ErediVision: A quarterly report, Gio's goal machine, managerial doubts

[infobox id="7e3b12a0-8b09-4d80-a9ed-f734b143168f" /][h2]The quarterly report[/h2][p]We're not exactly at 25% of the season yet, but with a three-week break upon us, it's a good time to make up the balance of who's good and who's dog food.[/p][p]At the top, it's obvious that [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/az-alkmaar/2RxOow1i/"]AZ[/a] [/b]are currently good. Their misstep against Willem II was unfortunate, but every good team has at least one off-day (hello [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/psv/M9UEHJWi/"]PSV[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ajax/8UOvIwnb/"]Ajax[/a]). They have great players, emerging talents, and a manager who keeps them all in line. They lead the league heading into the international break, with [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/feyenoord/8zjySeoN/"]Feyenoord[/a][/b] following two points behind them.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/twente/dhOKTHGA/"]FC Twente[/a][/b] started a little slowly, but a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/psv-M9UEHJWi/twente-dhOKTHGA/?mid=2oyPOHbm"]spectacular win over PSV[/a] will fire everyone up, especially after a goal like that of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/weidmann-daouda/0Kh2XJqc/"]Daouda Weidmann[/a]. With that game, [b]PSV[/b] head into the international break with a bit of stress, sitting three points behind AZ and seeing a boatload of players leave for international duty.[/p][embed guid="ee3a7ea4-fe00-48e0-af9a-add073fcce82" url="https://x.com/eredivisie/status/2101714146744058266?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Another big club left frustrated for the next few weeks are [b]Ajax[/b], who couldn't beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/excelsior/nNlLsRUr/"]Excelsior[/a] despite [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/ajax-8UOvIwnb/excelsior-nNlLsRUr/?mid=Q3rpCvFs"]33 goal attempts and hitting the post three times[/a]. Michel Sanchez had things going smoothly after consecutive 5-1 wins, but by giving away two goals from two chances against bogey team Excelsior, who are now five games unbeaten against the record champoins, defensive worries arise again.[/p][p][b]Excelsior [/b]and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sittard/YH8HX5iP/"]Fortuna Sittard[/a] [/b]deserve heaps of praise after their first seven games, sitting beautifully in seventh and sixth, filling the spots we'd have expected [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nijmegen/nRluRF0T/"]NEC Nijmegen[/a] [/b]and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/utrecht/p6QXMgOj/"]FC Utrecht[/a][/b] to be in. Instead, NEC haven't won in four games and are on just eight points, while FC Utrecht are still sliding down a very slippery, steep slope and sit just one point above the relegation zone after a 5-0 drubbing in Rotterdam.[/p][p]At the bottom of the table, [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/den-haag/lAgLCkT3/"]ADO Den Haag[/a][/b] and [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/willem-ii/6u3qag0G/"]Willem II[/a][/b] are in trouble. They simply haven't shown enough so far and seem to lack quality in every line of their squads. It's a huge uphill battle for them to make it out, while the same can be said for [b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/zwolle/r1L5w2EB/"]PEC Zwolle[/a][/b] after two absolute nightmare weeks with 7-0 and 3-0 defeats.[/p][h2]Gio's goal machine[/h2][p]That 7-0 came at the hands of [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/van-bronckhorst-giovanni/080VPTJe/"]Giovanni van Bronckhorst[/a]'s [b]Feyenoord[/b], who happily continued scoring on Sunday, beating FC Utrecht 5-0. Feyenoord have been nothing short of exceptional these last two weeks, simply dominating by generating a total xG of 6.82 and allowing PEC and Utrecht a combined 0.88 xG.[/p][embed guid="f1451073-65ba-4ec1-b62a-8d37d1ac0344" url="https://x.com/Feyenoord/status/2101940622844113264?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Sure, PEC and Utrecht are currently bottom-of-the-barrel teams in the Eredivisie, being grossly out of form and failing to get anything done. But it cannot be overstated how dominant Feyenoord have been on their end - 107 touches in the opposition's box, while allowing just 15; 337 passes in the final third against just 121 from PEC and Utrecht; 38 chances created and giving just 6 away... Mind-bogglingly good numbers.[/p][p]It makes the international break a curse for Feyenoord, who'll face league leaders AZ in their first game back from international duty, four days before hosting Como in the UEFA Champions League.[/p][h2]Who'll leave first?[/h2][p]Some teams are in a true race to the bottom. ADO Den Haag and Willem II look bad, but I'm seriously worried about [b]FC Utrecht and PEC Zwolle[/b] as well.[/p][p]Nothing clicks at the moment. FC Utrecht were losing 3-1 to the Eagles when fans forced an abandonment of the match and gave the hosts the chance to steal a point behind closed doors on fresher legs, then beat Excelsior in injury time, but are now back to a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/feyenoord-8zjySeoN/utrecht-p6QXMgOj/?mid=6sp08dE6"]frankly embarrassing display against Feyenoord[/a].[/p][image alt="Anthony Correia (L) and Henry van der Vegt are at risk of being fired" id="0234df45-d4d6-467e-b865-6660f91e39a0" credit-line="Yannick Verhoeven, Parallax Pictures / Alamy / Profimedia" guid="98acaa9f-4733-40b1-ac7e-b57ee6d3671f" original-width="1400" original-height="933" /][p]PEC Zwolle might be in an even worse state. It hasn't even looked like they've been trying to win the past two weeks, because how do you even follow a game like that [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/feyenoord-8zjySeoN/zwolle-r1L5w2EB/?mid=4EyuGmGF"]record 7-0 defeat[/a] up with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/groningen-MBUGcjb9/zwolle-r1L5w2EB/?mid=dlhEH0iK"]another abomination[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/groningen/MBUGcjb9/"]FC Groningen[/a]?[/p][p]It would be early, but I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest if either club fired their manager during this international break. Anthony Correia should be doing much, much better with FC Utrecht, while Henry van der Vegt just looks lost. [/p][infobox id="383e2abc-afe3-4139-8e06-aa4254ac57ee" /]