In the grand scheme of things, it really wasn’t that long ago that the Eredivisie was producing teams of the highest caliber. While this hasn’t happened in the last decade or so, Ajax’s 1995 remains a pinnacle of Dutch club football, a squad so thoroughly dominant and so supremely talented that surely it marked the start of something special, a potential Dutch powerhouse to usher in the new millennium.
Instead, we sit in 2014, approaching 2015, with the Eredivise representation falling further and further behind in the Champions League with little to no better results in the Europa League (the last Dutch European title was Feyenoord winning the UEFA Cup in 2002). The domestic league itself, while a high quality one to many of its fans and followers and fairly unpredictable the lower down the table you go, is somewhat rightly seen as a one which is top heavy and a borderline one-horse league given recent results. The players, though talented in their own right, are seen as ones who produce only few gems per season who are seen worthy enough to make their way to some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
But is this reputation fair? Does it signify a deep-rooted problem which could spiral he league down the coefficient ranking? Yes and no.
According to the International Federation of Football History & Statistics’ report published in January 2014, the Eredivisie (at the time) was ranked as the 21st best football league in the world. The report takes into account domestic performance as well as that of continental competition. Given that Ajax have been dominant domestically while the representatives in continental competitions have been poor, this ranking shouldn’t be a surprise – but 21st? Shocking when one considers that in 2013 the same federation ranked the Eredivisie as the eighth best league. A second report utilizing the ELO ratings has it as the 11th best league in the world, but not even that paints a rosy picture as MLS, a league which many in Europe sometimes unfairly turn their nose to, is right on its heels.
Perhaps the way the league is viewed needs to be altered. Of course the domestic title race if enjoyable for fans and the qualifying teams should be given a fair chance in Europe, but should perhaps it shouldn’t be judged in the same manner as the power four leagues are. It’s a fine line to walk between being dismissive and disrespectful to the league and altering viewpoints, but perhaps the Eredivisie’s reputation might be seeing a shift between a competitive league to more of one which is a developmental league for talented youngsters looking to establish their careers abroad. While that’s certainly cutting the quality of the league short, its dwindling competitiveness in Europe might lead to its general perception seeing such a shift, plus it cannot be denied that some of the most technically intelligent youngsters come from the Netherlands and go there on loans to develop, as evidenced by Chelsea’s partnership with Vitesse. Perhaps it is a link such as this which could boost the league’s profile abroad.
Even if the Eredivisie saw a boom in competitiveness in the league as well as abroad in the Champions and Europa leagues, the structure of it still makes such success a relative pipe dream when it comes to sustainability. The biggest factor working against the league is money, Eredivisie cubs simply do not have the monetary resources to compete with their peers. Oil sheiks are unlikely to invest in a league with a lower population of plyers and visitors but rather opt for the more glamorous clubs in some of Europe’s glitziest cities. Because of this, Dutch clubs are quick to use their vast scouting networks to buy low and sell high once bigger clubs come sniffing. This devalues the level of overall competition and favors the top heavy sides such as Ajax and PSV.
So is it all doom and gloom, is the Eredivisie a lost cause certain to keep free-falling in the minds of football fans everywhere? Well, no. Despite its struggles, it’s still a league which produces some of the best talent in the world thanks to some outrageously excellent youth programs, led by the legendary Ajax academy. Though there have certainly been flops abroad, some of the young talent – especially attacking talent – plying their trade in the Eredivisie is stunning and certain to go abroad as a new wave of Dutch talent rises up. Ajax’s Anwar El Ghazi, Ricardo Kishna, Viktor Fischer, Richairo Zivkovic and Abdelhak Nouri alone are a fearsome quintet of potential, while PSV and Feyenoord are churning out their own wonderkids such as Memphis Depay, a reported target for European champions Real Madrid next summer.
Perhaps the new domestic television deal with Fox International Channels (€1 billionover 12 years) and the performances of former Eredivisie players abroad, such as Christian Eriksen, will boost the profile of the league, perhaps outsiders will see the hotbed of young talent present and will gravitate to it as a “hipster” competition to follow. That being said, unless these wonderkids mesh together quickly enough to make a run at European glory, or unless the stars of the Eredivisie commit themselves to their teams and leagues by not leaving at the first opportunity, we might be seeing the further slide of a once proud and powerful league. A shame when one considers the legendary squads and players this league has to its record.
