Down for the Count

Dutch club football quality is going down the tubes, much like toilet waste.

Less than 20 years ago, Ajax Amsterdam was winning the Champions League, and could have easily been considered one of the best 2-3 teams in Europe, if not the best.

But, now, saying any Dutch team has a chance of winning the most prestigious inter-club competition in existence today would get you laughed at by anyone who is not a fan of that one team.

The present Ajax team fits that description, too, but at least they have qualified for the group stage of the Champions League. (Only by virtue of winning the league. They probably would have lost in the play-off round, much like PSV, if they were only forced to take part in it.)

PSV is the focus of this article, however.

They were easily crushed by AC Milan, at the San Siro, after 1-1 in Holland, and have learned the hard way that they can't challenge Italian teams anymore (like Ajax was doing in the mid-1990s).
And Milan is not even close to being the best Italian team out there, at the present time.

But what's all the more surprising is that, three days after that match, PSV Eindhoven players were not even able to take out their frustration on the small, newly-promoted Eredivisie squad Cambuur Leeuwarden. (... A team, mind you, that Zwolle was able to beat by more than one goal, just one week ago.)

0-0 against Cambuur?!...
Not even scoring, in a match that should have returned the Eindhoven team to the top of the standings, albeit probably only provisionally, because Zwolle still has to play on this matchday?!...
If I was a PSV fan, regularly going to see their matches, it's at this time that I would stop giving them my hard-earned money. (You see what I'm saying, PSV fans?)

Highlights from Milan - PSV 3-0 (on 28 August 2013, in the CL qualifying P-O round):

Dropped Points for PSV, Too

PSV no longer has a perfect record in the Dutch Eredivisie. Thanks to Heracles Almelo, a team PSV beat 5-1 in the corresponding encounter last season.

The hosts went 1-0 up very early, in the 6th minute, through Lerin Duarte.

PSV did not play too well - probably thinking of the return leg against AC Milan, in the play-off round for the Champions League - and were quite lucky to end the match at 1-1, after Park Ji-Sung showed very good persistence in the opposing penalty area, practically forcing a goal from a ball that could have ended anywhere. This was 4 minutes before the end of regulation time.

Zwolle remains the only team with maximum points. They beat Cambuur, 2-0, at home, one hour after the PSV match.

Highlights from Heracles - PSV:

AZ Again

AZ Alkmaar knocked Ajax Amsterdam out of the Dutch KNVB Beker last year.

And they managed an impressive feat against the most famous team from Holland this year, too. That, despite the fact that they are no longer a team that can challenge for the title, as they were a short while ago.

Ajax took the lead twice, once in the 21st minute, and then again in the 59th minute.
But AZ pulled level twice, too, and got the lead for good in the 74th minute, after a brilliant long pass was finalized spectacularly by Viktor Elm, who gave goalkeeper Vermeer no chance by volleying the ball at high speed.

Ajax is now 3 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven (who got two wins out of two, along with 3 other teams).
But they're doing way better than Feyenoord Rotterdam, the third biggest team in Netherlands, who lost both matches thus far, including a 1-4 shocking loss against Twente Enchede.

Highlights:

Netherlands - UEFA Club Competitions Participants - 2013-2014

Ajax Amsterdam --> Champions League Group Stage
PSV Eindhoven --> Champions League Third Qualifying Round
Feyenoord Rotterdam --> Europa League Play-off Round
Vitesse Arnhem --> Europa League Third Qualifying Round
FC Utrecht --> Europa League Second Qualifying Round
AZ Alkmaar --> Europa League Play-off Round

Note: FC Utrecht won the internal Europa League play-off competition, against Twente Enschede, FC Groningen and SC Heerenveen.

It's over in the Netherlands

This was a dark day for most title contenders in Holland.

Especially for PSV, whose fans certainly felt anger, shame, despair and maybe even hate towards their own club today.

Ajax Amsterdam, the team that sucked so much this year, took a practically unassailable lead that was facilitated by PSV Eindhoven's own inability to win the huge home derby.

Also, Vitesse Arnhem and Feyenoord Rotterdam, the other two title challengers, stumbled after being in the lead for considerable lengths of time, in their own matches, both of them away from home. Vitesse led 3-0 at Roda Kerkrade, but had to settle for a tie, while Feyenoord was leading 1-0 at half-time at Waalwijk but ended up with only one point, too.

So, I guess it's over in the Eredivisie.

Somewhat Interesting, Still, but Really Poor

Dutch football is in the shitter!

After the amazingly sucky performance by the Dutch national team at last year's European Championships, top Dutch teams are doing the same, in their own league and in Europe.
They have all been ousted from European competitions, in humiliating ways. And, in the league, none of the top teams seem to be managing a string of wins longer than 2-3 in a row.

As a consequence, a team like Vitesse Arnhem has become title contender.

And the likes of Heerenveen have started to beat the leader (and even change the leader, most likely, if ajax manages to pull out a win, at home, tomorrow).

Today, the highlight is on PSV's truly weak performance at Heerenveen.

To give but one example, the second goal they conceded was a goal that second-league teams, in other top countries would have probably done better with. It's no surprise that a team that defends like this loses to Heerenveen.

(Last year, Heerenveen - PSV ended 1-5.)

Highlights: