With the Eredivisie campaign currently in lockdown, it’s the perfect time to highlight five stars of this Eredivisie campaign, who may not be getting the full credit they deserve.
- By Michael Bell
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Sergio Pena
Emmen are comfortably heading for safety this season due to their exceptional form at home against the club’s around them.
A standout in their side this season has been versatile attacking midfielder Sergio Pena, who has contributed four goals and three assists.
The 24-year-old Peruvian international is a tricky player, who can play at number ten or on the wing. He has created 62 chances this season (4th most in the league), attempted 99 dribbles and has a pass accuracy rate of over 80%.
Emmen will avoid relegation this season once again, and Pena has put himself in the shop window for a move to a bigger club this summer.
Fredrik Midtso
AZ Alkmaar are locked in a title battle with Ajax and several of their players are hitting the headlines. However, the one who may be going under the radar is Fredrik Midtso.
The Norwegian midfielder has quietly gone about his job this season and has played a crucial role in AZ Alkmaar’s success.
Midtso is a master of intercepting and then keeping the ball in the middle, not only completing 84% of his passes this season, but also succeeding in 71 out of 97 attempted dribbles. He has created 43 chances and has four assists to his name.
The 26-year-old is the perfect foil for AZ’s front three and offers plenty of cover for the back four. Teun Koopmeiners, Myron Boadu and Calvin Stengs are grabbing the spotlight this season, but Midtso is another star of AZ to keep an eye on.
Gyrano Kerk
Utrecht are heading for the European Playoffs this season and are also in the KNVB Cup final. One of the major reasons for their success this campaign is the form of Gyrano Kerk, who has ten goals and seven assists to his name.
Naturally a winger, Kerk has also been played through the middle this season at times and has caused plenty of issues for defenders with his pace and excellent dribbling ability.
Kerk is not all about his speed, though, as he is a very calm finisher in the box and has a very powerful right-foot.
The now 24-year-old has been linked with a move to England in the past and it’s going to be difficult for Utrecht to hold onto their star this summer.
Mats Köhlert
Willem II have had a very surprising campaign and currently sit fifth in the table. Vangelis Pavlidis and Mike Tresos Ndayishimiye have taken a lot of credit, but Mats Kohlert has also been excellent.
The 21-year-old German winger joined the club on a free transfer for Hamburg in the summer and has proved to be an absolute bargain. In 26 appearances, Kohlert has provided four assists and six goals.
The speedy winger is an excellent crosser of the ball and also works hard to help out defensively. He has created 38 chances for his side and completed 42 dribbles.
Kohlert has excelled in the Eredivisie this season and Willem II may have found themselves a gem.
Abdou Harroui
Sparta Rotterdam are sitting comfortably in mid-table at the moment and have played some excellent attacking football under Henk Fraser at times this season.
The star of Fraser’s side has been Netherlands U21 international midfielder Abdou Harroui. The 22-year-old is the playmaker for Sparta, breaking up play in the middle and getting his side moving forward.
Harroui is not only an excellent tackler and dribbler, but has the vision to create chances from anywhere on the pitch. He currently has eight assists (fourth highest in the league) and four goals to his name.
Recently, Harroui confirmed he has turned down an approach from Morocco and is concentrating on his dream of representing Netherlands. He has had an excellent campaign and will be aiming for a move this summer to a bigger Dutch club to help make that dream become a reality.
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