Football Season Guide

Utrecht were one of last season's greatest revelations. They started strongly, leading the opening rounds and then staying in the top three for a long time, thanks in part to a long unbeaten run. They slumped in the final few games, but still finished in an excellent fourth place, which allowed them to qualify for the Europa League preliminary rounds. Experienced coach Ron Jans, who has obviously been confirmed for this season, has done a great job. His usual 4-2-3-1 system of play has adapted perfectly to the characteristics of the players at his disposal. Unfortunately, at the end of the season they had to say goodbye to American midfielder Paxten Aaronson, one of the best last season and the team top scorer with 8 goals, who returned from his loan at Eintracht Frankfurt. Back to Germany also strong forward Sébastien Haller. On the other hand, some interesting players have arrived in Utrecht, such as the rock-solid defender Mike Eerdhuijzen and two reliable midfielders in Davy van den Berg and Gjivai Zechiël. They didn't have a particularly good pre-season, losing three of their five friendlies. However, they were ready for the big match and beat Sheriff Tiraspol in the second round of the Europa League qualifying round.