Football Season Guide

PSV Eindhoven satisfied the fans last year with a remarkable Champions League campaign. The Dutch side survived a group that also included teams like Manchester United and VfL Wolfsburg and the performances against Atlético Madrid (defeat after a penalty shoot-out) were impressive as well. The Eredivisie campaign was heading to a second spot, which would have been rather disappointing to be honest, but a miracle on the last day of the season eventually resulted in the title. Cocu's side managed to claim two titles in succession and grabbing another championship will be a realistic goal this year again. The Eindhoven side will have to bring in some new players though to deal with some departures. Centre-back Jeffrey Bruma, one of the leaders in defence last season, showed his class throughout the campaign and his performances eventually resulted in a move to VfL Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga. The staff already coped with that transfer as they added Daniël Schwaab to the side. Schwaab is relatively unknown in The Netherlands, but he has Bundesliga experience and he will push for the spot alongside key defender Hector Moreno from now on. Quality defenders like Jetro Willems and Santiago Arias already got linked with other clubs, but they're still in Eindhoven. Goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet is becoming better and better and the young Dutchman was able to show his skills in the Champions League last season as well. He will start in goal again. Marco van Ginkel, who joined the Eindhoven side from Chelsea on loan during the Winter break, immediately claimed a starting spot in Cocu's side and his goals and assists pushed the performances to a higher level. Van Ginkel left the club again, but PSV Eindhoven's squad should contain enough quality to form a decent midfield. The Mexican international Andres Guardado will lead the line and Davy Propper was able to become one of the best Eredivisie players in his first season for the club. Team captain Luuk de Jong seems like the perfect leader for this side again, but he could be aiming for a switch to a better league. His presence up front will give the side a huge boost. Youngster Steven Bergwijn and Luciano Narsingh are expected to push for the spots on the wings this campaign, especially with Maxime Lestienne's departure in mind. Manager Cocu will hope for a similar Champions League campaign this year, but the Eredivisie focus will be there as well. PSV Eindhoven's squad seems like the formation with the most quality available again and only the title can satisfy the fan base. The schedule will be tough though and Cocu will have to find a way to cope with playing three matches in a week on more than one occasion.