Toby Alderweireld of AFC Ajax( Photo by Anoek de Groot/EuroFootball/Getty Images)
One year on from selling former club captain Jan Vertonghen to Tottenham Hotspur, Ajax are set to lose another of their defensive stars after it became apparent that Toby Alderweireld was closing in on a switch to AS Roma.
Congratulations to Juventus and Ajax for clinching the Serie A and Eredivisie titles respectively.
Juventus beat Palermo 1-0 for their second consecutive Serie A title. The victory gives the Turin side their 29th Serie A title in the club's history. However, Juve fans unfurled a banner after the game that had the number 31 painted on it.
With a 5-0 win against Willem II, Ajax won their third straight Eredivisie title and 32nd in the club's history. To celebrate this achievement, defender Daley Blind brought back the club's new tradition of accidentally testing the durability of the Eredivisie shield.
At the end of the 2011 season, then goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg dropped the shield off the top of a moving bus during the club's parade through Amsterdam, causing it to roll down the street like an oversized bottle cap.
Tottenham doesn't need more midfielders - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Ajax star Christian Eriksen has been linked with a move to the Premier League ever since he turned down a new contract at the Dutch club. The two big English sides thought to be interested in him are Liverpool and Tottenham.
England toppling in UEFA rankings as Germany closes gap - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
For the first time since 1996, there are no English representative in the Champions League quarterfinals. With the rise of Bundesliga, this could mean a possible drop to third position in the UEFA rankings for Premier League which started the season on top, above Spain and Germany.
Liverpool & Spurs to battle it out for Christian Eriksen - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Ajax midfield prodigy Christian Eriksen has become a top priority signing in the summer for Liverpool and Tottenham after the Denmark ace made it clear that he won't be signing a new contract at his current club.
Taking in the Ajax experience in Amsterdam with The Eurofan
It's the home of bicycles,nightlife, Van Gogh and Ajax Amsterdam, of course. Since the launch of Copa90 last summer, one of their most entertaining shows follows the adventures ofThe Eurofan. It's a show presented by Tom Deacon, who's also a comedian and DJ for Radio 1, where he's sent to different football cities each Champions League week to become a fan of the home team.
Eredivisie Stadiums: As seen from above - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Arguably the most productive of European leagues in terms of producing quality players. The elite of Europe have made the most of their talent year after year. It makes one wonder, how successful Eredivisie would have been if all their players had stayed in Netherlands.
After trawling out for a closer inspection, what he saw left a concerned expression on his face, after taking it all in he slowly walked back inside fearing the worst. Constantly preying on his mind, they had to somehow leave with all three points, they didn't.
NAC Breda's Anthony Lurling put a little bit too much on a shot while warming up before his side's Eredivisie match against Utrecht and hit a fan in the back of the head. The ball sailed over the crossbar, curling hard and fast into the back of a man's head as he made his way up the stairs in the stand behind the goal.
Another year and another transfer window. Throughout the month of January clubs all over Europe frantically try to conduct business, and whilst some gain significant firepower, others lose crucial cogs in their machine. It's a brutal month for managers and fans alike, but there is a certain type of club that it usually spells doom for: The selling club.
Football Match just over at Nieuw Galgewaard Eredivisie Home Team Utrecht Goals & Scorers 72′: Davy Bulthuis; Keeper Robbin Ruiter Midfield Tommy Oar; Adam Sarota; Anouar Kali; Edouard Duplan; Forwards Cedric van der Gun; Alexander Gerndt; Defense Davy Bulthuis; Marc van de Maarel; Mike van der Hoorn; [.
The Rise of Vitesse Arnhem: FC Hollywood upon Rhine
By Gary Armstrong
100 years ago, Vitesse Arnhem lost a playoff final against Sparta Rotterdam and as such finished runners up in the race for the 1912/13 Netherlands Football League Championship.
