Eredivisie: Team of the Season for 2022-23 campaign

The top division of professional football in the Netherlands is called the Eredivisie.

The league has been around for a long time but its greatness has always been overlooked by fans. The majority of the league’s best players are up-and-coming young talents. However, with the season 2022-2023 Feyenoord Rotterdam clinched their 11th title which is first in 5 years and only second in 12 years ending Ajax’s run of 03 back-to-back titles.

Eredivisie might not be among the top league in the world but it is certainly one of the leagues which have produced super talents who became legends for their clubs and country. Players like Arjen Robben, Ibrahimovich or Luis Suarez spent most of the early days of their careers in this league. So let’s take a look at the stars of this edition of the Eredivisie 2022-23.

Formation 4-2-3-1

Lars Unnerstall (GK)

Team: FC Twente, Eredivisie League appearances: 31

Clean Sheets: 15

When you keep clean sheets in half of the matches you started, it means that you are keeping your team in contentions of winning games or coming away with a point at least. Lars has exactly been that final brick this season where he has come up as a shot-stopper and one-man wall at times. He is one of the best players in FC Twente and the reason for their Top–5 finish where they lost just 06 games and drew another 10. He has a save percentage of 77.6% (second highest in the league) and 5.8 goals prevented stat to show his contribution between the sticks.

David Hancko (CB)

Team: Feyenoord Rotterdam, Eredivisie League appearances: 29

Goals: 2, Assists: 4, Clean Sheets: 13

Feyenoord finished the league with just 1 loss out of 32 played which is a feat in itself when you keep in mind a league that is as unpredictable as any other top leagues of Europe. This 25-year-old has made 06 goal contributions apart from his defensive abilities.

 Starting his career in the Slovakian league and making to the senior team of Zilina from where he earned his move to Fiorentina where he just appeared in 5 games and moving out on loan to Sparta Prague who will eventually help him to explore his potential where he will eventually move and play about 102 games. His move to Feyenoord last year was the dream move for both the team and the player. His addition to the team gave defense stability and he got to fulfill his potential to the max. He deserves to be on this list for his dominant display and for making 84.3% successful passes including 64% accurate passes made.

Lutsharel Geertrauida (RB)

Team: Feyenoord Rotterdam, Eredivisie League appearances: 28

Goals: 3, Assists: 1, Clean Sheets: 13

The 22 years old came from the Feyenoord youth academy ranks to the Senior team and now is a league winner with his boyhood club. The Holland international also got his debut this year in March and is surely a future prospect for the Dutch team’s defense. His ability to win the ball and his pace gives him the influence over attackers. He was already a sensation when he first featured for the senior team in Sept 2017 at the age of 17 and has now earned himself a permanent position on the team and played 149 games for them. It was timely that his efforts and faith in the club came as a reward this season. His pass success is 90.5% whereas his pass accuracy per 90 mins is 60.6 in a league filled with heavy-weight midfielders.

Jurrien Timber - (CB)

Team: Ajax, Eredivisie League appearances: 30

Goals: 1, Assists: 2, Clean Sheets: 11

The 21-year-old is currently one of the highest-valued players in the league with him outperforming himself with every season. He has come up to the ranks from the famous Ajax academy and since his introduction to the senior team in June 2019, he has made himself one of the regulars on the team sheet and a rock in the defense.

Being a central defender, he has an excellent eye to break a move before it becomes a danger to his team.  Not only of his defensive capabilities he is a danger when attacking from the corner and has a total of 03 goal contributions as well. He has the most accurate passes per 90 (74.7) with a pass success of 92.0% along with his teammate and central Midfielder Edson Alvarez in second with 74.5 (pass success of 88.6%). This stat alone is enough to prove his price tag where he has dominated a stat which is usually for midfielders.

Rodrigo Guth – (CB)

Team: Fortuna Sittard, Eredivisie League appearances: 30

Goals: 1, Clean Sheets: 7

This name on the list deserves its place because of his shear contribution to his team who are currently 12th on the league. The Brazilian is still to make his debut for his country but this seasons performance will be enough to make the mark on selectors. He got to play for Atalanta U19 after featuring for Brazil U17 but went on loan to Pescara and Nijmegen to earn a game time before he was brought in to strengthen the ranks at Fortuna Sittard in 2022.

He has turned into a good signing who has given stability to a team which needs more signing and prospect players. He has contributed to 189 clearances (6.0 per 90 minutes) and as well as made 49 blocks (1.6 blocks per 90 minutes) both stats are highest by any player in the league. It is not a surprise if he gets to move on to an elite club in leagues across the Europe.

Orkun Kokcu (CDM)

Team: Feyenoord Rotterdam, Eredivisie League appearances: 30

Goals: 8, Assists: 2

It’s uncommon to see a Turkish football player begin his career in the Netherlands, but one of the best Eredivisie players of 2022-2023 season, Kokcu, is proof that it is possible. It is also important to note that, despite playing for Turkey on an international level, this player was born in the Netherlands and has played for the Netherlands national team at various ages and is a product of the Feyenoord academy. Winning the league with your boyhood club would be a dream come true for many and Kokcu has been able to do it at just 22 years of age.

Kokcu, joined the Feyenoord development system in 2014 after playing for neighborhood clubs around his hometown of Haarlem. Kokcu made a total of 30 appearances this season, giving him the opportunity to score 8 goals and this is a remarkable statistic for a midfielder. Additionally, he was able to assist two goals as well while playing as a holding midfielder. A midfielder’s primary objectives are to direct play and take part in ball distribution. Kokcu has a high rating in this particular area of the game, and his teammates have successfully caught 80% of his throws and he has created 82 chances as well apart from his goal-scoring traits. His contribution is surely one of the reasons that Feyenoord were able to dominate the plays in the middle and create opportunities out of it which shot them to the title.

