Who will win the Eredivisie?

Who do we think will win the Eredivisie?

Will AZ Alkmaar have things all their own way like they did last season in such emphatic style? They won the title by eleven points from FC Twente, with Ajax and PSV not much further back.

It is difficult to look beyond these four when trying to predict who will come out on top this season although the likes of Heerenveen, Groningen and Feyenoord may harbour hopes of their own.

High hopes

PSV coach Fred Rutten has high hopes for PSV this year after their fourth placed finish last season. They will be looking to do well in the Europa League and to make a more serious challenge for the Eridivisie title. After winning the title for four years in a row, last year’s finish was a disappointment and they will be looking for their twenty-second title this time out.

I’m afraid I can’t see them making up the ground they have lost on the other teams at the top. They made a really disappointing start by only drawing 3-3 at home to newly promoted VVV-Venlo.

Record

Ajax hold the record with twenty-nine Eridivisie titles, but they haven’t lifted the trophy for the past five seasons. Briefly, last season they looked as though they might make a challenge but in the end they had to settle for third place some twelve points behind AZ.

New manager Martin Jol had a decent record at Tottenham and he nearly managed to take Hamburg to the Bundesliga last season. He won the Dutch Cup back in 1997 with Roda JC and he will be looking to add a second trophy to his record as a manager.

Respect

Much as I like Martin Jol and respect him as a manager and much as I think Ajax are a club that should be at the very top, I can’t see them winning the league this season. They did make an excellent start however with a 2-0 win at Groningen.

AZ Alkmaar were one of the stand-out teams in Europe last season and almost made it all the way through the league season without losing. This season started with a 3-2 defeat at Heracles who only narrowly avoided relegation in May.

Dismal

Not only did new coach Ronald Koeman see his side lose but he also saw two of his players get sent off. There can have been few such dismal starts to a managerial reign.

I think it is unrealistic to expect AZ to pick up where they left off last season and I can’t see them adding to their two Eridivisie titles.

Confused

I am a little confused because I didn’t think that I would ever be in a position whereby I was predicting that a side managed by Steve McClaren, the wally with the brolly, would do well. I have to admit that he seemed to do quite well in his first season as coach of FC Twente, taking them to second place.

This season has started with them holding Sporting Lisbon to a 0-0 draw in the Champions League and gaining a comfortable 2-0 win over Sparta Rotterdam in their first league game.

No England football supporter will ever find it easy to congratulate McClaren, but credit where it is due. He’s done well and I fancy that he might just get a winners medal this year.

What do you think?