Furthermore, the Eredivisie is seen as a stepping stone onto the bigger European leagues for foreign players, and greats such as Ronaldo, Romario and Zlatan Ibrahimović (footballing 'great' may be a bit too flattering to Zlatan) have played in the Netherlands.
The best young footballer plying his trade in the Eredivisie today is Christian Eriksen of Ajax, a playmaker possessing a delicate touch of the ball which coupled with spontaneous creativity could make him Denmark's best ever player, possibly better even than Michael Laudrup. Surely to progress his career he would need to leave Ajax in a couple of years time to one of the top four leagues like many before him have done.
This blog, however, will explore the slightly lesser-known burgeoning talents of the Eredivisie, featuring Zakaria Labyad, Adam Maher, Lorenzo Ebecilio and Nicolai Boilesen.
Zakaria Labyad: PSV Eindhoven
Name: Zakaria Labyad
D.O.B.: 09/04/1993
Age: 18
P.O.B.: Utrecht, Netherlands
Position: Right Winger, Attacking Midfielder
Club: PSV Eindhoven
Nationality: Morocco (eligible for the Netherlands)
Previous Clubs: None
Zakaria Labyad names Ibrahim Afellay as one of his role models, and it's not difficult to see why. Both of them were born in Utrecht to Moroccan parents, started their careers at PSV and play at the right wing position. Labyad is not, however, a clone made by PSV to resurrect their club as his style of play differs from Affelay's. The Barcelona star is more explosive than Labyad, who is less direct and more crafty.
The young winger has a long future at the Boeren and Rutten is using him more and more. His international future is less certain, as he has represented the Netherlands at the 2009 U-17 World Cup but this year played for Morocco U-23 in a friendly versus Mozambique. Whichever national team he plays for will be pleased as Labyad can both score and create chances for his team.
Stengths:
Zakaria Labyad names Ibrahim Afellay as one of his role models, and it's not difficult to see why. Both of them were born in Utrecht to Moroccan parents, started their careers at PSV and play at the right wing position. Labyad is not, however, a clone made by PSV to resurrect their club as his style of play differs from Affelay's. The Barcelona star is more explosive than Labyad, who is less direct and more crafty.
The young winger has a long future at the Boeren and Rutten is using him more and more. His international future is less certain, as he has represented the Netherlands at the 2009 U-17 World Cup but this year played for Morocco U-23 in a friendly versus Mozambique. Whichever national team he plays for will be pleased as Labyad can both score and create chances for his team.
Stengths:
- He exhibits good vision and passing abilities to suggest that he may have a future in the centre of midfield.
- He has precise, close, dribbling skills, similar to Juan Manuel Iturbe, as it is difficult to tackle him without fouling.
- Labyad has decent pace and can beat the defender using it.
- His finishing ability is better than average for a winger, which would be better employed on the left wing with him cutting in onto his right.
Weaknesses:
- His crossing ability needs to be refined to diversify his game.
- He needs to get a bit stronger to evade challenges from defenders.
Verdict: Ability - 6/10; Potential - 8.5/10
Adam Maher: AZ Alkmaar
Name: Adam Maher
D.O.B.: 20/07/1993
Age: 18
P.O.B.: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Position: Attacking Midfielder, Central Midfielder
Club: AZ Alkmaar
Nationality: Netherlands (elegible for Morocco)
Previous Clubs: None
Another talented Dutch Moroccan, Adam Maher has emerged as a first team member of AZ's squad, scoring 3 goals and providing 4 assists in 12 appearances for the team this season. The midfielder is a rough diamond, as his passing skills and technique are indicators of his great talent, but there are still facets of his game he needs to improve. Despite his inexperience, Maher shows tremendous composure on the ball, as exhibited in his assist for Jozy Altidore against PSV earlier this season.
Maher has found life relatively comfortable so far in the Eredivisie, but he has to work hard to keep his place in AZ and he must learn from his older teammates at the club. Similar to Labyad, Maher is eligible for both Morocco and the Netherlands, who he also played for in the 2009 U-17 World Cup.
Strengths:
Another talented Dutch Moroccan, Adam Maher has emerged as a first team member of AZ's squad, scoring 3 goals and providing 4 assists in 12 appearances for the team this season. The midfielder is a rough diamond, as his passing skills and technique are indicators of his great talent, but there are still facets of his game he needs to improve. Despite his inexperience, Maher shows tremendous composure on the ball, as exhibited in his assist for Jozy Altidore against PSV earlier this season.
