NEC vs Go Ahead Eagles: A Clash of Defensive Frailties

NEC Nijmegen return to the Goffertstadion on Sunday with bruises all over their season and a Go Ahead Eagles side circling with intent.

Dick Schreuder’s team sit 10th in the Eredivisie, seven points from six games, but that bare number hides a worrying trend: eight goals conceded without reply in their last two matches. Joseph Oosting’s Go Ahead Eagles arrive a place and two points better off in ninth, unbeaten in three and fresh from back-to-back draws that showcased both their attacking verve and defensive frailty.

NEC searching for a reset

NEC’s week unravelled quickly.

First came a 3-0 defeat away to Cambuur. Ilyes Hamache struck either side of half time, exploiting space behind NEC’s defence, before Iwan Henstra added a stoppage-time third to twist the knife.

Then Juventus. A glamour Europa League night that turned into a 5-0 dismantling in Turin. The numbers looked respectable on the ball – 497 completed passes at 91% accuracy – but they translated into just two shots on target from 11 attempts. The control was sterile, the threat minimal.

The pattern across both games was stark. A high defensive line repeatedly exposed in behind, and a forward unit unable to turn long spells of possession into goals. NEC have not scored in their last two matches, a drought that has coincided with fitness concerns over winger Clement Bischoff, one of their more incisive creative outlets earlier in the campaign.

Responsibility has fallen heavily on captain Tjaronn Chery. He remains NEC’s top scorer with three league goals, and his composure from the spot has helped the club win more penalties than any other Eredivisie side so far – two in six games. But the load on the 35-year-old is growing as the fixtures pile up.

That schedule is no minor detail. Schreuder’s side pushed into the Champions League qualifying rounds over the summer, and the extended European run has stretched a squad already light on depth. As September wears on, legs are tiring and the flaws in NEC’s structure are becoming easier to attack.

Go Ahead Eagles flying forward, leaking at the back

Go Ahead Eagles, by contrast, arrive with a different problem: they are almost too open.

Their last outing, a 1-1 draw at home to Groningen, turned into a siege. Oosting’s side slung in 35 crosses, relentlessly working the flanks until Soren Tengstedt finally levelled in the 82nd minute. Even then, they should have taken all three points. Stefan Sigurdarson squandered a clear late chance that would have capped a late turnaround.

That miss captured a wider theme. Go Ahead Eagles are creating heavily but not always killing games off.

The weeks before told the same story in louder colours. A wild 3-3 draw at FC Utrecht. A 5-2 defeat at AZ Alkmaar in which their back line was repeatedly torn apart. Those came either side of a more controlled 3-1 home win over ADO Den Haag, but the numbers are clear: 13 goals conceded in six league matches.

Oosting’s answer has been simple – attack more. Tengstedt has exploded into the season as the division’s outright leading scorer with five goals and two assists. Drifting in from the right into central pockets, he constantly asks questions of defenders unsure whether to follow him inside or pass him on.

Behind him, Victor Edvardsen has become the creative hinge. He carved out seven chances on his own in the draw with Groningen, knitting together midfield and attack and giving Go Ahead Eagles a reliable supply line through the lines.

Defensively, they remain vulnerable, but there is structure. Captain Joris Kramer anchors the back four in front of goalkeeper Kjetil Haug, and his passing from deep has become a key release valve. Rather than simply going long or wide under pressure, Go Ahead Eagles now look to play through the first press, using Kramer as the starting point.

Team news: thin margins on both sides

NEC’s medical bulletin offers little comfort.

Emre Mor is out with a groin injury and not expected back until mid-October. Deveron Fonville remains sidelined by an ankle problem until early October. Ahmetcan Kaplan is a doubt with a knee issue and is being monitored day-to-day.

Bischoff’s situation hovers over the game. Pre-match reports list him as a fitness concern after the trip to Turin, though NEC have not confirmed his status officially. If he misses out, Schreuder loses another source of width and one-on-one threat.

NEC could line up with Polster in goal, a back three of Kabar, Storm and Sandler, and Tahaui and Thomas working the flanks. Geiger and Nejasmic are likely to anchor midfield, with Chery and Tadic supporting Sierhuis up front in a system that demands precision when they press and bravery when they build.

Go Ahead Eagles’ picture is clearer. Gerrit Nauber remains out as he continues to manage a leg injury on a day-to-day basis, and Pim Saathof is still sidelined with a knee problem. Beyond that, Oosting has a settled group.

Haug should start in goal behind a back four of Sampsted, Dirksen, Kramer and James. Meulensteen and Linthorst are expected to patrol midfield, with Tengstedt, Edvardsen and Suray operating behind central striker Sigurdarson in a fluid, aggressive front four.

Prediction: goals, gaps and a razor-thin edge

Both managers walk into this one with the same headache: neither side has kept a clean sheet in the league this season. NEC’s last two games ended in an aggregate score of 8-0 against them. Go Ahead Eagles have had to outgun rather than outlast opponents.

NEC still carry a threat. With Chery and Tadic between the lines and Sierhuis working the channels, they have enough to hurt most Eredivisie defences, particularly at home. A penalty, a moment of quality from their captain, or a sharp combination on the edge of the box could easily put them on the board.

But the sharper cutting edge lies with the visitors. Tengstedt’s haul of five goals and two assists, backed by Edvardsen’s creativity and Sigurdarson’s movement, gives Go Ahead Eagles more ways to break open that vulnerable NEC high line.

The expectation is an open contest, chances at both ends, and little sign of either defence suddenly tightening up.

NEC 1-2 Go Ahead Eagles.

If that script holds, NEC’s season stops being about European hangover and starts to look like a fight to keep pace in the middle of the pack.