Football Season Guide

PEC Zwolle are coming off an excellent season, defying predictions that had them among the main candidates for relegation. Instead, they finished in 10th place, just shy of the playoffs. After a difficult start, Johnny Jansen's team consistently stayed well above 15th place, never really getting involved in the relegation battle. Unfortunately, Jansen left Zwolle in July and the bench was entrusted to youth team coach Henry van der Vegt, in his first ever experience as head coach. In addition to the bench, there have been other significant losses in midfield, where the white-blues will no longer be able to count on three starting players such as holding midfielders Anouar El Azzouzi and Davy van den Berg, attacking midfielder Filip Krastev and the talented Younes Namli. The biggest loss was in attack, which will be without Dylan Vente, who scored 13 goals last season. The difficult task of replacing him will be entrusted to Thijs Oosting, who arrived on loan from Groningen, and Koen Kostons, from Paderborn. It is unlikely that many more players will arrive considering that the club is facing important budget cuts. Repeating last season's performance seems impossible. Many key players have left, and the team is in the hands of an inexperienced coach at this level.