AZ is definitely the team that has grown the most, and have clearly leaped ahead of Heerenveen. They've made the right decisions and operate a consistent and profitable system in player recruitment. The judgement of signing incoming players at Heerenveen has been a bit concerning in recent years to be honest. Just like how management chose Veerman instead of Vermeij when they were both available in the second division couple years ago. And how te Vrede was signed instead of Vincent Janssen even though they both moved to their respective destinations for the same transfer fee. Van Aken and St. Juste have good potential under the right guidance and development. But unfortunately Slagveer does not, he's already reached and maxed out his ceiling in the season before. Slagveer is basically the next Rajiv van La Parra. The players I hope to see really take the next step and continue improving are PvA, Thorsby, Zeneli, and Amin. Larsson is still here and will be a steady producer. Likewise with St. Juste, vd Boomen, v Aken, and Thern. Schaars was also brought in, and can be a solid contributor as well if he's able to stay healthy.
Larsson is injured for the season opener against AZ, but apart from that majority of the lineup looks good. PvA indeed gets the start, and will feature in the midfield for now working to support the attacking line. Namli is bit of a surprise though, but maybe he can actually stay healthy this year. Not feeling the decision of Bijker at LB instead of Cavlan though.
Bijker right on queue to begin the new season lol. Unable to track his opponent along the flank, which leads to a series of errors including Mulder over committing and then Otigba losing his footing along the goal line. Well executed counter by AZ.
as suspected they will again depend on their wingers this season. its highly likely Larsson will again slot in at CM when he is Fit. not sure about thern though, it might take him some time to get back to his best. how was this Ghoochannejhad guy. I see he was replaced by Veerman before Schaars equalized. did otigba play or juste was at RCB.
True Otigba didn't really play, I meant to say St. Juste there. Ghoochannejhad helped set up the first goal by Zeneli but apart from that he had a subpar game. Not convinced if he can be a consistent contributor, as his scoring record at club level has been lacking for the past several years. The decision to sub on Huizing turned out to be a disaster. Should have gone with vd Boomen as a better choice off the bench. Thorsby appears to have gotten a knee injury, and it's currently uncertain how long he'll be out for.
Thern looked alright during preseason but appears he had bit of a setback and isn't quite match fit yet.
Makes sense,he was on the radar of many clubs. His loan move to kasimpasa has been finalized. Don't know how this will affect the team now. Juste is there to fill his vaccum.what if juste gets injured.
Pretty decent start to the season after 7 games. Compared to the past where it was generally very striker focused, the distribution of scoring currently has been well balanced. Getting steady production from Larsson, Reza, Zeneli, and even Veerman with some key goals off the bench. Van Amersfoort is featuring in the midfield right now, but is gradually building experience and contributing nicely to attack build ups. Defensively this has been one of the most formidable I've seen in a while. Gaining three clean sheets in the last four games. St. Juste and van Aken continue to mature. The 16 year old Kik Pierie has been called up to the senior team in the last 2 match days and could be close to making his debut.
I was disappointment with player acquisition in the transfer window but surprisingly the new players are settling in well. did underestimate Ghoochannejhad but he has lived up to expectation and looks like could be the fire power which they were msising upfront.
Balanced production will be key. Not gonna expect any solo efforts like Dost or Finnbogason from years in the past. But Ghooch, Larsson, and Zeneli play with good chemistry, and should be able to combine for 20-25 goals together up front. The roles of Van Amersfoort and Kobayashi should also grow as the season progresses.
Still a shame that Albert Gudmundsson was lost to PSV though. Quality talent from the start, and just scored a hat-trick on the weekend for Jong PSV in the Jupiler League. http://www.vi.nl/nieuws/gudmundsson-houdt-jong-psv-aan-kop-in-jupiler-league.htm?channel=phone
Zeneli with his 4th goal of the season and third scoring in his third consecutive match, as Heerenveen drew 1-1 vs PSV. Unfortunate there was an own goal conceded coming off a weird deflection. Otherwise, it was a solid display defensively which has shown improvement from last year.
Continuing to cruise along with a 3-0 win over Groningen. And a goal each for the front line of Zeneli, Ghooch, and Larsson.
havnt seen Mitchell te Vrede lately. is he injured ? vs feyenoord and Ajax should test the depth in the team more given their ongoing streak
Yeah, te Vrede is still recovering from that knee injury. He's in the process of gradual training but not quite ready to return yet.
Bas Dost had an amazing achievement in Heerenveen, 66 matches, 45 goals! Hard to achieve similar accomplishment. You were happy to have him. 2010–2012 SC Heerenveen 66 (45)
Ok, interesting lol. But really I meant to dredge up this topic anyway. Heerenveen have really exceeded expectations I think at this point in the season. They've kind of been carried by Samba Sam and Zeneli but I don't think anyone expected them to be level with PSV at this point in the season. I'm pleasantly surprised. Hopefully this run of form will continue.
Well, you do have negative accomplishment with French clubs. http://www.eurocupshistory.com/match/history_land/739-FRA/sc_heerenveen_against_french_clubs But, you also had success in Dutch league and in Champions League https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Champions_League_2000/01