Eredivisie 2025-2026 season Ratings and comments

So the heat is on with NEC ahead of the rest for spot 3 and breathing in Feyenoord's neck for spot 2.

 

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Well, they've been looking into Ajax new coach achievements and it's a rather mixed bag,
6 times fired in 10 years.

 

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Day after coach change, Jordi Cruijff doesn't play hide and seek at Ajax: 'I want to create a winning team right away'

 

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Full time PEC Zwoll - FC Groningen

 

This weekend a couple of confrontations of clubs in the upper region, of which results can make or break the claim for one of the UEFA silverware tournements.

FC Groningen did fail to get into the top 8 range with the draw against PEC Zwolle:

 

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Striker problem on Óscar García's debut: Ajax possible without Weghorst and Dolberg.
Óscar García will make his debut as a coach at Ajax on Saturday and can immediately ponder over a real striker problem. Wout Weghorst is suspended and Kasper Dolberg also does not seem to make it to the game. The Danish goalgetter suffers from abdominal problems. The Spanish coach confirmed this on Friday at the press conference in the run-up to the league match with Sparta. 'Wout (Weghorst, ed.) is ill, he hasn't trained in the past few days, but he was already suspended. Kasper (Dolberg, ed.) hasn't trained in the past two days because of abdominal problems, he's a question mark.' And so the question remains who will post García in the striker's position.
With Don-Angelo Konadu, the Amsterdam team has one more real center forward. Moreover, the Spanish coach knows the young striker from matches of the Ajax Reserves, where he held sway before he was transferred to the first team. Another option may be to play with a false striker. In that case, players like Maher Carrizo or Oscar Gloukh could be eligible. The injury news was not yet finished with Weghorst and Dolberg at Friday's press conference. 'Itakura is not available, Oliver (Edvardsen, ed.) is not available. And the long-term injured players are not there either,' the Spaniard referred to goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

 

Feelings of revenge at PSV towards the duel with NEC PSV will take on Saturday evening against NEC, the team that recently knocked the Eindhoven team out of the KNVB Cup. Revenge feelings are therefore running through the Philips Stadium, PSV coach Peter Bosz assured Friday at the press conference in the run-up to the Eredivisie top match.

 

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Young Ajax players Vink and Ouazane could make the jump to the first team, due to suspensions/injuries/sicknesss.
Ajax hopes for shock effect against Sparta after coach change

 

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Ajax - Sparta line up:

 

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Well, the title celebrations have to wait another week

 

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Ajax - Sparta half time stats:

 

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Full time Ajax - Sparta

 

With Oscar Garcia's debut, Ajax recorded its biggest, and perhaps best, win this Eredivisie season. For a change it doesn't stop halfway through. After the break, Ajax scored two more goals. Thanks to Mika Godts, who first has a great through ball to Davy Klaassen. And a few minutes later, he makes the crossing himself and his sprint is appreciated by Kasper Dolberg. The Belgian star then coolly scored his fourteenth goal. The deep runs at the third and fourth goal are also a difference from the last matches at Ajax. There were hardly any and therefore the game in Zwolle and Groningen (second half) became very predictable.

 

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Ajax defender Takehiro Tomiyasu after first starting spot in two years: 'I was completely exhausted after an hour' Takehiro Tomiyasu lasted 69 minutes at left back for Ajax on Saturday evening. It was the Japanese defender's first starting spot since May 19, 2024, when he played with Arsenal against Everton.
Tomiyasu had a special evening in the Johan Cruijff Arena. The defender started a match for the first time in almost two years. "I was quite nervous," said the 27-year-old Japanese after the 4-0 win against Sparta Rotterdam. "I can do much better and was completely exhausted after more than an hour. But I can continue with this." Tomiyasu is finally fit again after a serious knee injury. The former Arsenal player saw Ajax play with much more energy in the first match with new Spanish coach Óscar García than in the last matches after the winter break. "It shouldn't really matter," he acknowledged.
"But the new coach is on top of it. I think we needed this. He demands that we play with a high intensity. I think you saw that in this match. If we play with this energy, you can see that we have talents that have a great future ahead of them." "We still have seven games to play," said Tomiyasu. "We have to win them all. Next week we play the biggest game of the year," he referred to the away game against Feyenoord. "Then we have to play at least with the same commitment." The Japanese defender does not yet know when he will be able to play a whole match. He secretly hopes for a place in Japan's World Cup selection. "But I'm concentrating on Ajax first," said the defender, who is transfer-free at the end of the season. Is there a chance that he will extend his contract with Ajax? "Now is not the right time to talk about that," he stated.

