The First Half of the 2024/25 Eredivisie Season: A Recap

The first half of the Eredivisie 2024/25 season is in the books, and after 17 matches, it’s time for the winter break. While the players enjoy a well-earned rest and gear up for an exciting second half of the season, we take a look back. Which teams and players exceeded all expectations? And who stood out statistically? Let’s reflect on a captivating first half of the season!

FC Utrecht Surprises: A Record-Breaking Season Full of Resilience and Late Goals

The story of the first half of the season is FC Utrecht under coach Ron Jans, heading into the winter break in third place. Despite a 2-5 loss to Fortuna Sittard in the last round, the team collected 36 points from 17 matches, the highest tally at this stage in the club’s history. This is a stark contrast to the 18 points and 13th place they had at the same point last season.

Ron Jans’ team won no fewer than nine matches by a one-goal margin this season, more than any other team and one more than the entirety of last season. Utrecht was particularly sharp in the final 15 minutes of games, scoring 10 goals—making the "Utrecht Quarter" more than just a nickname. They also scored five goals in or after the 90th minute, at least two more than any other club.

Ajax Shows Impressive Growth with a Rock-Solid Defense

Ajax has taken a major step forward in the Eredivisie this season. The Amsterdam club is firmly in second place, with 39 points from the first 17 matches—a remarkable improvement of 11 points compared to the same stage last season.

This progress is primarily due to their strong defensive performances. Only PSV has conceded fewer goals this season (13) than Ajax (16). For comparison, Ajax had already conceded 32 goals by this point last season—exactly double. Their solid defense has been the foundation of their success, as highlighted in a table showing the difference from last season after 17 matches.

PSV Underlines Dominance with Unprecedented Stats

While FC Utrecht and Ajax have made significant strides, they cannot yet match the dominance of PSV, who lead almost every statistic in the Eredivisie. The Eindhoven side earned 45 points from their first 17 matches—only three seasons this century have they done better (46 in 2006/07, 48 in 2018/19, and 51 in 2023/24).

Under coach Peter Bosz, PSV continues to display incredible scoring prowess, with at least 19 more goals than any other team. This century, only Ajax and PSV themselves have scored more in the first 17 matches of a season (both 60 in 2018/19) than PSV's current tally of 59 goals. Despite excelling in nearly every defensive metric, PSV trails Feyenoord in shots conceded and Expected Goals Against—a possible area for improvement as they stay on course for another title.

Danish Sensation at Go Ahead Eagles

One of the standout players of the first half is Jakob Breum of Go Ahead Eagles. The Danish midfielder has been instrumental in his team’s impressive seventh-place position, contributing four goals and five assists.

Breum made history earlier this month against FC Twente, becoming the youngest Go Ahead Eagles player since 1994 to score twice in an Eredivisie match (21 years, 14 days). Only Toine Rorije achieved this at a younger age (20 years, 237 days).

Breum also excels in chance creation. Only Malik Tillman has been involved in more open-play passing sequences leading to a shot (101) than Breum (97). Additionally, he has a knack for long-range shots, with 20 attempts from outside the box—second only to Quinten Timber (23). Can the Danish playmaker lead the Eagles to European football again? The second half of the season will tell.

Records Broken by AZ and Heerenveen’s Strong Home Form

The first half of the Eredivisie featured some notable records and statistics. In September, AZ recorded their biggest-ever Eredivisie win, defeating sc Heerenveen 9-1. This made AZ the fourth team this century to score at least nine goals in a single Eredivisie match.

For Heerenveen , it was a painful milestone—they had never conceded nine goals in an Eredivisie match before. It also matched their largest-ever league defeat, an 8-0 loss to PSV on April 25, 2024.

At home, however, Heerenveen excelled. The Frisians remained unbeaten in eight home matches (five wins, three draws), matching their longest unbeaten home streak at the start of a season, previously achieved in 2019/20.

NAC Breda Shines with Set-Piece Success

NAC Breda has exceeded expectations in the Eredivisie, earning 22 points from 17 matches. After finishing eighth in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie last season, they now sit in a respectable 10th place in the top division.

An outstanding feature of NAC's play has been their effectiveness from set-pieces. Eleven of their 19 goals (58%) have come from dead-ball situations—the highest percentage in the league this season. Only ADO Den Haag has done better this century, with 64% of their goals from set-pieces in 2019/20.

Nick Viergever: A Season of Highs and Lows

Nick Viergever has made history this season, both positively and negatively. As captain, he led FC Utrecht to their best-ever first half of a season—a remarkable achievement.

However, in the final match before the winter break against Fortuna Sittard, Viergever received his eighth career red card in the Eredivisie. This makes him the sole record holder for the most red cards in league history—a mix of success and controversy for the experienced defender.

Eredivisie: A Breeding Ground for International Talent with a Dutch Exception

Once again, the Eredivisie proved to be a hotbed for international talent. A highlight was the match between Feyenoord and NAC Breda on September 22, featuring players from 23 different nationalities—a record for an Eredivisie game.

However, there was also a shift in trend. On September 14, FC Twente fielded a starting XI with nine Dutch players for the first time in over 12 years. The last occurrence was on April 14, 2012, also against NAC Breda.

One of those Dutch players, Sem Steijn, was a standout performer in the first half. With 19 Eredivisie goals in a calendar year, he matched Blaise Nkufo’s record from 2007. If the midfielder maintains this form, a move to a bigger club seems inevitable.