Late drama reigns supreme
Football giveth, football taketh. This weekend, no lead in the Eredivisie was safe, in what is known in the world of American football as the 'witching hour'.
It took the league barely any time whatsoever to provide the first bit of drama - in just the second game of the weekend, Ajax scored the equaliser in the 97th minute in their 3-3 draw away at Sparta Rotterdam.
That same evening, sc Heerenveen mustered a historic comeback via Dylan Vente, who converted from the spot in the 89th minute, and centre-half Sam Kersten, who unleashed a rocket in the 94th minute and scored his second-ever professional goal to give Heerenveen their first comeback win in club history after being down in the 89th minute.
The late shenanigans continued on Sunday as FC Twente decided the Twentse derby in the 83rd minute via Thomas van den Belt, who scored in consecutive Eredivisie games for the first time in his career. Bart van Rooij's red card following the consequent kick-off nearly spoiled Twente's derby festivities, but did not change the outcome in the end.
Eredivisie fans were treated to even more drama in the following game between Feyenoord and FC Utrecht. After Derry John Murkin scored FC Utrecht's 2-2 in the 83rd minute, Eredivisie top scorer Ayase Ueda punished the visitors with an 88th-minute winner as he capped off a fantastic team goal.
The weekend ended in style when Go Ahead Eagles snatched a point from NEC's grasp after Gerrit Nauber headed in a 94th-minute equaliser from a corner, giving Go Ahead Eagles' week a proper ending after first clinching their first UEFA Europa League win in club history.
Never a dull day in the Eredivisie.
FC Groningen are back among the big boys
No late goals were necessary for FC Groningen to grab their fourth win in five games. NAC Breda were simply outclassed in their own Rat Verlegh Stadion, falling to goals from Tika de Jonge and Thom van Bergen in a 2-1 defeat.
FC Groningen had NAC Breda on lock in the first half, not allowing the home side even to take a shot before half-time. Tika de Jonge's thunderbolt made the difference in the first half, while goalkeeper Etienne Vaessen's assist earned Thom van Bergen the chance to score his first goal of the season.
A big plus for Groningen was the long-awaited comeback of Brynjolfur Willumsson, who returned from injury in the 73rd minute and nearly picked up where he left off in August with a beautiful effort in the far corner, which Daniel Bielica just about saved.
Willumsson started his season with five goals in four games before returning from international duty with an injury. Groningen's production went down slightly during the Icelandic striker's absence, scoring three goals in the three games he missed, as opposed to the nine goals in four games Groningen scored with Willumsson on the pitch.
Groningen are the second most in-form team in the league, behind Feyenoord, based on their last five games, and have a favourable schedule coming up, with Sparta Rotterdam and Fortuna Sittard up next. With games against PSV and Feyenoord already in the past, Groningen only have Ajax, the weakest of the traditional top three, left to play in the coming months. They are in the fight for the European spots.
PEC Zwolle have a lot to clean up
PEC Zwolle once arrived at the Johan Cruyff ArenA as a potential challenge for Ajax after a strong start to their Eredivisie season. The former KNVB Beker winners won their two opening games and kept clean sheets in both, but their season has since gone downhill.
In games against FC Utrecht, Ajax, Go Ahead Eagles, AZ, FC Volendam, and PSV, PEC Zwolle have won just one point and scored four goals, whilst conceding 15. Striker Koen Kostons has been a rare bright spot, as well as 15-year-old Jadiel Pereira da Gama, but it simply hasn't been good enough in Zwolle.
They still have Excelsior and Heracles Almelo underneath them in the table, but PEC will need to score serious points in the coming weeks to keep fate in their own hands.
Does Heitinga have a leg to stand on?
I honestly don't remember the last acceptable Ajax performance, but I know it wasn't played under Heitinga.
Ajax were very lucky to grab a point against Sparta, who blew a 3-1 lead after a Wout Weghorst wonder goal and a 97th-minute equaliser from Oscar Gloukh. The Amsterdam side struggled mightily against a team that had conceded 12 goals in their previous four games and 19 since the start of the season.
It can be argued that, compared to Francesco Farioli, Heitinga is doing less with more. Ajax invested €15 million in Gloukh, who was a budding superstar in Salzburg, and €11 million in the long-desired Raul Moro.
Yes, there is a lack of quality full-backs, but the centre of his defence was strengthened with Ko Itakura. Heitinga even got the defensive midfielder he wanted in Liverpool talent James McConnell, who he barely plays and doesn't give starts.
Ajax and Farioli parted ways in May after the two sides were unable to agree on specific matters, including giving young talents enough playing time. Farioli wanted to bring in more players from outside, while technical director Alex Kroes aimed to have the youth academy shine. With that in mind, how can he excuse Heitinga hardly ever looking in the direction of Jorthy Mokio, Rayane Bounida, Sean Steur, Gerald Alders, or Lucas Jetten?
Ajax brought in Fred Grim to take some pressure off Heitinga's shoulders, but is that a genuine show of confidence, as Kroes et al. suggest? The unbeaten status in the Eredivisie is one built on the luck and willpower of the players, not on the tactical expertise of Heitinga. It feels like Ajax's season is mere weeks away from collapsing beyond repair.
How sustainable is Feyenoord's success?
Feyenoord are in the lead of the Dutch Eredivisie, but as discussed last week, they don't impress me as much as they probably should.
Robin van Persie's team played a dominant first half against Utrecht, but saw that progress get wiped out almost instantly after the break, when Feyenoord loanee Gjivai Zechiel scored the equaliser with Utrecht's second shot of the game. After Sem Steijn restored Feyenoord's lead, Utrecht hit back again in the 82nd minute via Derry John Murkin.
It took a late Ayase Ueda goal for Feyenoord to claim their seventh Eredivisie win of the season, and it's become a strange pattern. It feels like Feyenoord are sometimes playing at half strength, judging by their frugal 1-0 win over FC Groningen, 3-3 draw against AZ, and earlier wins against Heerenveen (1-0) and Excelsior (2-1).
Feyenoord are atop the league, as they should be based on their performances on paper, but it's their showings on grass that cast doubt over this Feyenoord side. A major test is coming up very soon, when reigning champions PSV visit Rotterdam on October 26th.
