EERSTE DIVISIE
The stepping stone to Eredivisie and for many the starting point for a great career…
Before I get to the current crop of players who I think stand a good chance of moving up levels and hopefully leaving positive marks on the teams they play for I want to look at why I like this league. The league has some solid selling points and has had some real competition in recent years and the format of playing everyone twice means you generally get some good battles for promotion, you have the Jong teams (B teams from various teams like Ajax, Utrecht, AZ and PSV) in amongst it but who are not allowed to be promoted for obvious reasons.
Then when you look at the players that have come out of it, both from the Jong teams and the first teams the list is long and distinguished. Guys like Van Nistelrooy, Vincent Janssen, Noussair Mazraoui, Matts Wieffer, Thijs Dallinga and Ferdi Kardioglu, as well as the vast majority of young starlets that have played for AZ, Ajax and PSV.
There is also the fairly unique format where many of the games are played on a Friday night which make them a fairly popular way for football fans to start the weekend, and they attract some fans from the bigger clubs who tend to play on a Saturday or Sunday.
The other part is you see some good teams with great facilities. The likes of Roda, Ado Den Haag, NAC Breda and FC Groningen have all been down and in amongst in recent seasons and next season they’ll have Vitesse, Volendam and Excelsior down and in amongst it so the competition is going to be tough.
Last but not least, you have the players and if you are a team working on a budget and looking to try and find some value then you have a variety of teams and styles to look at in the Eerste Divisie and you might just find a bargain who suits your needs. I’d be stereotyping to say what you get from most players is a good level of technical ability, because there are some players who don’t meet what many would consider as the Dutch standard in those areas but for a lot the level is high and the key to finding out if it translates to your team and the league you are in is to do some solid homework and stress testing, having a look at how they perform against the better teams in the league, how they fair against the teams you know have high technical standards, especially the Jong AZ and Jong Ajax teams who have a lot of gifted youngsters with fantastic technical skills. Then if you can have a look at how they fair in the cup competitions where they may have come up against some Eredivisie sides.
You may have his name come up in my last post but this player is a perfect example of finding great value. Matts Wieffer was picked up by Feyenoord for a fee that was believed to be around £400,000 and it was a steal. He’d played 2 really solid years at Excelsior and you could have looked at him using 2 totally different methods of scouting and come to the conclusion he was worth that fee, and in all honesty I hope Feyenoords head of recruitment was wearing a mask because in my opinion it was daylight robbery. I honestly thought Excelsior would be looking at an easy 1.5mil with some nice add-ons attached. If you wanted to sign Wieffer now I’d guess the starting bids would be 35 million+. If he had recovered from injury and made it to the Euros and made a similar impression he has at club level that fee would have went north of 50 million.
So… the big question is who might come out of that league next and make a positive impression, and I’m not going to say that the players below will be like Wieffer but they are players that I feel in the right environment would progress to a good level in leagues like the Eredivisie or SPFL, Championship and so on and then from there it’s really about them and the environment they place themselves in.
One last thing before I get to the players. I often think about what makes a good or great player and then I listened to a wonderful interview on the High Performance podcast with Alex Inglethorpe who heads up the Liverpool Academy system and given the work they have done in recent years he is a man well worth listening to.
He spoke about how often you don’t know with certainty that a player will make it, but what they can do is see potential and look for ways to allow it to grow and the various methods that can support that growth, but from that point on it’s about the player and the environment and sometimes a little bit of luck, like someone else seeing something everyone has missed and the key word he used when describing the best players he’s had like Kane and Alexander Arnold is despite not being the best in their age groups they had OBSESSION, a constant desire to improve in any way they could. He also referenced how many people didn’t see Harry Kane as a player who stood out during his youth days at Spurs (middle of the group at best) until Brad Friedel walked in one day and said Kane hits shots like Robbie Fowler, then all of a sudden that seen the coaches take more interest in Kane and see the potential that was being missed up to that point.
My biggest takeaway from what he said in his full interview and I’ve always felt this is a huge factor is that you can be good or great, is the environment is key and if it isn’t right and you don’t have the right people around you, or working with you then your chances of success drop dramatically so when looking at a player and researching them it’s easy to say they’d be great in my team but it’s vital to remember that they play for 90 or 180 minutes on that pitch infront of us all each week, but for another 9500+ minutes they are not playing competitive games and life is different for each of us and that environment covers the whole time, not just the 90 minutes on a Saturday. It’s also easy for coaches and scouts to think or say they know that X player will be the next big thing but I bet if we counted the amount of times it’s been said against the amount of times it would happen the ratio wouldn’t be so kind to those saying it. Sometimes there is an art in just being able to say what you see and letting things happen in a more natural way instead of trying to force an answer, I’m sure Roy Walker (Catchphrase) would agree with that sentiment.
