It’s approaching that time of year again as we get ready for another season of Eredivisie Vrouwen football, although this season will have a slightly different look it than it did last. First of all, there will be nine teams taking part as opposed eight last season, with the addition of Excelsior-Barendrecht from Rotterdam participating. As well as this, current side Telstar have rebranded and have become VV Alkmaar. Furthermore, during the off-season there have been some noticeable retirements with the most high-profile happening at Ajax with former Dutch internationals Anouk Hoogendijk and Daphne Koster both hanging up their boots after respective successful careers. In addition to this there has been the usual transfer goings on with some high-profile ones too, with Dutch international and member of the EURO 2017 team Kika van Es swapping Achilles’29, where she was captain for Twente who finished runners-up last season having won successive titles previously. Another transfer of note includes Netherlands teammate Stefanie van der Gragt moving back to the Eredivisie having left German Bundesliga runners-up Bayern Munich to sign for champions Ajax.
Achilles’29 After an impressive debut campaign, last season where they avoided finishing bottom securing a 7th place spot Achilles’29 will want to replicate this form. Although they will have to do that without influential captain and Netherlands international Kika van Es who left the club to join Twente. As well as the loss of van Es, Achilles’29 have a new coach too this season with Robert de Pauw who will want to carry on the good work of Judith Thijssen who he replaces. Although I expect Achilles’29 to struggle this year mainly in relation to the men’s side getting relegated last season from the Eertse Divisie which has resulted in cost cutting across the board. Despite my concerns, Achilles’29 surprised many last season and will want to hush the doubters again this season and have the ability to do so too. They have managed to keep hold of promising forward Bonita Theunissen who has great link up play with the midfield and comfortable on the ball too. She also won goal of the season for her strike against Twente in September 2016, so expect big things if Acilles’29 are not to finish bottom. ADO Den Haag One of the founding members of the league and over 10-years-old, Den Haag head into this season on the back of a 4th place finish last season after finishing level on points with 3rd place PSV. Den Haag’s only championship win came back in 2012 and in my view, will have to wait a while longer for another one given the strength of sides such as, Ajax and Twente as well as the unknown quantities of VV Alkmaar and Excelsior-Barendrecht. Nevertheless, Den Haag do have a good side and are very consistent in terms of league placing having never finished below halfway since their debut season back in 2007-08. Since the end of last season, the club have strengthened with the addition of young defender Lauren Delleman from champions Ajax as well as Sharon Kok who plays defence too joining from Telstar (now VV Alkmaar). If Den Haag are to progress further this season they will be relying on striker Pia Rijsdijk who was there top scorer last season with 10 along with creative midfielder Victoria Pelova who scored 7 last time around. Ajax The champions will be looking to successfully defend their title and keep it in Amsterdam after claiming their maiden title back in May. However, they will have to do it with new manager Benno Nihom and without their retired duo, former captain Daphne Koster and Anouk Hoogendijk who both played an integral part in winning the Eredivisie last term. Ajax though have strengthened in this department by bringing in Stefanie van de Gragt from Bayern Munich, which will be important for the upcoming Champions League campaign which they successfully qualified for. Despite her young age she will add plenty of experience to the backline as well as depth to cope with league and cup action. In addition to their signings, Ajax have managed to keep most of their team from last year with the likes of Desiree van Lunteren, Kelly Zeeman and Liza van der Most signing new deals, the only exceptions being a few fringe players moving on. As well as van Lunteren and new captain Zeeman, expect striker Marjolijn van den Bighelaar to be among the goals again and defender Davina Philtjens to be the creative spark down the wing. Excelsior-Barendrecht After reaching a joint agreement back in April the Barendrecht women playing under the Excelsior brand will make their Eredivisie debut this year and will be hoping for similar success to that of last year’s debutant Achilles’29 who managed not to finish bottom of the pile last season. Excelsior’s strategy this off-season has been to recruit prodominatly young Dutch players which can flusish for years to come, some players have stayed from the Barendrecht side of the team while others have arrived from a range of clubs from across the Netherlands. These include striker Solange de Smit who arrives from Gent and will be their main threat this year along with Nigerian youth international forward Sophia Omidiji who also joins from Gent. Coincidently Omidiji has already played in the Eredivisie Vrouwen for PSV back in 2015 and holds an impressive goal record too, so I would expect Omidiji to be a constant threat to sides to as she looks to excite her own fans in Rotterdam. Heerenveen The club from Friesland is probably most known in the women’s circuit for being the place where a certain Viviene Miedema started her career and it would be fair to say since she left, Heerenveen have not been doing as well in the league. In Midema’s last season with Heerenveen (13/14) the team achieved a 4th place finish out of 14 which was very impressive considering the league then was a joint league with some Belgian sides. However, over the last few years Heerenveen have finished towards the bottom whether that ben in the joint league or the recently rebranded Eredivisie. Last season the club from Friesland finished 6th out of 8, 21 points off the top 4 which is where the club ultimately wants to challenge for, although with the addition of extra team this year 5th place would see them qualify for the championship play-offs. Is this achievable? Possibly although unlikely, as despite the team being a close-knit group they are fairly young they have lost a number of