Football Season Guide

Architect of Feyenoord return at the top of the Dutch football, charismatic coach Arne Slot eventually decided to quit for Liverpool after 3 memorable seasons. The last campaign was stuttering at the start, then the Rotterdam side became almost perfect from January on but they just could not compete with unbeatable PSV and contented themselves finishing runners up in the Eredivisie, 7 points off the top, and triumphing in the KNVB Cup over NEC Nijmegen. 47-year-old Brian Priske, who did wonders in Denmark and the Czech Republic with Midtjylland and Sparta Prague respectively, is the new man in charge and he is expected to bring a radical change with the adoption of a 3-4-3 formation instead of the usual 4-3-3. Feyenoord lost 2 protagonists of the past campaign over the summer: starting midfielder Wieffer left for Brighton for cash while 18-year-old starting winger Minteh returned to his parent club. Back-up winger Alireza, on the other hand, was also let go but will not be missed. On the wing they only signed Hadj Moussa, while wunderkind Slory may be given relevant playing time. For the midfield, though, a department that is currently short-manned, Nadje, coming from the third tier of French football, is the sole signing with young Milambo expected to step up after showing promise last season. Carranza, arriving on a free, represents their main signing and will provide depth up-front with Gimenez still at the club despite talks of a move for pastures new and an unimpressive Ueda. With skipper Trauner still injured and the above-mentioned tactical change, Feyenoord look a bit short at the back too, unless some of the full-backs, which abound in the squad, adapt at centre-backs as Geertruida did wonderfully last season. Last but not least, Priske has not yet decided who will be the starting goalie for the new campaign with Wellenreuther having proved all is worth last season when valid Bijlow was out injured.