The big news coming out of Holland's premier division this week is of course the departure of the (now former) Ajax manager Martin Jol. The ex-Spurs boss’ last game in charge of the Amsterdam club was not a happy one as the side lost out in a weekend where the rest of the title contenders really showed their determination to win this season's Eredivisie.
After last week’s fireworks at the Nou Camp, which saw Barcelona do the unthinkable and silence Jose Mourinho, this weekend’s La Liga action was in danger of being something of an anti climax.
“And the 2018 world cup goes to....”
Yes that's right, the obvious first choice. The country with the best technical bid, the stadia, the infrastructure, the passion, history and love of the game, with a bid put forward by a king to be, a current prime minister and a worldwide footballing idol. All of these were not enough to secure the honour of holding the world cup.
The Eredivisie, renowned for its vast amounts of goals, did not fail to impress once again this past weekend. Some interesting fixtures, and unexpected results, have only added to the excitement of the battle against relegation, quest for European football, and of course the race for the title.
The Italian league has proven surprisingly unpredictable this season with relegation favourites Lazio leading the way for some time, whilst perennial league winners Inter Milan had so far endured a difficult campaign.