It is hard to imagine a club other than PSV, Ajax, or Feyenoord stepping onto the Eredivisie podium. Of course, in the past, AZ Alkmaar or Twente have managed to temporarily dethrone one of the three queens. The point, however, is that this year’s fight for the Champions League features a team like none seen before—not just because they’ve never reached these heights, but because their style of play makes them unique. We are talking about N.E.C. (an acronym for Nijmegen Eendracht Combinatie), representing the city of Nijmegen. In its 125-year history, the club has never gone beyond UEFA Cup qualification (reached in 1983, 2003, and 2008). Yet this year, at Matchday 30 out of 34, they have racked up 72 goals scored and 48 conceded.
The Race for Glory
The current standings show N.E.C. in third place behind PSV (already mathematically crowned champions) and Feyenoord, who lead them by only a single point. In fourth and fifth place, still in the running for Champions League qualification (the Eredivisie sends two teams to the League Phase and one to the qualifiers), are Ajax and Twente.
N.E.C. is experiencing an incredible season—the best in its history—and has also secured a spot in the Dutch Cup final against AZ, scheduled for Sunday, April 19. This success is built on a tactical approach that can be considered highly ambitious, if not reckless. Even the fans in Nijmegen admit it: Stefan, a 67-year-old who has followed the team since childhood, told ESPN that “N.E.C. plays in a crazy way; ‘madness’ is exactly the right word. Other teams come here now and tremble with fear.”
Tactical Madness: The Schreuder Way
The core philosophy of coach Dick Schreuder is based on pressing. It is a total, high-intensity, suffocating press born from training sessions that Dutch journalists describe as “exhausting, with no rest between drills.”
In terms of formation, N.E.C. appears to line up in a 3-4-2-1. In reality, the “wing-backs” are pure wingers, and even the center-backs constantly overlap and push forward. Schreuder’s preferred offensive mechanism is seeking width and isolating players on the flanks: N.E.C. ranks second in the Eredivisie for attempted dribbles and third for crosses from open play.
Obviously, such a radical approach leads to inevitable defensive imbalances. At times, especially against more gifted opponents, the high press—the only way to defend against transitions when committing so many players to the opposition half—is bypassed, leaving gaping holes. This explains results like the 3-5 against PSV in mid-September, the 2-2 against Ajax before Christmas, or the 1-3 defeat to Utrecht in February. However, N.E.C. also managed to beat PSV 3-2 in both the Cup semifinal and the league return match, while remaining unbeaten (1-1 and 2-2) against Ajax. In short: the risk is worth the reward.
Pandas and Last-Minute Miracles
There are other eccentricities to mention: for instance, the story of owner and president Boekhoorn, an eccentric billionaire who bought a zoo near Utrecht and moved heaven and earth to import a pair of pandas from China, finally succeeding in 2016.
While the club is managed by serious professionals—most notably technical director Carlos Aalbers, a specialist in the Japanese and Asian markets—it remains a team bordering on madness. In their recent head-to-head clash with Feyenoord, Schreuder subbed on three strikers for three defenders to chase a goal. True to form, one of those substitutes (Danilo) scored the equalizer in the 97th minute, just moments after a shocking miss in front of goal.
It was exactly what everyone has come to expect from N.E.C.