Dutch Eredivisie review - AZ dominate but McClaren is still a flying Dutchman
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- Created: Monday, 02 February 2009 16:06
- Written by Darren Douglas
The outlook continues to be rosy for Steve McClaren and his new team FC Twente. Although a 0-0 home draw with FC Utrecht did not leave much to write home about, there were positives for McClaren to take from the result. FC Twente increased the pressure on their opponents throughout the second half and were unlucky in the last twenty minutes not to force a deciding goal against a team who are one of several vying for a UEFA Cup spot, and looked happy to settle for an away point.
In fact FC Twente are now ten games unbeaten in the Eredivisie since November 9th when they were dispatched by this season's surprise package AZ Alkmaar 3-0. Not only is McClaren's team doing well in the league but last week they comprehensively destroyed ADO Den Haag in the Dutch Cup (KNVB Beker) 5-1. This leaves them facing a very winnable home draw in the quarter-finals against the relegation threatened De Graafschap.
Try as they might Juventus just don’t seem to have it in them to make a fist of this year’s title race. Saturday evening’s 3-2 defeat at home to Cagliari made it two losses on the trot for the Bianconeri, as they followed Wednesday’s defeat at Udinese with another poor performance.
I have a friend, believe it or not, and we love nothing better than to mock footballers, waiting for them outside their houses at night, one of us with a torch, the other with a bucket of cold water.
I wanted to come up with a better headline than that, but N'Zogbia doesn't exactly lend itself to quirky puns. It is the French winger’s unusual name however, that has ignited a war of words in what is one of the bizzarest and most transparent attempts to desert a club yet.