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The Eredivisie gets underway
FC
Update
Friday 29 August 2008
A little over 4 months since PSV
swept up it's fourth consecutive league title, it's
finally starting again.
After months of training, buying
and selling, practicing and analyzing the Eredivisie
gets underway again.
We'll only know it ends on the
10th of May, but of course we can tell the future!
The biggest change compared to
last season is the disappearance of the playoffs.
This season the champion qualifies
directly for the Champions League, number 2 can try
and qualify and numbers 3 and 4 come into the UEFA Cup.
Then are UEFA Cup tickets for the
Cup winners and for the winner of a playoff between
the teams ranked 5th through to 8th.
Let's see how they'll finish:
1. Ajax
After 4 years Eindhoven the Championship will go to
Amsterdam this season.
The reason for that is in the
Ajax
Amsterdam
offensive line.
Who can come up with the likes
of Luis Suarez, Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Miralem Sulejmani
up front has no other choice than to win it.
On top the other signings - Ismail
Aissati, Oleguer, Evander Sno and Dario Cvitanich -
are also players who improve the level.
Ajax are thus a lot stronger than
in previous seasons and as they come close then, they
will win it this time around.
2. PSV
Huub Stevens is up for a very difficult task.
He will have to make
PSV Eindhoven
champions, because that is what they are used to in
Eindhoven.
At the same time he will have to
put some football back into the team, because the result-football
of Sef Vergoossen was to everybody's liking.
Stevens is a master and will undoubtedly
do good work in Eindhoven, but without Gomes between
the posts PSV will drop too many points to beat Ajax.
3. Feyenoord
The average age of
Feyenoord Rotterdam
is of course a bit high.
But don't let that take anything
away from the quality of Roy Makaay, Henk Timmer, Tim
de Cler, Denny Landzaat, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and
Jon Dahl Tomasson
Throw in some Luigi Bruins, Karim
el Ahmadi and Ron Vlaar and you have a team that can
finish third; that is when the wave of injuries will
finally settle down.
4. FC Twente
FC Twente Enschede
will prove that last year's success wasn't a one-hit-wonder.
In Orlando Engelaar, Karim el Ahmadi
and Luke Wilkshire three key players left the team,
but the Tukkers
will still have enough quality to qualify directly.
A defense hosting Slobodan Rajkovic,
Rob Wielaert, Douglas and Edson Braafheid will not get
in trouble to often in the Eredivisie.
On top new signing Cheik Tioté
has all to become the new sensation.
5. AZ
AZ Alkmaar
return to where they belong: at the top.
They won't yet be capable of competing
for the top spot, but that would of course be a bit
much to ask after the disastrous 2007/2008 campaign.
Apart from qualifying for the
playoffs they will win the Cup.
6. SC Heerenveen
Trond Sollied hasn't come to
SC Heerenveen
to finish fourth, the coach said on numerous occasions
over the past weeks.
Well, what a coincidence: fourth
place will indeed be out of the question this time around.
Without Miralem Sulejmani Heerenveen
just lack that bit of finesse needed to impress. The
playoffs are the best they can do.
7. Vitesse
Every season has one club standing out. This season
that will be
Vitesse Arnhem
.
With Julian Jenner, Rogier Molhoek
and Frank van der Struijk Technical Director Marc van
Hintum has delivered some fine players to the Gelredome.
Add a little Piet Velthuizen, Civard
Sprockel, Paul Verhaegh, Claudemir and Santi Kolk and
you'll have plenty of quality to have a good season.
8. NAC Breda
After last season's 3rd place the 8th spot may seem
a bit meager. Not everybody knows that last season everything
went right for NAC and that a similar spell of success
is out of the question.
Difficult task for new coach Maaskant,
but the team is good enough to finish comfortably.
9. FC Utrecht
The fans of
FC Utrecht
weren't crazy about the club's transfer policies this
summer.
Robin Nelisse
and Erik Pieters both left to be r eplaced with relatively
unknown players.
Still Barry Maguire is a big talent,
Michael Silberbauer could be a revelation and striker
Morten Skoubo should be considered capable of scoring
15 goals for them
10. FC Groningen
FC Groningen
still haven't recovered from the January Jive, earlier
this year when they lost three of their best players
- Rasmus Lindgren, Erik Nevland and Bruno Silva - in
a few day's time.
The loss still hasn't been fully
made up for. Swedish defender Andreas Granqvist is certainly
a reinforcement, but of Oluwafemi Ajilore and Gonzalo
Garcia-Garcia that is yet to be seen.
Ron Jans and his men will struggle
stay in the comfort zone.
11. Roda JC
RODA JC Kerkrade
are a big question mark. Compared to last season they
lost two main ingredients (Roland Lamah and Cheik Tioté).
On the other hand stands the arrival
of Mark de Man, Edwin Linssen, Harrie Gommans and Ruud
Vormer.
As a fan you won't get overly excited
from that list of players.
For coach Raymond Atteveld it threatens
to be a dull season.
12. NEC
For
NEC Nijmegen
it's the same as for NAC.
It will be almost impossible for
the team from Nijmegen to equal last Season's achievements:
moving from 17th spot half way to a UEFA Cup place at
the end.
In Krisztian Vadocz, Jeremain Lens,
Muslu Nalbantoglu, Brett Holman and Kevin Bobson they
lost five regulars.
That is too many to do as well
this season.
13. Sparta
Sparta Rotterdam
noted a 14th and two 14th places in the last three seasons,
and they will go on along that line.
With Ruud Knol, Karim Touzani,
Sander van Gessel and Rydell Poepon they got in some
decent players and in Foeke Booy they have a coach who
knows how it works.
If they have a decent start they
should not get in trouble.
14. Willem II
Unlike the previous three seasons
Willem
II Tilburg
are not going to have trouble staying up.
With two new players - Boy Deul
and Danny Schenkel - the talented German Mehmet Akgün
finally fit is and with youngsters like Arjan Swinkels,
Jens Janse and Mohamed Messoudi all a year older, Willem
II should also be safe after 34 games
15. ADO Den Haag
He didn't manage with
VVV
Venlo
last season, but he will with
ADO Den Haag
: stay in the Eredivisie.
ADO have a bit more quality and
experience in the squad than other relegation candidates
Heracles, Volendam and De Graafschap.
The first few weeks of the season
will be important with games against Sparta, De Graafschap,
Volendam and Heracles.
When ADO manage to get enough results
from these early games they should be able to stay dry.
16. Heracles Almelo
It seemed to g wrong last season already, but then the
arrival of Gonzalo Garcia-Garcia and Robbert Schilder
gave them the edge to avoid playoffs. A lot of new players
arrived, but how many are an improvement? We say they
play the relegation playoffs.
17. FC Volendam
FC Volendam
and
De
Graafschap
will be the teams fighting it out over direct relegation.
We give FC Volendam the benefit of the doubt, most because
a number of good Eredivisie players have arrived at
De Dijk.
Arvid Smid, Paul de Lange and Cecilio
Lopes have been out of the picture for a while, but
for a team like Volendam they are very useful. New defenders
Tim Bakens and Gerry Koning are good new recruits.
For coach Frans Adelaar that should
be enough to make it into the relegation playoffs.
18. De Graafschap
Sadly for the town of Doetinchem, but
De
Graafschap
will not make it this season.
The team were very poor in the
second half of last season, and new coach Henk van Stee
will not get them to do any better.
It's remarkable that they play
their last game away to Volendam on 10 May - a possibly
decisive match.
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