Oostende, Moeskroen, Mechelen and Kortrijk) and could actually be in last place tonight. Their next 4 games are against Genk, Standard, Antwerp and Club Brugge. This going to be very interesting one way or another.

I know they normally dominate the Austrian league but Salzburg have started the season scoring 17 goals in 4 matches with their lowest total in a single match being 2

Young Norwegian striker Erling Håland with 6 goals already. He had that 9-goal game in the U20 WC.

 

[Ajacied]

Anderlecht lost at Kortrijk today 4-2. Kompany with 3 crucial mistakes which led to goals against (he didn't sub himself off though ). They now have just 2 points out of 4 games (against Oostende, Moeskroen, Mechelen and Kortrijk) and could actually be in last place tonight. Their next 4 games are against Genk, Standard, Antwerp and Club Brugge. This going to be very interesting one way or another.

Yikes. Was Vlap noticable this time, other than his goal + assist?

Ajax beat VVV with 4-1. Promes started but literally did everything wrong before he injured himself in the 30th minute. Thinking he just wanted to protect himself and be subbed. With Neres in, Ajax attacks were more fluent, frequent and lethal. Tadic, Huntelaar, Neres and Ziyech with the goals. Ziyech injured himself as well on this artificial pitch. I hope Madrid scouts were in the stands for van de Beek today, because he was pretty mediocre today. Man of the match: Nicolas Tagliafico.

 

[Savi]

Yikes. Was Vlap noticable this time, other than his goal + assist?

He had a good first half. His assist on the Nasri goal was excellent, you can see some chemistry developing between those two. I'd like to see him demand the ball more though, I never saw him play at Heerenveen but for a playmaker like him he wanders away from the play a bit too much. He needs to get involved more.

Second half he was just not good (yeah he got a goal, but that was a penalty) but really the entire team were a sinking ship after the break.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Yikes. Was Vlap noticable this time, other than his goal + assist?

Ajax beat VVV with 4-1. Promes started but literally did everything wrong before he injured himself in the 30th minute. Thinking he just wanted to protect himself and be subbed. With Neres in, Ajax attacks were more fluent, frequent and lethal. Tadic, Huntelaar, Neres and Ziyech with the goals. Ziyech injured himself as well on this artificial pitch. I hope Madrid scouts were in the stands for van de Beek today, because he was pretty mediocre today. Man of the match: Nicolas Tagliafico.

Shame a missed the game... but Nico and Lisandro swapping MoTM titles... yes please. That partnership can pay off big time.

 

[robertmac43]

Percy Tau (who looks sensational so far)

He is explosively quick and has some great poise on the ball. Excited that he is taking a step forward in terms of his team with Brugge. Would love to some day play for Brighton, this season could be another step forward in him working towards a work permit. It's unlikely he is in the prem any time soon but my goodness what an amazing hidden gem investment he would prove to be if he makes it!

 

[bluesfan94]

Yikes. Was Vlap noticable this time, other than his goal + assist?

Ajax beat VVV with 4-1. Promes started but literally did everything wrong before he injured himself in the 30th minute. Thinking he just wanted to protect himself and be subbed. With Neres in, Ajax attacks were more fluent, frequent and lethal. Tadic, Huntelaar, Neres and Ziyech with the goals. Ziyech injured himself as well on this artificial pitch. I hope Madrid scouts were in the stands for van de Beek today, because he was pretty mediocre today. Man of the match: Nicolas Tagliafico.

How’s future American right back Sergino Dest looking (keep your hands off him)

 

[Ajacied]

How’s future American right back Sergino Dest looking (keep your hands off him)

Very good. His technical skills with the ball and his pace is something neither Mazraoui or Veltman possesses. He can get by his man and reach the backline without much effort. His cross is decent as well, but he also has the tendency to cut inside and take part in the quick combinations with the forwards. His defense game has yet to be really tested. Ajax has had the ball for 65% in the games he's played, but even in those limited defensive moments he makes a feisty, hungry impression.

