VP’s Team of the Week: super sub Huntelaar, Vitesse, Groningen, VVV and AZ duo

Joël Drommel (FC Twente)
He had had enough to do, Drommel concluded after the defeat against Ajax. The closing post had to fish three times, but also had to deal with twelve shots between the posts. The defeat in extra time was a bitter pill for FC Twente, but without the interventions of Drommel it would have been long overdue.

Eli Dasa (Speed)
The attention usually goes to Remko Pasveer, Riechedly Bazoer and Oussama Tannane, but Dasa is also one of the pillars of Vitesse’s success. The tireless kilometer-eater from Israel also thundered against FC Utrecht on the right flank and was allowed to score his fourth assists of the season.

Danilho Doekhi (Speed)
The second unsung hero of Vitesse who is in a top season. On Tuesday, Doekhi was also allowed to be in the spotlight. Thanks to his first goal in professional football, Vitesse won against FC Utrecht and the Arnhem team are still shared second.

Ko Itakura (Fc Groningen)
Speaking of excellent and scoring defenders: Itakura was also one of the better Groningen players against Willem II, as he has been for weeks. His very first Eredivisiehit was the crowning glory. Manchester City breadmaker has no doubt looked on with approval.

Danny Post (VVV Venlo)
Giakoumakis – we also meet him – was of course the star of the evening after ADO-VVV, but Post could also look back on a more than successful match. The captain did what he has been doing for VVV for years: buffeting in midfield and leading the battle. Post also prepared one of the hits of his Greek teammate, after strong through on the right and a viewed cross.

Calvin Stengs (THE)
AZ was not yet the AZ of last season, Stengs was not yet the Stengs of last season. But on Wednesday, the Alkmaarders were back in the top match against PSV, with Stengs as one of the driving forces. As usual, the left leg scattered clever steps and made it to the scoreboard itself in injury time.

Teun Koopmeiners (THE)
Every week it becomes less likely that we will see Koopmeiners again in Studio Sport next season. The AZ inspector is working on the season of his life and made his tenth (!) And eleventh (!) Goal of the season against PSV. Koopmeiners should not book a holiday yet, with the European Championship coming next summer.

Mo El Hankouri (FC Groningen)
Fell after twenty minutes for Patrick Joosten and eventually played the lead in a sensational football fight against Willem II. El Hankouri gave FC Groningen the lead, saw Willem II turn that deficit and eventually made the winning 2-3 in extra time. He had not scored in the Eredivisie since February 2019, but El Hankouri was worth his weight in gold for FC Groningen in Tilburg.

Sinan Bakis (Heracles Almelo)
We cannot ignore it: the ‘ketchup bottle cliché’ that usually applies to strikers. It may take a while for the goals to come, but once they come, they all come together. And so Bakis increased his goal production against FC Emmen from zero to three in one fell swoop. Is the successor of Eredivisie top scorer Cyriel Dessers finally released after a few difficult debut months?

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Ajax)
He only came in the lines in minute 89 and formally played too short for a judgment … But of course we cannot ignore Huntelaar, after his double hit in the Grolsch Veste. Was it his very last goals in the Eredivisie right away or can he resist the call of Schalke 04? Ajax can in any case still use it well!

Giorgios Giakoumakis (VVV-Venlo)
We conclude with the man of this midweek game round and the sensation of this season. “We will have to be sharp, but we should not lie awake for the VVV striker”, ADO Den Haag captain Daryl Janmaat announced prior to the game with VVV. And the 34-time Orange-international also knew that … Giakoumakis had already scored twice against WIllem II on Sunday and is after ADO-out on sixteen hits. Will the Eredivisie top scorer still play in De Koel in two weeks?