Here is the link for anyone who wants to give it a watch:
Anyway, back to Eerste Divisie…..
To start with I broke down what I consider to be the team of the season for players 24 and under
I’m setting up my team in a 433:
Goalkeeper:
Luca Plogmann – FC Dordrecht (Loan from Go Ahead Eagles)
24 years old – German
11 clean sheets and his 73% save ratio were nice numbers from his season. Steady performances throughout and Go Ahead Eagles will likely take confidence from what they seen. His distribution is maybe not quite on trend but if a team is looking for a goalkeeper who will make the saves they should and be someone they can trust then this season has shown Plogmann can do that.
When I flicked through his season the thing I liked is that for the most part he saved and caught all the things you would expect him to catch, but when he did make an error as he did in the 3-3 draw vs Cambuur, where he seemed to change his mind late on with a cross and ended up not getting a clean fist on it and then he was having issues at set plays with the 6ft 5 Roberts Uldrikis. He never one stopped coming for the crosses and then after Dordrecht got it back to 3-3 he made a vital save from point blank range to help them leave with a point.
Defenders:
Simon Janssen – VVV Venlo
23 year old – Left Back
Nationality : Dutch
This attacking left sided Dutchman has had an outstanding season with 7 assists and a 35% crossing accuracy and certainly the standout player for a Venlo team who finished 12 in the table this season. He often plays at left back but with his ability to cross and play key passes (24 in total) he is player that gives you options.
He also topped the defensive duels chart in the league which I’ll be honest surprised me but when you consider he really gets up and down that left side then maybe it shouldn’t be a shock.
Of the games I’ve flicked through the one that really stood out for me was against Jong AZ and had to face Jayden Addai and Ernest Poku, both of whom are players who will challenge a full back and in the first few minutes Addai gave was getting on top but he quickly settled and for me he dealt with things well and still managed to do his own work when VVV were on the ball.
Finn Stam – Jong AZ Alkmaar
21 year old – Central Defender
Nationality : Dutch
Finn is a player who has massive potential because he has a good understanding of defensive roles. I think AZ will be rubbing their hands at the thought of what he could become. Whether that be a central defender or moving into a more defensive midfield role, or even better becoming one of the players who can play the hybrid role that is now so popular as a narrow fullback in a 4 or a wide central defender in a 3 who can move into a central midfield role. Second highest total for interceptions over the season with 215 (5.97 per game). Stam is the one in this group of 11 players that if pushed I’d say could go to a really high level. I’ve mentioned Peer Koopmeiners and his all action style and Stam has that about him. Certainly one to watch.
Matisse Didden – Roda JC Kerkrade
22 year old – Central Defender
Nationality : Belgian
Big Matisse is another who has come out of the season well and has already got himself a move up to the Eredivisie with Utrecht. What he lacks in pace he more than makes up for in his positional sense, and his height helps as well. He stands just shy of 6ft 5 and so his success in the air in general terms and in the box standout for him. His passing into the final third needs refined but he like all the players here looks to be a player that a good coaching team could do good work with and I fancy that he will do pretty well with Utrecht next season.
Tommy St. Jago – Willem II
24 year old – Right Back
Nationality : Dutch
St. Jago has mainly played as a right back for Willem II this season but where he has stood out is in his defensive work. What he lacks in the final third in terms of assists and crossing he more than made up for with his willingness to be aggressive in the press and has got one of the highest success rates in the Eerst Divisie with a 70% success rate in his direct defensive duels. He like Stam brings an interesting option of having a player who can look at someone like Nathan Ake as a template for what he does going forward. Playing as a narrow fullback / extra central defender and keeping up the volume of passes into the final third. I can’t say I seen Tommy have a standout game where he was a standout MOTM, but in almost every game I did see parts of he was solid, consistent and was controlled within the setup. Those things are invaluable if you want a good platform to build from at the back.
Midfielders:
Johan Hove – FC Groningen
23 year old – Central Midfielder
Nationality : Norwegian
This young Norwegian has been on my radar for a while and for my money was the best midfielder in Eerste Divisie over the season. A nicely rounded season from Johan seen 5 goals, 6 assists and top of the tree for passes into the final third and 70% of his defensive duels won.