Everton close to signing FC Twente midfielder - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Everton have agreed a deal to sign FC Twente midfielder Leroy Fer in the next 48 hours, for a fee thought to be in the region of £8.5 millions.
Everton to spend £8.5 million on Leroy Fer
The 23-year-old will travel to Meyseyside to undergo a medical and discuss personal terms with his transfer is expected to be completed before the transfer window closes on Thursday.
It's strange, in a sort of good way, how a song can remind you of someone, their image instantly etched into your mind."The Saints Are Coming" (Green Day/U2 version), is one example, the goal music atDe Grolsch Veste – home of FC Twente – now forever associated with Luuk de Jong, largely responsible for many of its airing last season, now plying his trade in Germany he's hoping for a similar amount of encore performances.
There was one minute left in extra time and Ronald Koeman started to prepare for the inevitable. He found what he was looking for, a notepad and pen, after collecting his thoughts he jotted down numbers one through five. Next to number one ‘Lex' was written, followed by a space, then letters I and M, before he could finish the surname, a loud roar erupted, looking up, Koeman saw Lex Immers – the very person that was going to take the penalty – wheel away in celebration, Feyenoord left it very late.
Utrecht had a pretty dismal old weekend over in the Eredivisie, losing 6-0 to AZ Alkmaar and finishing the game with just nine men on the field.
In fact, Utrecht were already down to nine men on the half-an-hour mark with AZ's Yank striker Jozy Altidore scoring the two resulting penalties on his way to completing a first-half hat-trick within the space of seven minutes.
You won't see a more ridiculous own goal than this one all week as Utrecht defender Mike van dor Hoorn put's the ball into the back of his own net with absolutely no pressure on the defender what's so ever.
And with defending like this it was no surprise to see Alkmaar thump the visitors 6-0 with American striker Jozy Altidore grabbing a hat-trick.
Jozy Altidore simply continues to add to the argument that he is the most in-form American right now.
Altidore scored his latest goal for AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, netting the club's first goal in a 2-2 draw against Roda JC Kerkrade. The goal was Altidore's 16th in the Eredivisie and 21st in all competitions this season and it put him two behind the Eredivisie's leading goal-scorer, Vitesse forward Wilfried Bony.
Jozy Altidore and AZ Alkmaar look to start 2013 with a win against Vitesse to open the Eredivisie's second half while Charles Kazlauskas and Helmond Sport take on Almere City.
American striker Jozy Altidore, currently of AZ Alkmaar, daubed the names of all 26 people (mainly children) who died in the tragic Newtown shooting before his recent Eredivisie game against Twente as a small, but non-the-less heartfelt tribute...
Jozy Altidore once again showed he can score in the Eredivisie. With AZ trailing ADO Den Haag 2-1, Altidore equalized in the 64th for the 2-2 draw. Sacha Kljestan also scored, part of a glut of goals from Anderlecht in their 6-1 defeat of Club Brugge at the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium. Kljestan scored Anderlecht's fourth goal in the 54th minute.
When Jozy Altidore steps onto the field for AZ Alkmaar this weekend, he will be looking to do more than just help the club grab its second win in its last five games.
He will also be aiming to score for the first time in more than a month.
Though he has delivered a pair of game-winning assists during the same time frame, Altidore has not found the back of the net in a league game since Sept.
HANNOVER, Germany Several Americans crossed the calcite argumentations abroad on Sunday, headlined by AZ Alkmaar jock Jozy Altidore notching his first pro chapeau schtik and grabbing a help in a 4-0 mob of Roda JC. The lead Eredivisie scorer opened in thethirteenth minute by running onto a Viktor Elm through ball to [.
Feyenoord beat PSV 2-1 at De Kuip over the weekend to whittle down Eindhoven's lead at the top of the Eredivisie to just three points, but it was the guff that followed the match which has gained the most attention.
