Michael Bell gives his opinion on some of the big talking points from round five of the Eredivisie. 

PSV clearly lack confidence

PSV had the chance to make a big statement on Sunday and prove they are definite title challengers, but their second half performance in the 1-0 win over Feyenoord still raises doubts over their mentality.

PSV with an extra man, should have penned Feyenoord back in their own half and looked for a killer second goal, but instead they looked scared and sat deep, which almost led to an equaliser. The Philips Stadion was silent during the second half because the home side looked so passive and they are clearly a team lacking confidence in their ability.

Cocu’s side still managed to hold onto a 1-0 win but the coach needs to get his players to raise their game if they are going to keep challenging Feyenoord.

Momentum still with Feyenoord despite PSV defeat

Feyenoord’s second half performance with ten men proved to me that they are still the team to beat in the Eredivisie this season. Van Bronckhorst’s side could have crumbled after Berghuis red but instead took the game to a scared PSV and were unlucky not to grab at least a point. Only some excellent Jeroen Zoet saves kept them out.

PSV may have got the three points, but it was Feyenoord who came out of the game with more pride.

Kramer not good enough to start big games for Feyenoord

Michiel Kramer was handed a huge chance to prove himself in the past week and he has failed miserably. The striker, who is starting because of Nicolai Jorgensen’s injury, was awful in midweek against Manchester City, and also went completely missing in the first half against PSV.

Only when Kramer was brought off for Sofyan Amrabat at half time did Feyenoord start to get a hold on the game and if I was Van Bronckhorst I would seriously consider starting with Sam Larsson or youngster Dylan Vente through the middle next weekend.

Kramer is clearly an impact substitute, not a starter.

Lammers and Vente two Dutch strikers for the future

With Netherlands struggling to find strikers capable of replacing Robin van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar it is great to see the new generation starting to come through with both Sam Lammers (20) and Dylan Vente (18) featuring in PSV 1-0 Feyenoord on Sunday. Both have excelled at youth level and are now starting to get their chance in the first team and hopefully they flourish.

Lammers may have had a quiet second half, but the run he made at the end of the game (see below) showed some serious technique. With Luuk de Jong suffering a rib injury, hopefully, he gets the chance to start for PSV next weekend.

Frenkie de Jong is a huge talent

Ajax may have only managed a draw against ADO Den Haag, but Frenkie de Jong had an excellent game in the midfield. The 20-year-old was the best player on the pitch during the first half as he sprayed passes around the pitch with ease and ran rings around the ADO Den Haag midfield. I was shocked when Keizer decided to change him for Lasse Schone in the second half instead of Donny van de Beek. For me, De Jong should now be a permanent fixture in the starting eleven going forward. He is an absolute gem.

Robert Zwinkels had the game of his life

ADO Den Haag claimed an unlikely point against Ajax and had their goalkeeper to thank after he made a string of excellent saves. For me, the one-handed stop to deny Klaas-Jan Huntelaar at close range was the pick of the bunch.

Horrible luck for Kishna

Kishna returned to the Eredivisie looking to get his career back on track after a tough few seasons with Lazio, but in only his second appearance he has suffered a torn ACL ligament and could miss the rest of the season. What a huge blow for the winger and ADO Den Haag. We at Football-Oranje can only wish Kishna well in his recovery and hopes he makes it back before the end of the campaign.

Weghorst is heading for a Netherlands call-up

He may have hit the headlines for missing two penalties, but Weghorst showed great mental strength on Friday to net a double in AZ’s 2-0 win over Sparta. The striker is in excellent form, netting six times in the opening five matches and with Netherlands issues up front, Weghorst must be considered for the upcoming games with Belarus and Sweden.

He may not be the starting forward for Oranje but Weghorst would offer a better alternative from the bench than a Luuk de Jong at the moment.

Roda JC are in big trouble

Roda JC will have seen their home tie with Willem II as the perfect opportunity to get their first points of the season, but they were awful in the first half and fully deserved their 3-1 defeat.

For me, the Kerkrade side are the worst team in the Eredivisie at the moment and it’s hard to see how they can get themselves out of the trouble they are in. Their squad lacks strength all over the pitch but especially up front with Robert Molenaar forced to start with 18-year-old Belgian Jorn Vancamp, who doesn’t look capable of scoring the goals they need. The club will need to limp towards January and hope they aren’t too far adrift before they can recruit.

Heerenveen definitely top five contenders

There is only one unbeaten side left in the Eredivisie and that is Jurgen Streppel’s Heerenveen. I would not have expected that given their form last season, but the Frisians have had an excellent start to the campaign and look like genuine top five contenders.

Last season, Heerenveen would have lost at Excelsior after going 1-0 down, but Streppel has got his side playing with confidence and they fully deserved their victory based on the second half. Arber Zeneli was once again excellent on the wing, while Kik Pierie continues to amaze in the centre of defence, despite being 17.

Boere is an Eredivisie quality striker

FC Twente desperately needed that 4-0 win over Utrecht on Sunday to boost the confidence around the team, especially with striker Tom Boere. The forward hasn’t had the greatest start to the season and there were doubts creeping in that he wouldn’t be able to replicate his form from last season which saw him net goal after goal for Oss.

However, on Sunday Boere was excellent, not only scoring with a lovely lob, he also set up Luciano Slagveer with an excellent pass to make it 3-0. That should be a performance to kick start Twente’s season and with an in-form Boere up front they should be able to pull themselves away from the drop zone.

Utrecht had a total off day

Nobody would have expected Twente to hammer Utrecht 4-0, but Erik Ten Hag’s side were well off the pace from beginning to end. They defended horribly and their midfield couldn’t string any passes together, as the clip below shows.

VVV Venlo never give up

For the second time in two weeks, VVV Venlo netted a last-minute goal to earn a point away from home. It highlights the never give up mentality that Maurice Steijn has installed in this VVV side and I have been very impressed by them so far this season. At this rate, they will stay up easily.

Real Madrid won’t be happy with VVV

Real Madrid loaned young talent Mink Peeters to VVV Venlo with the view to him getting regular first team football, but the winger has yet to appear for the Eredivisie new boys. It is early in the season but it appears that Peeters has at least four players ahead of him in the pecking order and he may have to wait for a chance to impress. If that is the case, Real may consider recalling the Dutchman and sending him elsewhere in January.




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