We’re halfway through the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and the two Dutch Eredivisie clubs in the competition still have a shot at advancing to the knockout round. The Netherlands’ top division hasn’t managed to do that in 13 seasons.
That streak will probably continue. PSV Eindhoven’s chances of making up a five point deficit with games against Tottenham, Barcelona and Inter Milan to reach the round of 16 are infinitesimal. Ajax, on the other hand, has yet to lose in the competition, sharing 1st in Group E with Bayern Munich on seven points. Ajax, with its mixture of experience and generational talent in all parts of the field, are looking like a club that can cause problems for any team in the tournament. It edged Benfica, 1-0, on Tuesday in a game where it definitely could’ve scored more.
It’s hard to give PSV flak for its 4-0 loss to Barcelona — Lionel Messi was in an inspired mood that night. PSV put together impressive performances in the two other games, but it’s still at the bottom of what probably is the toughest group in the tournament. Its 2-2 tie with Tottenham won’t do much to help its chances of advancing to the round of 16, but PSV still has a realistic shot of earning a place in the Europa League round of 32.
The past five years have been forgetful ones for soccer in the Netherlands. The struggles of national team post-2014 World Cup are well documented, failing to qualify for the past two major international tournaments. Since the 2013-14 season, only one Dutch club has advanced past the Champions League group stage (PSV in 2015-16). Nowadays, the Europa League seems to be more of the Eredivisie’s speed. Seven of 13 Dutch appearances in the Europa League have resulted in progression to the knockout phase, including Ajax’s journey to the 2016-17 final. After a terrible 2017-18 season for Eredivisie giants Ajax and PSV, the pair is back in the Champions League for the first time since they both reached the round of 16 in the 2005-06 season. So far, they’re looking pretty comfortable in the European spotlight.
The Netherlands should be happy with the current state of the soccer in the country. For one, the nation miles better off than is was last season. The national team laid an egg in World Cup qualifying, and the two Eredivisie clubs in UEFA competitions were just as disappointing. Feyenoord crashed out of the Champions League the group stages with one win and five losses. Vitesse’s Europa League campaign was slightly more respectable, but one win, two draws and three losses wasn’t enough to pull it from the bottom of Group K. Second, the Eredivisie’s top young talent is once again delivering on the biggest stage in club soccer.
Usually, Dutch clubs are good for two or three unheralded players standing out in the Champions League or Europa League, but neither Feyenoord nor Vitesse seemed to have any such players last year. Only one of the Eredivisie’s “Big 3” (Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord) qualified for a UEFA competition that season, so maybe the shortage of quality players shouldn’t come as a surprise. But Ajax and PSV’s stock is back up this season, and that’s down to the talent welling in both squads.
Mattias De Ligt, 19, and Frenkie De Jong, 21, are Ajax’s most coveted young stars at the moment. The two have all the tools of a modern center-back: athletic, comfortable on the ball and a good range of passing. De Jong’s playmaking ability has led to a transition to defensive midfielder, but he can play both positions comfortably. Hakim Ziyech has been a star on Ajax for a while now, and his attacking talent has only gotten sharper since the Europa League final. With two goals in the past two games, right-back Noussair Mazraoui has been one of Ajax’s top performers in the Champions League. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention ex-Southampton winger Dusan Tadic, left-back Nicolas Tagliafico and goalkeeper Andre Onana, all of whom have played an important role in Ajax’s European resurgence
As for PSV, its brightest star is Hirving Lozano. The Mexican attacking midfielder wreaked havoc on Tottenham’s back line on Wednesday, scoring a goal and drawing Hugo Lloris’ red card. Steven Bergwijn and Gaston Pereiro have been responsible for nine (four goals, five assists) and 10 (seven goals, three assists) goals in all competitions, respectively. PSV’s lethal attack has helped it maintain a 100 percent record in the Eredivisie while scoring an average of four goals per game.
This rise in Dutch soccer will be brief, unfortunately. Such is the nature of the European ecosystem. Teams from smaller leagues that standout in continental competition attract attention from bigger, richer clubs. Those fat-pocketed clubs swipe the best players from their smaller counterparts and the cycle starts over again. The Lonzano-to-Barcelona rumors from this summer are still lingering. De Ligt and De Jong possess immense value for any team which building play from the back, which is most elite clubs in Europe.
Ajax and PSV need to get the most out of these players while they can. So far, they’re doing just that.