End of season 1 review
So we kept up our unbeaten form for the latter part of the season and were invincibles! There were many great results such as a 6-0 win vs Cambuur, and a 4-1 home win vs Feyenoord to finish off a fantastic season. I was slightly disappointed to be 3-1 up vs ADO after 83 minutes and then concede 2 to draw 3-3, but there are always going to be a few blips in seasons - and the fact that this was our worst emphasizes just how well we have played.
It was nice to win the Dutch cup also, although we have an extremely easy run to the final, beating FC Emmen 4-2, Cambuur 3-2, Roda 2-0, Utrecht 4-0, Zwolle 4-1 and then Groningen 3-1 in extra time in the final.
Players: Our goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen had a fantastic season conceding just 21 goals in 33 eredivise games, and had an average rating of 7.08. Our back up goalkeeper Mamadou Samassa, who was signed on a free from EA Guingamp in January did well in his 2 Eredivise appearances, keeping clean sheets in both. He also had a great game in the cup win vs Zwolle, where he got a rating of 7.4.
Defenders: Ricardo van Rhijn was our starting right back for most of the season until he picked up an injury. In Dutch domestic football he made 36 appearances scoring 3 goals and 4 assists for the squad. His average rating was 7.08 in the league and 7.38 in the Dutch Cup. When he got injured I promoted promising youngster Kenny Tete to the first team squad. In the league he played 4 times, getting one assist and an average rating of just over 7 , and in the cup in his only game he was rated 8.1 and also got an assist. Nicolai Boilesen was a player who I expected to be more of a reserve following on from the signing of Lucas Digne. However, he has managed to keep the Frenchman out, and made 22 league appearances, scoring 3, assisting one with an average rating of 7.17. In the cup he got 4 appearances and had one assist with an average rating of 7.5. I was disappointed with Digne's lack of progression - he only played 20 games in the league, with 12 of those being starts - yet h did contribute an assist and was rated 7.03. In the cup he was average, playing a couple of times with a rating of 6.75. Marquinhos and Joel Veltman formed a formidable CB partnership which only conceded 20 times in the league. Marquinhos proved a great signing for £4 million, and had an average rating of 7.23 in the league, scoring 4 goals in the process. Veltman had a rating of 7.14, and also contributed a few goals + assists. Nick Viergiver and Denswil didn't have a chance to make a first team place, and I will be trying to sell them in the summer.
Midfielders: Niki Zimling was our defensive midfielder, and much to my amazement didn't get any goals or assists. He did however still achieve an average rating of 7.06 in the league, and 7.30 in the cup. He was by far the standout performer in a disappointing European campaign. Kristoffer Ajer was our hot prospect CDM who you can expect to get more gametime next year he only made 5 appearances in total. South African Thulani Serero was quality in CDM, CM or even AMR! He played 26 league games scoring 2 goals and getting 6 assists with a rating of 7.05. In the cup he played 5 times, with a rating of 6.85. Lerin Duarte was a rotational CM, and played 7 times contributing a combined total of 3 goals and assist to the team. He was very good in the games he played.
Attacking Midfielders: It's only fair that we start with our best player of the season, Lasse Schone. Amazingly, he scored 17 times and got 18 assists in 30 eredivise games, with an average rating of 7.7, I am devastated that he wanted to move, but it is completely acceptable given his fine performances. Ricardo Kishna was our AML, and in 33 games he scored 4 and assisted 10. He played decently and he will only improve in the future. Lucas Andersen and Viktor Fischer didn't have time to make an impact but in the future they will get more game time. Davy Klaassen did well in a central role scoring 3 goals and getting 5 assists.
Forwards: On loan Milik did well for us, scoring 9 goals and contributing 9 assists in 26 games. Youngster Zivkovic also scored 9 goals and will only get better in later seasons.