 

PSV coach Bosz impressed by NEC: 'We couldn't get out of their pressure'
PSV coach Peter Bosz had few excuses after the 2-3 defeat against NEC. The coach saw how the Nijmegen team won for the first time in the Philips Stadium and afterwards openly complimented Dick Schreuder's team.
"NEC has simply done better than us," said Bosz at the press conference. "I have to give NEC a compliment."
According to Bosz, the basis for NEC's victory was in the first half, in which PSV hardly came under the pressure of the visitors. "We didn't get out from under their pressure," the coach analyzed. "Every ball we wanted to receive immediately became a duel. NEC was always on top of it. Normally we are strong in those kinds of situations, but that was not enough today." NEC took full advantage. Coach Dick Schreuder's team played freely in the first half and took a 0-2 lead via two identical drop kicks from Bryan Linssen.
The PSV coach also wasnot on board for discussions about a possible handball in one of the Nijmegen goals. "That's not the difference between winning or losing. NEC just did better." '1-3 was a sledgehammer blow' Shortly before halftime, PSV brought the tension back, but just after halftime, NEC struck again. Substitute Youssef El Kachati made it 1-3. "That was a sledgehammer blow," Bosz acknowledged. "Then it becomes very difficult." Bosz also praised the way in which NEC approached the match tactically. "They play with three men at the back, who are very wide. And they don't have wingbacks, but real wingers. In addition, they even chase your goalkeeper. That makes it a special way of playing." According to Bosz, PSV had trouble finding an answer to that. "We lacked the quality to play under that pressure."

 

PSV coach Bosz impressed by NEC: 'We couldn't get out of their pressure'
PSV coach Peter Bosz had few excuses after the 2-3 defeat against NEC. The coach saw how the Nijmegen team won for the first time in the Philips Stadium and afterwards openly complimented Dick Schreuder's team.
"NEC has simply done better than us," said Bosz at the press conference. "I have to give NEC a compliment."
According to Bosz, the basis for NEC's victory was in the first half, in which PSV hardly came under the pressure of the visitors. "We didn't get out from under their pressure," the coach analyzed. "Every ball we wanted to receive immediately became a duel. NEC was always on top of it. Normally we are strong in those kinds of situations, but that was not enough today." NEC took full advantage. Coach Dick Schreuder's team played freely in the first half and took a 0-2 lead via two identical drop kicks from Bryan Linssen.
The PSV coach also wasnot on board for discussions about a possible handball in one of the Nijmegen goals. "That's not the difference between winning or losing. NEC just did better." '1-3 was a sledgehammer blow' Shortly before halftime, PSV brought the tension back, but just after halftime, NEC struck again. Substitute Youssef El Kachati made it 1-3. "That was a sledgehammer blow," Bosz acknowledged. "Then it becomes very difficult." Bosz also praised the way in which NEC approached the match tactically. "They play with three men at the back, who are very wide. And they don't have wingbacks, but real wingers. In addition, they even chase your goalkeeper. That makes it a special way of playing." According to Bosz, PSV had trouble finding an answer to that. "We lacked the quality to play under that pressure."

 

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Feyenoord - Excelsior

 

FC Twente - FC Utrecht

 

Az Alkmaar - Heracles Almelo

 

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Remaining program:
Feyenoord:


NEC:


FC Twente:


Ajax:

 

Boy,
All spot two contenders really have their tasks heavy loaded.
This endsprint promises to become a memorable count down to the end.

 

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Boy, is Ajax lucky they battle us, Feyenoord, this weekend and not after the international break.
After the break we might have several players back, Sterling fitter and better integrated, players who needed it could have some rest.
Now we are lucky if we have one real central defender.

 

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Team of the Week matchday 27