During the 2018/2019 season, Ajax managed to end a five-year wait by winning the Eredivisie championship. Yet despite being in a prime position to defend the title, 2019/2020 Eredivisie season was sadly cancelled due to outside causes. Even though Ajax was top of the league when the entire competition was called off, the title wasn’t rewarded to the famous Amsterdam club after a controversial decision by the Dutch Football Association.
The good news: football has returned. The sport is up and running with the current Eredivisie season already in full swing. To perhaps nobody’s surprise, Ajax currently tops the standings after 11 games. However, the league is a little too close to comfort for Ajax’s liking – four other teams are within six points of the present leaders.
Can Ajax be stopped from winning the title? Or will they successfully defend the Eredivisie and further illustrate their dominance?
The case for Ajax
If you look at the current Eredivisie odds, Ajax is the clear favourite to claim the title at the end of the season. There are plenty of reasons why this is the case. They have won nine matches out of 11, scoring 43 goals in the process while only conceding seven.
The club made history back in October when they destroyed VVV-Venlo by an incredible 13-0 score line – the most one-sided result in Ajax’s Eredivisie history. Yet for those that can look beyond this anomaly, Ajax is not quite the unstoppable force that result suggests.
They have, for instance, lost two games in the league already. Their most recent game in Eredivisie was a 2-1 defeat to Twente. Plus in the same month they hammered VVV, Ajax dropped a disappointing 1-0 loss away to Groningen.
The other contenders
Based on the present betting odds, the main challenger to Ajax’s dominance is, unsurprisingly, PSV. Part of the “big three” teams in Eredivisie history, PSV has a strong position in the table right now. They sit third, just three points behind Ajax, and with only one loss in 11 games. If their exciting, youthful team can maintain their form, they will be in contention at the end of the season.
The other member of the “big three”, Feyenoord is also in the fight. Four points behind Ajax, fourth place Feyenoord is the only team in the league that has maintained an unbeaten record – although this does include five draws. If they can start turning more of those draws into wins, they have a real chance of usurping Ajax.
Despite a disappointing start that sees the team down in the eighth position, some fans still hadn’t given up on AZ Alkmaar discovering the form that saw them finish level on points with Ajax when the previous season was cancelled.
Plus a special mention should go to Vitesse, presently second in the league and performing way above expectations. If Leicester can win the English Premier League at odds of 5,000/1, people shouldn’t underestimate Vitesse causing a massive shock.
Conclusion
It is hard to look beyond Ajax holding onto the Eredivisie crown. They have made a strong start in the league and have, on paper, the best team. However, it’s too early to count out either PSV or Feyenoord from becoming the king again.