important players including last season’s top scorer Simone Kets who scored 8 to Alkmaar last term. The player to watch will be Tiny Hoekstra who is a threat going forward. PEC Zwolle Zwolle will hope for a much more positive campaign compared to last as they propped up the league with 9 points and I for one believe they will, especially with the addition of Babiche Roof who has played for the National side. Roof will be expected to score goals as well as link up the midfield and forward play, which is why she is on the list of players to watch this upcoming season. One player she will be expected to provide assists for is young forward Esmee de Graaf who is entering her third season playing in the Eredivisie Vrouwen and tipped for a bright future internationally having represented both the Netherlands at under-17 and under-19 level. These two players have also been influential in an impressive pre-season for Zwolle which has seen them win 3 out of 4 games, only losing to Belgian side Gent 4-3 which should give you a barometer where Zwolle will finish. My opinion on this is mid-table. PSV It would be a fair acknowledgement that PSV’s campaign last season did not go according to plan as they scrapped 3rd ahead of Den Haag and would have liked to have been closer (points wise) to Ajax and Twente who took the top two spots. Nevertheless, PSV did enjoy a good cup run where they reached the final only to lose 2-0 to Ajax in the end. For the upcoming season PSV will be captained by goalkeeper and Euro 2017 champion Angela Christ who is very experienced between the sticks and arguably the best goalkeeper in the Eredivisie Vrouwen. In addition to Christ, PSV have another Euro 2017 with the Netherlands in their ranks with midfielder Vanity Lewerissa who if PSV are to make a title challenge this season then expect Lewerissa to be key to any success. Regarding summer signings the Eindhoven club have not been greatly busy but they have added experience to their ranks with the arrival of Sara Yucceil from Marseille who plays as a forward and is fresh off representing Belgium at the recent Euro’s. Yucceil’s arrival adds more fire power as well as experience which all teams need if they are to win silverware, this could be an interesting season for PSV. Twente The team from Enschede finished runners-up last season having won the Eredivisie the previous season as well as winning the joint Belgian and Dutch league the two seasons prior to that. However, Twente focus will be on regaining their crown in order to qualify for the Champions League again and they have strengthened their backline with the addition of Dutch international and Achilles’29 captain Kiki van Es who can play in either full-back position. Although Twente have lost some players too with the most notable departure being Lineth Beerensteyn who has joined Bundesliga Frauen side Bayern Munich, despite only joining Twente the previous summer. Despite the loss of Beerensteyn, Twente do have many other talented players as they look to brush aside Ajax this season. These include captain Sherida Spitse who is arguably one of the best midfielders in the league and the heartbeat of the Enschede side. In addition to Spitse, Twente have the two Jansen’s (not related) with Ellen who’s a long-term servant of the club despite still being fairly young and Renate who is fresh of winning the Euro’s with the Netherlands, expect both to score plenty of goals. VV Alkmaar Having undergone a complete rebrand since the end of last season with a new badge and a new kit and most importantly relocation, the club formally known as Telstar has moved to Alkmaar and have high ambitions. Alkmaar have had a high recruitment drive this off-season with a number of new additions, although some have opted to stay with the club following the move from Velsen. The ambition of the club has seen them being able to attract players from across the league which include former Heerenveen duo Ingrid Schuiten and Simone Kets as well as goalkeeper Paulina Quaye from Ajax. In the relocation, Alkmaar have also managed to keep hold of last season’s Eredivisie Vrouwen top scorer Katja Snoeijs which outlines the ambition of the club. The reason to move from Velsen was a strategic one as there are more opportunities in Alkmaar and training was held there previously anyway. Also with a new training ground complex being built, Alkmaar can look forward to a bright future starting this season as they look to break in to the top half. Prediction
Selected transfers Player – From – To Kika van Es – Achilles’29 – Twente Stefanie van der Gragt – Bayern Munich – Ajax Babiche Roof – Telstar (now VV Alkmaar) – PEC Zwolle Sisca Folkertsma – PSV Eindhoven – Ajax Nicky Van Den Abbeele – Anderlecht – Ajax Sophia Omotola Omidiji – KAA Gent – Excelsior Barendrecht Sara Yucceil – Marseille – PSV Eindhoven Sofie Van Houtven – RKC Genk – Excelsior Barendrecht Simone Kets – Heerenveen – VV Alkmaar Paulina Quaye – Ajax – VV Alkmaar Solange de Smit – Gent – Excelsior-Barendrecht Sophia Omidiji – Gent – Excelsior-Barendrecht Lekker Voetbal’s Top players to watch this season Desiree van Lunteren (AFC Ajax) Fair to say that van Lunteren is one of Ajax’s most influential and experienced players, despite her young age of 24. She is a very versatile player having played in a right-back role for the Dutch National team, while playing in a more advanced midfield role for Ajax, both of which she excels at. Expect another strong season from Desiree van Lunteren with assists and possibly double figures in terms of goals, having achieved this feat in the 12/13 and 13/14 season. Babiche Roof (PEC Zwolle) Roof who can play in midfield or a more advanced role, even as a second striker will begin the new season at a new club having left what was Telstar at the end of the season to move to PEC Zwolle. Throughout her time in the Eredivisie, Babiche Roof has built a reputation for being a creative midfielder with an eye for goal, so expect both assists and goals a plenty this season. Sherida Spitse (FC Twente) As demonstrated in the Netherlands EURO campaign, Spitse is the queen of dead-ball situations having scored both penalties and free-kicks during the tournament, so expect the same from her for Twente this campaign. Furthermore, Spitse is an excellent ball-winning midfielder so can break up play and put her team on the front foot.
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