Joey Veerman (CDM)

Team: PSV Eindhoven, Eredivisie League appearances: 31

Goals: 4, Assists: 9

Joey Veerman is not a name that you may expect for Best Eredivisie players of 2022-2023. This is because many lists rank players based on their goals and not their performance in the field. For the last season, Joey did a lot for PSV, and the statistics of this player are just improving since his introduction to the league in 2016 when he was promoted from the youth academy to the senior team of FC Volendam.

This midfielder has started the game 85 percent of the time for PSV and in his 31 appearances and over 2700 minutes of game time, Joey has managed to connect the ball and the net a total of 4 times. But what makes this player amazing is the number of assists and pass accuracy percentage. 84 percent of success rate in passes and 9 assists at the time of writing are the statistics that this midfielder has managed to achieve.

He has created second highest chances in the league (92) and successfully created 64.8% long balls (6.2 accurate long balls per 90), which only shows the range and the control this player has. With Eredivisie just concluded, we can assure you his next season is going to be phenomenal for this player.

Xavi Simons (LM)

Team: PSV Eindhoven, Eredivisie League appearances: 32

Goals: 16, Assists: 8

One of the most well-known youngsters who gained recognition for his performance in the past was Xavi. He was often regarded as the next Messi. Simons left PSG and signed a five-year deal with Eredivisie team PSV on June 28, 2022. He was previously anticipated extending his PSG contract and joining PSV on loan, but things changed when PSV decided against a loan arrangement.

Under Simons’s deal, PSG did manage to include a buy-back clause that will take effect in 2023. As he might depart PSV sooner than anticipated but this season Simons got to show the world that he is just not any other over-rated youngster but an equally gifted player who flourishes when given the chance and opportunity. He has appeared in 32 games for the Dutch Eredivisie, along with 24 goals contribution (second highest in the league after Tadic) he has fired 55 shots, 33 of which have been on target. Xavi Simons averages 35 passes a game and completes them 82% of the time. With only 19 years and still, much more to come Xavi is certainly one of the best players in this edition of Eredivisie.

Steven Bergwijn (RM)

Team: Ajax, Eredivisie League appearances: 30

Goals: 11, Assists: 5

Bergwijn’s Suriname-born parents gave birth to him in Amsterdam. He began his career in the Ajax youth system and stayed there until 2011, but he left because of a disagreement with the manager. He joined PSV right away. Bergwijn played 9 years for the club both for the main and reserve teams.

Tottenham didn’t hesitate to purchase this winger because of his excellent vision and ability. After two seasons, he returned to the Eredivisie, but this time with Ajax. He has made 30 appearances this season so far, scoring 11 goals. He was also able to provide a hand five times. After his time at Spurs, he might have had double thoughts regarding his future with only limited opportunities given and him only being able to show Spurs fans his partial abilities. This season however he has completely restored himself and made himself the regular starter at the club, now being an important part of the goal supply. Overall, he definitely deserves a spot in Eredivisie’s best players of the 2022-23 season.

Dusan Tadic (CAM)

Team: Ajax, Eredivisie League appearances: 32

Goals: 9, Assists: 17

Here’s a very known and familiar name on the list of Best Eredivisie players of 2022-2023, the 34-year-old captain once again after his title-winning reign of last year. He has the most number of assists in the league this season and rightly has earned his spot on this list. Tadic grew up polishing his skills in the junior divisions of AIK Baka Topola, the local club. At the age of 18, he eventually agreed to a professional deal with Vojvodina and participated in his first competitive matches in the Meridian SuperLiga. After spending some time in the Premier League with Southampton, he later accepted a contract with Ajax, which brought him to the Eredivisie League.

In 32 games in this Eredivisie 2022-2023 season, Dusan Tadic has been involved in 26 goals along with 146 chances created which are again the most by any player in the league. This demonstrates clearly that Dusan is on top of his game and age is nothing but a number to him. Many years of experience in football and unmatched skills have brought Dusan to the top of his game where he can unlock any line of defense with just one simple move. Being named in the team of the season consecutively only solidifies his status as the one of best players in the league.

Anastasios Douvikas (ST)

Team: FC Utrecht, Eredivisie League appearances: 30

Goals: 17, Assists: 04

The Top scorer of the Eredivisie 2022-23 season is a 23-year-old Greece national who joined the club in 2021 on a free transfer and is now a threat to the teams in the Dutch league. His height compliments his style of attack and is equally clinical in finding the net and creating goal-scoring opportunities for his team and also a calm and clean penalty taker as well (scoring 03 goals from the box). Although FC Utrecht finished in the 07th position, his total contribution of 21 goals out of 51 goals explains the story of how much he has lifted the team in terms of attacking the opposition box.

He also has the highest Goals per 90 (0.78) and expected goals on target (19.7) which further means that he always is looking to make the life of the keeper difficult whenever given a chance by being a constant prevailing threat. If it wasn’t for the defensive woes of the team conceding 45 goals they could end up much higher in the league. It wouldn’t be a surprise if other leagues or European opponents come looking for the forwards signature, he has made a difference at a mid-core team at a time when Feyenoord, PSV, and Ajax are having the best world-class individuals playing at the top of the formation.