Flashscore help the Eredivisie teams on their way, listing out two New Year's resolutions for each of the eighteen teams from the Dutch top flight.
NAC Breda: Count on veterans, find scoring boots
NAC shocked the league by announcing the free-agent transfer of Ghanaian legend Andre Ayew. The forward immediately joined the team during the first practice session of 2026 and joins fellow veteran Lewis Holtby. The hype around the German midfielder has lost its shine after NAC closed out the year with just one win from their last 12 games, however.
The Breda team are at the bottom of the league with 13 points from 17 games, and a large part of that has to do with the lack of goals. Since November 1st, NAC have scored just three goals in seven league games. Carl Hoefkens and his team will have to find a solution for that - hopefully, Ayew brings them that production.
NEC: Keep the foot on the throttle, lock the defence down
The transition from NAC to NEC is humongous. NEC are currently in fourth in the Eredivisie after a spectacular first half of the season that saw Dick Schreuder's team score a dazzling 43 goals. In 10 of their last 11 games across the Eredivisie and KNVB Beker, NEC scored at least twice. Keep that foot on the throttle and see where it'll bring you.
On the other side, NEC have failed to keep many clean sheets. Their total of 29 conceded goals ranks them at the bottom among top-half teams. Only Sparta, PEC Zwolle, FC Volendam and Heracles Almelo boast worse records, meaning the key to success is keeping it tight at the back.
PEC Zwolle: Stop conceding freakish amounts of goals, protect the fortress
As discussed in part one of this series, Heracles got off to a horrific start. However, even they might not have had a worse individual game than PEC Zwolle. And there might be two games that fit that description.
Heracles got their resurrection going with a bizarre 8-2 win over PEC Zwolle in November, after which PEC Zwolle lost 6-1 to Feyenoord in December. They went unbeaten in the games in between those losses, however. So, surely they can manage to stop conceding 6+ goals a game, right?
At home, we likely won't see that happen this year. Wins are scarce for PEC, with the team only winning five league games all season. Their last three, all of which came after their two-game win streak at the very start of the season, all came in their last three home games. Protect the fortress named MAC³PARK Stadion.
PSV: Give Joey Veerman a fitting farewell, break a record
PSV fans were given the best possible Christmas gift when Joey Veerman announced he'd be staying at the club until at least next summer. This news, which came after serious rumours about a move to Fenerbahce, was a massive relief for the team. You don't want to lose a player with 15 goal contributions in 16 games, preferably ever.
The most fitting farewell for Veerman would be an imperious title win for PSV, who are already 11 points clear at the top with 46 points from 17 games. With just one draw and one loss to their name, and 13 wins from their last 15 games across all competitions, they might want to try breaking the all-time points record that's stood since Ajax's 1971/72 season, when the Amsterdam giants won 93 points. Why not, right?
Sparta Rotterdam: Keep Tobias Lauritsen around, get others to score as well
Sparta have not been the most productive team in the first 17 games of the season. Only Excelsior and NAC Breda have scored fewer goals than Sparta, who bagged just 18 goals. Striker Tobias Lauritsen has done all he could, scoring eight goals in 17 games. The Norwegian target man has absolutely dominated in aerial duels, winning 124 of 204, both of which are astronomical numbers in the league.
It is Lauritsen's fourth season in Rotterdam, and it will most likely be his fourth consecutive season with 10+ goals. Surrounding him with goal-scoring talent is an issue, however, with Joshua Kitolano being the only other player who's scored more than one goal. Of last season's squad, only Lauritsen (10), Mitchell van Bergen (3), Pelle Clement (2) and Nokkvi Thorisson (2) remain from the players who scored more than one goal. Get that man some help.
Telstar: Stay gritty, stay cheeky
Telstar have impressed mightily since returning to the Eredivisie for the first time since 1977. Anthony Correia's men are out of the bottom three and have lost just one of their last seven league games. Their promotion was a shock, but the way they've played in the top flight has been just as impressive.
Since their 2-0 home loss to PEC Zwolle in round 2, Telstar have failed to score just three times. Correia has stayed true to his 3-man defence and is impressing with a team that's made up from players who were amateurs in recent years. Even better: five starters from their 1-0 win over NAC Breda had played for amateurs Quick Boys less than 18 months earlier.
FC Twente: Extend John van den Brom, build on Sam Lammers
After a disappointing end to last season and an even worse start to this season, FC Twente manager Joseph Oosting was relieved of his duties and replaced by veteran John van den Brom. Under his tutelage, Twente only lost one of their next 14 games and rejoined the fight for the playoffs.
Van den Brom was given a massive boost when striker Sam Lammers was declared fit after struggling with injuries for months. Lammers worked on his match fitness and was given his first start in early December, after which he took the team by the hand, excelling especially in the 2-0 win over Go Ahead Eagles. The former Rangers striker bagged a brilliant brace.
It seems easy to point out which direction FC Twente should head into.
FC Utrecht: Find El Karouani's successor, send Jans off with a bang
After a brilliant 2024/25 season and a likewise start to this season, FC Utrecht seemingly fell off a cliff. No one within or around the club will be happy with their eighth place in the Eredivisie table. It doesn't look to get any easier, either.
Left-back Souffian El Karouani leads the league in chances created, but is set to leave the club in January with his contract expiring in the summer. It will be a massive gap to fill by the club, who'll also have to work towards a future without manager Ron Jans.
The 67-year-old announced his retirement following the current season, marking the upcoming end of a 35-year career. With survival in the UEFA Europa League looking impossible, Jans and FC Utrecht will look to finish the season on a high - perhaps with a cheeky cup win?
FC Volendam: Get rid of homesickness, be braver
FC Volendam couldn't have dreamt of a better 2024/25, winning the Keuken Kampioen Divisie after a dominant season. Their 2025/26 season, however, leaves something to be desired.
It took Volendan seven games to secure an Eredivisie win, and they now have three. All three have come at home, with Volendam losing six of their eight away games this season. So it's time to be brave, also in defence - no team have won possession fewer times than Volendam (622) or won the ball in the middle third less (230).
This article is the last part of a two-part series. You can find the New Year's resolutions for the other nine teams in this article.