Now is he the most talented midfielder in the league, probably not but his overall contribution to FC Groningen gaining promotion was vital and pushed him in ahead of some other good players like Suray (FC Dordrecht) and Aime Omgba (NAC Breda). A bit like St. Jago there aren’t many games where Hove was the top player but again he was consistent in his work and over the season he was able to control the tempo of games and knit the team together with his ability to move around the middle of the pitch, whether it be dropping in to take the ball from the back line or progressing up and controlling the edge of the final third so Groningen go rotate round from one side to the other to create new attacking phases of play.
Gibson Yah – Jong FC Utrecht
20 year old – Central Midfielder
Nationality : Dutch
Big Gibson Yah was in the Ajax system from a young age before moving to the Utrecht team. Top of the pops for interceptions per 90mins and ball recoveries. Physically strong and as his stats show a player you can look to break up play. His attacking stats and progressive play needs to be developed but the strengths he has make him a nice option for teams who want to add a presence in the middle of the pitch. This season will have been tough on him with Jong Utrecht coming bottom of the league but I like to think a season like this will be a great driver for him in the future. Overall because Utrecht were so poor his solid level of performance stood out like a sore thumb and some would read this a pity entry but everything he has could fit in a better team and I thin being in with better players would only enhance what he has now.
Walid Ould-Chikh – Roda JC Kerkrade (Loan from FC Volendam)
24 year old – Central Midfielder
Nationality : Dutch
Ideally Ould-Chikh would play as a 10 and be allowed to drift within the attacking third, which is something he done so well for Roda as he racked up 12 goals and 8 assists in the push for promotion. Sadly for him the route back to the Eredivisie was shattered by NAC Breda in the playoffs. His main strength this season has been his ability to see defenders in tough spots and put pressure on, allowing him to get good opportunities high up the pitch and when he does that, he has a wicked shot on him that has resulted in him being one of the most potent threats in Eerste Divisie.
One area where Walid does fall down is his passing accuracy, while I appreciate he plays most of the game in the final third and passing accuracy tends to drop down he is guilty of being a bit lax with some basic passes and it’s reflected in his 70% accuracy. Teams who put a high value on keeping the ball might see him as too much of a risk, but there is a balance because if you are a team who gets up to the final third and lack end product then his long range shooting and willingness to attempt a final ball could make a big difference.
Attackers:
Jevon Simons – Jong PSV
18 year old – Right Winger
Nationality : Dutch
11 goals and 6 assists from the young left footed Dutchman who plays off the right side was a nice return for the Jong PSV. Jevon isn’t lightning quick on the wing, he is very much on trend as a player who plays wide right and wants to come in on to his left foot and look to bend crosses in from deeper areas or get shots off. His biggest positive is that when he does come inside he has good feet and links well in and around the box, lots of short passes with Nassoh or passes into the spaces behind for Uneken. At the same time my biggest criticism of him is one that I have of many wide players who are looking to cut in and that is they become predictable and to be that predictable and get away with it means you have to be top tier, but when you aren’t at that level you need to offer a threat down the side, just to keep defensive units on their toes.
Jevon may turn out to be a player who needs to start his career out in wide areas but there is a possibility that his natural progression could bring him into a more central role as a 10 because he has that ability to play quick short passes through tight spaces and he does see passing lanes in the final third that can lead to good chances.
Romena Postema – FC Groningen
22 year old – Striker
Nationality : Dutch
The second top scorer in the criteria I’d set for this team with 18 goals and 4 assists. Strong season for Postema that helped FC Groningen to promotion. His overall play as a central striker for me was the best in the league and the things that impressed me most were his ability to find the target with shots with over 52% hitting the target and I liked that he scored a lot of cheap goals where he was on the spot to take advantage of mistakes. I always love to listen to the guys who have played at the highest level and the common word you here from the great goalscorers is GAMBLE. Postema to me has that instinct to be in places where some strikers will look at see a small chance and think it’s not worth it, but he is like an Ian Wright where he sees a small chance and thinks why not.
His hat-trick vs De Graafschap showed exactly what he’s good at. He’s not fast but he positions himself well and with the first 2 goals it’s that positioning that gives him high value chances. The first a quick look to see if the goalie is coming and then a little bit of lift just to get it over him as he gets near, the second is again good movement off the shoulder and on the last line and he takes a pass with a good touch just ahead of himself and tops it off with a neat finish into the near post. His last is a tad fortunate but he gets up with his team on a quick break late in the game and again what I like is he keeps a nice distance to allow his teammates space and makes sure he’s onside if something drops his way. It does eventually fall to him and he hits the target, a little bit of good fortune that it hits the goalie and goes in but as above his value is his ability to find the target.
