Football Betting
Now the winter break is over in Holland it’s time to take a look at the contenders for the Eredivisie crown.
Dutch football has been dominated by its three superpowers – Ajax, PSV Eindhoven and Feyenoord – for the best part of forty years. However, in the last couple of seasons there has been something of a changing of the guard with fresh challenges from previously unfancied sides.
Last season’s champions, AZ Alkmaar, have had an awful season to date with poor results, managerial upheaval and the financial problems of their main benefactor all taking their toll. They lost coach Louis van Gaal to Bayern Munich in the summer and, much to the amusement of anyone who has followed his hopeless career, employed former Valencia manager Ronald Koeman.
Koeman lasted just sixteen league matches in charge and with the champions already 23 points behind the league leaders, even the magic of new coach Dick Advocaat will struggle to elevate AZ into a Champions League spot.
The other team to have upset the triumvirate at the top of Dutch football over the last two seasons has been FC Twente.
When Steve McClaren left his post as England manager and took the helm at a little known Dutch club, everyone presumed it was the end of the former Middlesbrough manager’s career. However, it was a shrewd move by McClaren to take the helm at a team then, already, on the way up.
Twente finished second in McClaren’s first season and currently sit second in the Eredivisie after 19 matches. They are an exceptional side – unbeaten in the league in 2009/10 – and are 15/8 to lift their first ever league title. Their goals are provided by the veteran Swiss striker Blaise n’Kufo and young Costa Rican talent Bryan Ruiz and they also have on-loan Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch and the experienced Kenneth Perez amongst their ranks.
In any other season Twente would be runaway Eredivisie leaders with 49 points from a possible 57. The only reason they are not is because of the outstanding form of rivals PSV Eindhoven.
A return of 51 from a possible 57 points is simply stunning and Fred Rutten’s side are playing with more flair and verve than under previous managers. 47 league goals tells a story and with exciting prospects including Dutchmen Ottman Bakkal and Ibrahim Afellay alongside the young Swedish striker Ola Toivonen the Eindhoven side are looking to reclaim the title they last won in 2008.
PSV are the 1/2 favourites to life the Dutch league title in April but with away fixtures to both Ajax and AZ in the diary, it may not be quite as simple an ask as it seems.
Ajax are the third team in a three-horse race for the Dutch title. Martin Jol has done an impressive job since taking over at the Amsterdam club in the summer although three away defeats so far this season leave them nine points off the pace. With great attacking options in the mercurial Uruguayan Luis Suarez and Serbians Marko Pantelic and Miralem Sulejmani Ajax are 11/2 to take the title, but I think it is a season too early for the former European champions.
Verdict
Quite what more FC Twente have to do to lift the title, I am not sure. Their trip to the Philips Stadion on 20th March for the crunch tie against PSV will do much to determine the outcome of their season. PSV might be showing tremendous form and have the better resources, but tricky away games to Ajax and AZ might see them drop the points Twente need to take their first ever title and complete Steve McClaren’s managerial rehabilitation. The romantic in me takes the 15/8 about FC Twente.