Maher has found life relatively comfortable so far in the Eredivisie, but he has to work hard to keep his place in AZ and he must learn from his older teammates at the club. Similar to Labyad, Maher is eligible for both Morocco and the Netherlands, who he also played for in the 2009 U-17 World Cup.
Strengths:
- Maher has great vision and dictates the attack well.
- His passing ability is exquisite for his age and he retains possession well, while also creating chances.
- His skillful first touch gives him time to pick out a pass.
Weaknesses:
- Maher isn't as fast as other players and will need to develop his dribbling skills to get past defenders.
- His positioning is questionable although this is something that will probably come with experience.
Verdict: Ability - 5.5/10; Potential - 8.5/10
Lorenzo Ebecilio: Ajax Amsterdam
Name: Lorenzo Ebecilio
D.O.B.: 24/09/1991
Age: 20
P.O.B.: Hoorn, Netherlands
Position: Left Winger
Club: Ajax Amsterdam
Nationality: Netherlands
Previous Clubs: HVV Hollandia (Youth), AZ Alkmaar (Youth)
Brother of Arsenal's Kyle Ebecilio, Lorenzo is a fast paced winger who helped Ajax to their league title last year. Playing in 16 Eredivisie matches last season, Ebecilio has not been used as much this season following the arrival of singing Derk Boerrigter. Despite this, Ebecilio still remains an exciting prospect due to his agility and trickery down the left flank.
Brother of Arsenal's Kyle Ebecilio, Lorenzo is a fast paced winger who helped Ajax to their league title last year. Playing in 16 Eredivisie matches last season, Ebecilio has not been used as much this season following the arrival of singing Derk Boerrigter. Despite this, Ebecilio still remains an exciting prospect due to his agility and trickery down the left flank.
When he was 14, Ebecilio suffered a heart-attack and as a result had to leave AZ Alkmaar. After a successful surgery which implanted a heart defibrillator, Ebecillio was cleared to play again and signed for Ajax's youth team.
Strengths:
- Ebecilio is very agile and will test defender's balance as he darts from side to side on the wing.
- His acceleration will be valuable for clubs that use the counter attack as his position on the wing will result in him having lots of space to run in.
- Ebecilio also has a bag of tricks to unload on opponents, aiding him when he has to get out of tight situations.
- His movement off the ball will create space for himself and for others.
Weaknesses:
- He needs to work on his finishing although if he continues to play on the left he would need to improve on his crossing.
- His decision making is questionable and he needs to be more productive in the build up play.
Verdict: Ability - 6/10; Potential - 8/10
Nicolai Boilesen: Ajax Amsterdam
Name: Nicolai Boilesen
D.O.B.: 16/02/1992
Age: 19
P.O.B.: Ballerup, Denmark
Position: Left Back
Club: Ajax Amsterdam
Nationality: Denmark
Previous Clubs: Brondby (Youth)
While Christian Eriksen may be the more famous Dane in Amsterdam, Boilesen is another player that will set the hearts racing of the Danish FA. If there was one word to describe Boilesen, it would be 'efficient'. He is efficient in his passing, tackling and runs, rarely making a mistake. His attacking play does not, however, set the hearts racing of casual football fans and he does need to improve his technique. That said, he still remains an intriguing footballer.
Strengths:
While Christian Eriksen may be the more famous Dane in Amsterdam, Boilesen is another player that will set the hearts racing of the Danish FA. If there was one word to describe Boilesen, it would be 'efficient'. He is efficient in his passing, tackling and runs, rarely making a mistake. His attacking play does not, however, set the hearts racing of casual football fans and he does need to improve his technique. That said, he still remains an intriguing footballer.
Strengths:
- Boilesen is a fast player, meaning he can catch up to attackers on the wing and join up with counter attacks.
- Boilesen takes long strides while running, and these long legs help him tackle cleanly and gain possession of the ball.
- Boilesen is a very effective passer for a full back and can retain possession for his team.
Weaknesses:
- When his team loses possession, Boilesen needs to maintain his focus and position himself correctly to stop any counter attacks.
- Boilesen's crossing ability needs to improve as a world-class full back can send in dangerous crosses from deep.
Verdict: Ability - 6/10; Potential - 8.5/10
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