Michael Bell takes you through some of the talking points from round six of the Eredivisie.

A dream weekend for PSV Eindhoven

Any PSV fans going to work on Monday morning would have had a massive grin on their faces after a fantastic weekend for the Eindhoven side. Not only did their side dismantle Utrecht 7-1 to move top of the table, but their rivals Feyenoord and Ajax both recorded losses in home games they were heavy favourites to win.

Phillip Cocu’s side have come under plenty of criticism so far this season, and rightly so, but on Sunday they showed they are definite title contenders, and if Ajax and Feyenoord don’t raise their game quickly then they could be considered favourites to lift the Eredivisie Schaal.

Locadia proves his worth as a striker

The jury has been out on Jurgen Locadia so far this season after he displaced Luuk de Jong as first choice striker at PSV but on Sunday he showed just how lethal he could be.

Locadia took four shots against Utrecht and went home with the match ball after scoring four goals. He was a constant threat with his pace on the counter and showed a willingness to get back and help out the defence at any opportunity. Yes, he may have spent a bit too long on the left wing, but that allowed Hirving Lozano and Gaston Pereiro to exploit the space in the middle to excellent effect.

It remains to be seen if Locadia’s performance will put him in the Netherlands squad to be announced later this week, but he has definitely proved some doubters wrong.

Steven Bergwijn take a bow

Bergwijn hasn’t been able to consistently show his undoubted talent in the PSV first team so far, but he had the best moment of his campaign so far on Sunday, netting a stunning goal. It was an excellent run through five challenges, and a goal that would have sent people into a frenzy if it was Lionel Messi or Neymar scoring it.

Keizer already under pressure

Marcel Keizer is still only a few months into his reign as Ajax boss but the pressure is starting to rise from all sides. Not only knocked out of Europe, Ajax suffered their second defeat of the season on Sunday after an awful performance against Vitesse and currently sit seventh in the table.

In my opinion, Keizer still hasn’t figured out his preferred starting line-up yet and the players are struggling to replicate the football that got them to the Europa League final last season. Keizer’s tactical decisions and substitutions have left some scratching their heads and it seems to me that their is a clear lack of direction all over the club. Rumours of in-fighting between Marc Overmars and Dennis Bergkamp won’t have helped the situation and Ajax need to quickly resolve it before they fall too far behind in the title race.

Keizer’s position is said to already be under review and it remains to be seen if his time as coach is already numbered.

Serero proves a point in Amsterdam

Cast aside and forgotten in his final year at Ajax, Thulani Serero returned to Amsterdam to haunt his former side on Sunday. The home crowd said goodbye to Davy Klaassen at half time, but it was another ex-Ajax midfielder who stole the show with an excellent performance cut short by injury.

The South African dominated the first half with four tackles and some excellent passes, including a no-look one that led to Milot Rashica making it 2-0. Serero would have been furious by the way he was treated in his final months at Ajax and he showed just what they were missing on Sunday.

Ajax’s loss was definitely Vitesse’s gain.

The KNVB need to tie down Amrabat

Sofyan Amrabat was the best player on the pitch for Feyenoord again at the weekend, despite their defeat to NAC Breda and with the Netherlands squad announced this week, the midfielder’s name needs to be included. Morocco have already named him in their provisional squad for two World Cup qualifiers but the KNVB can still step in and prevent another Hakim Ziyech situation.

Amrabat is a quality midfielder and Netherlands need to take their chance to tie him down as soon as possible. A cameo role against Belarus or Sweden will ensure Oranje have a quality option for years to come.

Basacikoglu blows his chance to impress

With Steven Berghuis suspended, Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave Bilal Basacikoglu the chance to start against NAC Breda instead of Sam Larsson. The Turkish international couldn’t take his opportunity to shine, though, and put in a performance which proves why he should be fourth or even fifth choice winger at the club. He was accurate with only one of the seven crosses he attempted and completed only one dribble in a miserable 54 minute performance.

Feyenoord’s second defeat in two weeks have severely dented their confidence and proved that outside their first choice eleven, the club don’t have a lot of options. The likes of Miquel Nelom, Bilal Basacikoglu and Michiel Kramer are just not good enough for the club.

Schaars the maestro for unbeaten Heerenveen

Heerenveen are definitely the story of the Eredivisie season so far with Jurgen Streppel’s side the only unbeaten team left in the league. Two weeks in a row they have come from behind to earn wins and are proving that they are genuine contenders for a top four finish. Key to their success is the form of experienced midfielder Stijn Schaars, who inspired their win over Willem II with a great free-kick into the top corner before setting up the winning goal.

The 33-year-old is rolling back the years with his performances in the middle and if they can keep him fit, Heerenveen have a genuine top class player on their hands.

 

Roda JC just have no luck

You have to feel bad for Roda JC. They put in their best performance of the campaign so far against Heracles on Saturday and led for 45 minutes, but still managed to go home pointless after a 90th minute winner by Vincent Vermeij.

Roda JC are already five points adrift of safety and have some crucial games coming up against relegation rivals Sparta Rotterdam, NAC, Twente and Groningen. If the Kerkrade side can’t pick up at least four points from those four games, they may find themselves in a losing battle to remain in the Eredivisie.

PEC Zwolle quietly impressing

PEC Zwolle’s great start to the campaign seems to be going unnoticed but John van ‘t Schip has done a great job so far and Sunday’s draw at VVV Venlo means they have earned eleven points from their opening six games. Its a far cry from last season, where the club flirted with relegation.




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