PSV seems unable to avoid its 25th national title, Ajax is only fifth after a disastrous start to the season and Vitesse is heading for a doomsday scenario. But what will the second half of the season bring? A preview with three experts.
How exciting will the title battle be?
Evert ten Napel, football commentator for almost fifty years: “Not. I saw PSV during the training camp this winter. That club has such a strong and broad group. On Saturday (against Excelsior, ed.) they break the record of seventeen victories from the start of the season. After that they thunder through “A pitfall? That key players are leaving. Due to the ten-point deficit, Feyenoord only has a 1 percent chance of catching up with PSV.”
Ali Boussaboun, former player of FC Utrecht and Feyenoord: “I do believe that PSV will drop points, but Feyenoord has one perfect record necessary to have a chance. No matter how well cared for the game is under Arne Slot, I don’t see them doing that. And PSV is so strong. They have a lot of weapons offensively and a wide selection. If Noa Lang gets injured, they bring in Hirving Lozano. Feyenoord must hope for a corona outbreak or a wave of injuries at PSV, otherwise the champion is known.”
Leonne Stentler, former football player and analyst for NOS: “If there is a season in which a team like ‘The Invincibles’ (a reference to Arsenal in the 2003/2004 season, ed.) becomes undefeated champions, it is this season. I don’t see who can stop this PSV. Bosz is He is often criticized for playing ‘kamikaze football’, but at PSV he always makes the right plan at the right time. All signals are green for them. I don’t think Feyenoord can do anything against that.”
Will Ajax immediately qualify for European football?
Attached: “It will be important that they get an experienced controlling midfielder. Marten de Roon would be great. But if I were him, I would stay in Italy. I would put Branco van den Boomen in the backline instead of Josip Sutalo. That is a good defender, but not for Ajax. Still, I see opportunities for Ajax, despite the nine-point deficit in 4th place. FC Twente often loses points and AZ is very dependent on Vangelis Pavlidis. If he leaves, AZ will have a big problem.”
Boussaboun: “Then they have to become more stable. Steven Berghuis is having one of his worst seasons and Steven Bergwijn is not delivering. All the players who were brought in this summer are not good enough, except Diant Ramaj. Maurice Steijn (the now dismissed coach, ed. ) recently said that he would have wanted Jerdy Schouten, Noa Lang and Hakim Ziyech. If they had come, they might have been at the top. Now Ajax has to hope that FC Twente and AZ lose enough points.”
Stents: “Thanks to AZ’s current weak form, I think so. It is important that they find that new ‘six’, for which Jordan Henderson is now called. Although I would not just spend money. That new ‘six’ is not a panacea and will not ensure that Sutalo stops handing in balls. This Ajax depends mainly on coincidences. For trainer John van ‘t Schip it is an almost impossible task to get this team running.”
Ajax has specific interest in former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. Will he be the new ‘six’ of the Amsterdam team? Photo: Getty Images
Who will be the star in the second half of the season?
Attached: “I think Joey Veerman will put himself even more on the map. If I were national coach Ronald Koeman, I would also give him an important role in the Dutch team at the European Championships next summer. He is a wonderful player who always plays forward. Veerman will leave after the season, perhaps to a top Italian club.”
Boussaboun: “Ismael Saibari is amazing. He has a beautiful technique, is so strong and really a team player. And he is so humble that you almost want to hug him. He will miss the coming weeks because he is going to play for Morocco in the Africa Cup, but that is also beneficial for PSV. If Saibari does well there, his market value will increase by 10 or 20 million euros. I wouldn’t be surprised if Arsenal pick him up after the season. If PSV sells him for less than 60 million euros, they will have failed.”
Stents: “If Santiago Giménez stays at Feyenoord, eyes will be on him. But I also enjoy Luuk de Jong, who is having a top season. He is such a raw pusher, in the positive sense of the word. He can do so much more than only heading, which is often a bit of the prejudice about him. He will be very important for PSV again in the second half of the season.”
According to Ali Boussaboun, Ismael Saibari is worth at least 60 million euros. Photo: Getty Images
Will bottom line Vitesse remain in the Eredivisie?
Attached: “I would grant them a longer stay in the Eredivisie, but I fear not. Vitesse has no money and cannot do anything in the transfer market. Davy Pröpper is fit again, that is a bright spot. They do not have very bad players, but it is a bad team. Edward Sturing (the new coach, ed.) cannot do anything about that. I think FC Volendam will become the other relegation team. With Michael Dingsdag and Regillio Simons, Xavi’s father, they play realistic football “But they have a dramatic team.”
Boussaboun: “Well, Vitesse… You sometimes have a team that performs poorly, but you still see bright spots. They simply don’t exist at Vitesse. There really is no point in that. That is the consequence of years of mismanagement. I think that FC too Volendam won’t make it.”
Stents: “Everything is on fire at Vitesse. Where can you still draw confidence from? Pröpper will come back, that is the only point of hope, but he cannot do it alone. There is so much going against him that I just find it sad. “I have not noticed any shock effect. I think Heracles will be the other relegation. They are having an unlucky season, with many injuries.”
2024-01-12 04:06:21
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