(Picture: Action Images via Reuters)
Tuning in to watch the Eredivisie is sadly not what it once was.
Throughout the 1980’s and 90’s, Holland’s top-tier was one of the finest in the World, with players such as Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit firing Feyenoord to a domestic double, and Louis Van Gaal’s Ajax storming to three league titles and a Champions League between 1993 and 1996.
It was Holland’s hey-day: a time when fans flocked to watched their teams battle it out, with the help of some of the best footballing talent, on the European stage as well as domestically – but it’s different now.
Quality such as that is no longer available in Dutch football, it is fair to say. Players with the ability Cruyff, Gullit, Dennis Bergkamp or Patrick Kluivert possessed are not attracted to Holland due to the growth of football in Spain and England.
However, despite a few purists and hipsters maybe thinking differently, the main reason we all love football is because of the excitement and entertainment it provides – and the Eredivisie, this season especially, certainly has bucketloads of excitement, and the makings of an absorbing title race.
Everyone loves a good title race – remember 2011, and Sergio Aguero? The Argentine wrote his name into folklore that day, and I bet you can remember where you were that day when City won their first Premier League in unbelievable circumstances.
Well, in Holland, Feyenoord, Ajax and PSV could provide some more brilliance as the Eredivisie edges towards its climax.
Holland’s biggest three clubs are well clear of AZ Alkmaar who are fourth, and their form looks unwavering with 12 mouthwatering games to go.
Feyenoord, managed by club legend Giovanni van Bronckhorst, have been top of the league since week one, and have tasted defeat just once all season. Their form, like the side’s two closest challengers, has been unbelievable – they haven’t dropped a point so far this year, and have won eight in a row.
However, the pressure is well and truly on them, and many are hoping they could crumble as they hunt for their first league title this century – their last league win was in 1999, and rivals are always quick to remind them. They will need a lot of mental strength to get over the line.
In Nicolai Jorgensen, Feyenoord have the league’s top scorer and outstanding player, but if he, and his side slip up at any point, Ajax and PSV are breathing down their necks.
Like the leaders, Ajax, in second, have been in irresistible form in 2017, with five straight wins giving them belief they can close the five point gap between them and top-spot. Ajax came within a point of winning their 34th league title last season, and will be desperate to complete the job.
PSV, third and eight points behind Feyenoord, are refusing to give up hope as well. After winning consecutive titles, PSV’s ability to kill games off this season could be their downfall – they’ve drawn seven times compared to Feyenoord and Ajax drawing just three and four times respectively.
Once again, PSV are displaying the kind of form that wins league titles, with five straight wins keeping the pressure on those above, but as it stands Feyenoord look like they may end their champions drought.
They look solid, and are just swatting teams aside as they hunt down that elusive league win – Feyenoord vs. PSV on February 26th could be massive. If the leaders claim another three points, it could become a two-horse race.
Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, one thing is for sure, whatever people say; Dutch football is extremely entertaining!