Basar Onal – De Graafschap
19 year old – Left Winger
Nationality : Turkish
This would have potentially been Soulyman Allouch who was having a solid season but he’s went to a team in Azerbaijan. Onal though has a lot of what Allouch showed. Very direct with his dribbling, very good on the half turn and even with his back to a defender because he has lovely footwork and balance to turn the 180 quickly and get moving at defenders. His crossing isn’t as accurate as some of the other wingers but his final ball when passing over shorter distances or into space aligned with his ability to dribble in tight spaces is good. 9 goals and 6 assists, a good set of numbers for a team who were in the playoff mix and he’ll be looking to kick on next season.
Now the above is what I felt was the best 11 but I always like to look at other sources to see what they have and one of the best around is Wyscout. So I used their indexing tool to look at what they had as the best 11 for age 24 and under in the league to see how my team matched up against their data analysis and as you will see in the image below my team has 5 of the players that make their indexed 11.
I understand why on data alone some of the players they have are ahead of the ones I’ve selected. Smit was the top scorer in the league so he is an obvious choice but for me his link up play wasn’t on par with Postema and I went with the 433, where as they have setup in a 442. I also understand that the Wyscout team is just data and not about creating a rounded team so Suray goes in because he had 13 goals and 6 assists where as I went with Hove and Yah because I wanted my 11 to have a nice balance of power, passing and creative flair through the midfield 3.
The one I was torn on and I have learned some mid-table Scottish teams have watched him is Matteo Waem. So, I had to reach out to another scout to get some thoughts on Waem. I’ve since had a quick look and I’d agree with the opinion given by my friend gave based on what he had seen of Waem.
Waem is neat and tidy on the ball, happy to play a high line and on the left of a back 3 or maybe on the left of a 2 would be fine as long as you had a strong aerial presence beside him, or if you wanted to go 90s title winning Lierse SK (Belgium) who won the league by deploying a back 3 where the central player steps out often with Eric Van Meir as the player who was given license to get high up the pitch due to his ability to pass and move and as mad as this sounds he scored 16 goals in 30 games from his role in the 96/97 season. I’m not saying Waem goes to a team and does what Van Meir did because that was an unbelievable year for Van Meir especially on the goal front. However, Waem like Van Meir is a bit more forward thinking and happy on the ball if you wanted to create overloads then having him in a 3 where he could move forward and into midfield would be an option.
The rest like the players I’ve mentioned are good players coming off of good seasons. Banel on the right wing for me was behind Simons because Simons had a better end product in my opinion and his numbers supported that.
I had Stam ahead of Waem because I felt he was more rounded as a defender and has a higher ceiling in terms of potential. I also liked his leadership qualities in the Jong AZ team which has a lot of good players in it but as above Waem has a skillset you could do something with if you par him well.
Sebaoui or Onal. Very good seasons from both but again I went with Onal because I felt despite similar numbers for goals and assists that Onal seen the picture of what his options were just a little bit faster and like Stam I feel his game over time has more room for growth than Sebaoui.
St. Jago over Mulders. I have to be honest here and say I didn’t really notice Mulders so I’d be lying if I said there was a reason for me picking St. Jago over him other than when I flicked through various games St. Jago had a positive level of aggression that stood out. Looking at the data now the obvious thing about Mulders is he is a more of an up and down right back who will go to the byeline whereas St.Jago rarely pushes that high up.
Overall, I have found that yet again Eerste Divisie is a league that for me is undervalued in terms of the talent you will find there, and is a great starting ground for younger players. I think the setup is one of the best for helping young players find positive environments to go and get games and look for progression into better leagues, whether that be natural progression through the Jong teams into the first teams or whether it be playing for clubs like FC Groningen or NAC Breda and getting that chance to try and get them back to the levels they have shown in years gone by in the Eredivisie
I hope you have enjoyed this, maybe found a name or two that you want to go and research for yourself or as someone told me the other day I found them a new gem on Football Manager…. Happy to have helped.
As for the next piece of work…. It’s going to come back home and be more of a discussion piece on Scotland after the Euros. What happened (I know…. it was grim) and what the options are going forward. I’ll be looking at the some of the under age teams all the way to the national team and the areas that feed into the national team system.
Again my thanks for reading and the support it is greatly appreciated and hopefully with most of the fixtures announced in the UK that you are all looking forward to the season ahead. I’m certainly looking forward to getting back out to grounds to do some opposition analysis and player reports. In the meantime, have a good one and enjoy the rest of the Euros and Copa America (Working on something around these as well)
RH