Football Season Guide

It was a campaign of ups and downs for FC Groningen last season and that lack of consistency was in fact the main hindrance to their top 6 ambitions. The squad contained enough potential to impress but Ernest Faber's outfit wasn't able to produce their best football from time to time. They had to dig deep near the end but their run was eventually enough to seal the ticket for the play-offs which was the main mission. The form just wasn't there however and two 1-4 defeats against AZ Alkmaar quickly ended their dream. Faber will get a new chance after the summer to surprise with his men. FC Groningen won't have the budget available to compete with teams like AZ Alkmaar, Vitesse and FC Utrecht but the gap with these clubs isn't that big and a top 6 finish should be possible. Things changed immediately after the season, however, as some regulars left the club. Simon Tibling, who was actually destined to become one of the key players at Noordlease Stadion, wasn't able to impress at all so he left to play for Brondby IF in Denmark. Players like Hedwiges Maduro, Tom Hiariej and Alexander Sorloth left Faber's team as well, but this isn't that big of a problem to be honest as these players failed to claim regular starting spots for most of the time. The only blow though is Bryan Linssen's switch to Vitesse. Linssen was one the best attackers last season and the Arnhem outfit provided him with the chance to play for a better team. Groningen immediately responded by adding Lars Veldwijk to the squad. This is actually a great signing as Veldwijk is familiar with Eredivisie football and he already showed in the past that he's capable of scoring with ease. Mike te Wierik, Django Warmerdam and Todd Kane are all expected to give the defence a welcome boost, which is positive news as well. The transfers in Groningen aren't that spectacular, but the staff did what they had to do and Faber should be able to produce a decent season with his men. A play-off spot for the Europa League will be the main mission again.