Having already had a bit of a barney on the pitch during a tetchy match, PSV's Jeremaine Lens was caught on 'tunnel-cam' lurking at the top of the stairs for Joris Mathijsen to come in from the pitch and, after waiting for some time, Lens pounced on the Feyenoord centre-half, grabbing a handful of Mathijsen's shirt before a multi-man fracas ensued.
PSV Eindhoven lost their first game back after the Eredivisie's winter break, going down 3-1 to little ol' PEC Zwolle and it's no surprise looking at the shocking 'finishing' on show.
Already 2-1 behind, PSV conspired to spluff three one-yard sitters in the space of a single second or so, with Tim Matavz, Dries Mortens and Jeremain Lens all somehow managing not to score when it seemed much easier to just hit the back of the Zwolle net and stop faffing about.
The treatment of officials is very much at the forefront in Dutch football at the moment as the country continues to mourn and lament the tragicallysenseless death of amateur linesman Richard Nieuwenhuizen and, with that firmly in mind, refereeSerdar Gozubuyuk made a pronounced point of standing up for himself on Saturday evening.
Hace poco en la liga holandesa de fútbol, (donde debería de estar dirigiendo Van Schip), una aficionada alegro a los jugadores antes del encuentro GVV vs Groningen.
Solo apareció unos segundos topless para apoyar con los colores de su equipo, pero valió la pena para millones. Una vez más las holandesas nos dan un buen motivo para sonreír en el fútbol.
During an illustrious career that has lasted 21 seasons, Mark van Bommel has brought his uniquely aggressive brand of football to PSV, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Milan. Back with PSV this season, the 36-year-old midfielder played his 350th Eredivisie game on Sunday, which turned out to be a 3-1 loss at FC Twente.
Expect goals on the final weekend of the season. Just don't bet on it. - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
A reader of our blog recently asked if there was any value in flat betting 'Over 2.5 goals' on the final weekend of the Premier League season, seeing that goal totals tend to be higher on the last weekend of the domestic season.
Vitesse Arnhem's rise to the summit of the Dutch Eredivisie this season confirms their position as one of the most surprising and impressive outsiders throughout Europe's major domestic football leagues. While the majority of the major leagues across the continent have been already decided by mid-April, or are currently led comprehensively by an established football powerhouse, in Holland the story reads somewhat differently.
Ask a manager about the value of camaraderie and you could be there for a while. Ronald Koeman is no different, his situation unique to most, is common within the Netherlands, and even then it's different. No better demonstration this season and explicitly in Feyenoord's recent game against FC Twente.
Watch PSV Eindhoven play PEC Zwolle live today online beginning at 6pm ET/3pm PT.
PSV is currently in first place in Eredivisie, while PEC Zwolle is fifth from bottom. You would think this would be a comfortable win for PSV at their Philips Stadion.
A crucial Champions League match this evening as Ajax try to plot their way through to the last 16 against Borussia Dortmund.
Qualification - which looked unlikely after two opening defeats - would see Ajax in the second stage of the competition for the first time since 2006 and for only the second time since 2000.
Football Match just over at Euroborg Stadion Eredivisie Home Team Groningen Goals & Scorers Keeper Luciano Da Silva Midfield Michael de Leeuw; Mitchell Schet; Leandro Bacuna; Tim Sparv; Forwards Genero Zeefuik; Andraz Kirm; Defense Kees Kwakman; Lorenzo Burnet; Estefano Magnasco; Virgil Van Dijk; Subs 73′: [.
Football Match just over at AFAS Stadion Eredivisie Home Team AZ Alkmaar Goals & Scorers 65′: Jozy Altidore;40′: Jozy Altidore;29′: Erik Falkenburg;13′: Jozy Altidore; Keeper Esteban Alvarado Midfield Erik Falkenburg; Adam Maher; Viktor Elm; Roy Beerens; Forwards Maarten Martens; Jozy Altidore; Defense Dirk Marcellis; Giliano Wijnaldum; Nick [.