Veltman and Mazraoui are more battle tested and defensively sound, well Veltman is, Mazraoui can still be a bit shaky at times. I expect them to have the nod above Dest, but I think me and a lot of Ajax fans with me would like to see what Dest is capable off.

He's more Dutch than he is American, though. He has chosen to represent the US youth squads since he never thought he'd be Oranje material, but he's made great strides this past season. The US men team should call him up asap, or else Koeman will ring him up within a year or two. Dest already mentioned that it would be an honor and how he'd more than consider it if Koeman indeed came calling. Oranje is getting more crowded at defense, but they don't have many types similar to Dest. Castillo (Chelsea), Pierie (Ajax), Geertruida & Malacia (Feyenoord), Bakker (PSG), Hoever (Liverpool), Wijndal (AZ) are probably those he has to compete with within his age group.

 

[bluesfan94]

He's more Dutch than he is American, though. He has chosen to represent the US youth squads since he never thought he'd be Oranje material, but he's made great strides this past season. The US men team should call him up asap, or else Koeman will ring him up within a year or two. Dest already mentioned that it would be an honor and how he'd more than consider it if Koeman indeed came calling. Oranje is getting more crowded at defense, but they don't have many types similar to Dest. Castillo (Chelsea), Pierie (Ajax), Geertruida & Malacia (Feyenoord), Bakker (PSG), Hoever (Liverpool), Wijndal (AZ) are probably those he has to compete with within his age group.

Pierie is American too, stop trying to steal all our players!!! Fully agreed we should call him up yesterday.

 

[gary69]

Anderlecht lost at Kortrijk today 4-2. Kompany with 3 crucial mistakes which led to goals against (he didn't sub himself off though ). They now have just 2 points out of 4 games (against Oostende, Moeskroen, Mechelen and Kortrijk) and could actually be in last place tonight. Their next 4 games are against Genk, Standard, Antwerp and Club Brugge. This going to be very interesting one way or another.

Kompany's CB partner Sandler (ManC loanee) was a traffic cone, he couldn't defend anything, though. And the full backs were less than solid as well and the midfielders offered little protection for the backline, which left everybody too much to do individually and led to mistakes.

 

[Savi]

Kompany's CB partner Sandler (ManC loanee) was a traffic cone, he couldn't defend anything, though. And the full backs were less than solid as well and the midfielders offered little protection for the backline, which left everybody too much to do individually and led to mistakes.

Kompany wants to play like Man City but he kinda forgets City have world class players at every position. Anderlecht have now rotated I think about 10 different (mostly youth) players at both the RB and LB positions and they have struggled big time. Sandler looks good going forward but shaky defensively and Kompany himself has always been prone to mistakes (from miskicks to being out of position). They have 5 forwards or attacking midfielders on the pitch at all times, only 1 holding midfielder who isn't even a real DM and wouldn't even come anywhere near poor man's Fernandinho on even his best day.

 

[Ajacied]

Relegation battle between Twente and RKC was a good one. Both teams went full out attack. Game was 2-1 in favor of Twente after the 90 minutes were up. Game finished 3-3. Nice goals, too.

 

[robertmac43]

The Derby of the East goes to day in Moscow, one of the only Russian fixtures I watch and never disappoints in intensity.

 

[YNWA14]

Promes looks like he has fallen off a cliff. Weird.

 

[Ajacied]

Promes looks like he has fallen off a cliff. Weird.

Not sure about that. Promes is not going to replace Neres, Ziyech and Tadic in the starting line up, so he has to show what he's worth in the limited amount of time he gets. Often even being used as a #10. I always feel Promes sucks when he needs to prove himself. I read about his rough start in Russia before. His first moments in Oranje were absolutely trash. So were his first few games with Sevilla. No exception in Amsterdam, either. He just wants to do too much by himself. He looks bad right now, but I've doubted him before. He might be a big, contributing player in a few months if he can get some solid, confidence building games under his belt. He's injured right now so that isn't helping. Hassane Bandé should be fit within the next few months as well, so it will be an interesting situation.