NEC Nijmegen vs Go Ahead Eagles: A Clash of Styles
NEC Nijmegen walk back into the Goffertstadion on Sunday carrying the weight of eight unanswered goals and a growing list of questions. Go Ahead Eagles arrive with their own defensive flaws, but with an attack that smells blood.
It is round seven of the Eredivisie. It already feels bigger than that for Dick Schreuder’s side.
NEC searching for a reset
The numbers are stark. Tenth in the table, seven points from six games, and two heavy defeats that have stripped away early-season optimism.
The league loss at Cambuur set the tone. NEC’s high line was torn apart, Ilyes Hamache scoring either side of half time before Iwan Henstra added a stoppage-time third. Three goals conceded, none scored, and the same problems repeating.
Then came Turin.
A 5-0 Europa League beating at Juventus underlined the imbalance in this NEC team. The Dutch side actually saw plenty of the ball, completing 497 passes at 91% accuracy and taking 11 shots. Only two of those efforts hit the target. At the other end, that aggressive defensive line was punished again and again.
The pattern is impossible to ignore: possession without penetration, risk without control.
NEC have failed to score in their last two matches. That drought has coincided with a fitness cloud over winger Clement Bischoff, one of their more inventive outlets in the final third. Without him at full tilt, the attack has looked blunter, more predictable.
Responsibility has fallen heavily on captain Tjaronn Chery. He leads the club’s Eredivisie scoring charts with three goals, and NEC have already earned two penalties this season – more than any other side in the division – a reminder that they can still draw mistakes in the box when they get there.
But the schedule has been unforgiving. Schreuder guided NEC into the Champions League qualifying rounds over the summer, a fine achievement that has come with a cost. The extra fixtures have stretched a thin squad, and as September drags on, the lack of depth is starting to show in tired legs and tired defending.
Eagles flying forward, leaking at the back
Go Ahead Eagles make the short trip in ninth place, two points better off than NEC and with a clear identity: they attack in waves, and they live with the consequences.
Their last outing, a 1-1 draw at home to Groningen, told the story. Oosting’s team slung in 35 crosses, pinned their visitors back and finally found a way through when Soren Tengstedt levelled in the 82nd minute. The pressure eventually broke the dam.
It could have been more. Stefan Sigurdarson passed up a golden late chance to win it, a miss that summed up a broader theme – this is a side that creates heavily but does not always kill games.
The chaos has been building for weeks. Before Groningen, Go Ahead shared a wild 3-3 draw at FC Utrecht and were on the wrong end of a 5-2 scoreline at AZ Alkmaar, those matches bookending a more controlled 3-1 home win over ADO Den Haag.
At the heart of their threat is Tengstedt, the league’s outright top scorer with five goals and two assists. Starting nominally on the right, he drifts into central pockets, pulls defenders out of shape and repeatedly finds room where there should be none. Eredivisie back lines have not worked him out yet.
Behind him, Victor Edvardsen is the connector. He fashioned seven chances on his own in the draw with Groningen, dropping into midfield, linking play and feeding the runners ahead of him. When Go Ahead click, those two form the spine of a front line that can overwhelm teams.
The problem sits at the other end. Thirteen goals conceded in six league matches tells its own tale. Oosting’s approach has often relied on simply outscoring opponents rather than tightening up.
Captain Joris Kramer anchors the back four in front of goalkeeper Kjetil Haug. His passing from deep has become a key release valve when Go Ahead are pressed, allowing them to play through pressure instead of simply clearing their lines. But that composure in possession has not always translated into defensive security.
Team news: walking wounded and key doubts
NEC’s injury list is unhelpfully timed.
Emre Mor is sidelined with a groin injury and is not expected back until mid-October. Deveron Fonville remains out with an ankle problem until early October. At the back, Ahmetcan Kaplan is a doubt with a knee issue and will be monitored day to day.
Bischoff’s situation is the big talking point. Pre‑match reports list the winger as a fitness concern after the trip to Turin, though NEC have not confirmed that officially. If he misses out or is limited, Schreuder loses a major source of width and creativity.
A likely NEC XI could see Polster in goal, behind a back three of Kabar, Storm and Sandler. Tahaui and Geiger may operate in the middle with Nejasmic and Thomas providing energy and balance, while Chery and Tadic support Sierhuis up front.
Go Ahead Eagles’ picture is clearer.
Gerrit Nauber is still managing a leg injury on a day-to-day basis and will not feature. Pim Saathof continues his recovery from a knee problem. Beyond that, Oosting has a settled core to choose from.
Haug should start in goal, protected by a back four of Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer and James. Meulensteen and Linthorst are expected to form the midfield base, with Tengstedt, Edvardsen and Suray operating behind central striker Sigurdarson.
Prediction: goals almost guaranteed
Everything about this match-up screams chances at both ends.
NEC, with Chery and Tadic between the lines, have enough guile to trouble a Go Ahead defence that has not kept a clean sheet in six league games. Home advantage and the need for a response after back-to-back thrashings should sharpen their edge.
But conceding eight without reply in their last two outings hints at deeper structural issues that will not vanish in a few days on the training ground. That high line, if left unchanged, looks tailor-made for Tengstedt’s intelligent movement and Edvardsen’s service.
Go Ahead Eagles carry the sharper cutting edge right now. Their form in front of goal, and Tengstedt’s ruthless streak, tilt a wild, open contest in their favour.
NEC 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles – and if both coaches stick to their instincts, it might feel like more than just three points riding on it.
