The standard of the Vriendenloterij Eredivisie sometimes shocks René van der Gijp. The analyst from Dordrecht hopes strong performances by Dutch clubs in Europe can give football in the Netherlands at least some standing.
"It is important that PSV and Feyenoord do well in the Champions League," Van der Gijp says on Monday's KieftJansenEgmondGijp. "Because the league is declining so much now that scouts return to their clubs and say: this is no good at all."
"And you can see that in results like 9-0," says Van der Gijp, referring to FC Twente's 0-9 win over Excelsior on Sunday. "That's all well and good. But people who read that say: what is going on with the Dutch league?"
The former forward continues: "You can only disguise that with the Champions League. So that people in Italy say Feyenoord were the better side against Como. And PSV beat FC Porto. So that those Portuguese newspapers still write that good football is being played in the Netherlands."
"But if that falls away too, you'll see that the big fees of 40 or 45 million euros dry up. People will say: what does it prove that you can get past Fortuna Sittard's left-back?" Van der Gijp warns of leaner financial times in the Netherlands.
"Ajax were, of course, stripped of their players because of that Champions League semi-final," Van der Gijp says, referring to 2019, when Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt were sold for tens of millions after a successful year in Europe.
Wim Kieft joins the discussion. "Ajax have always relied on their own youth players. And now there are some youngsters coming through again. Ouazane is becoming a good player. Mokio is doing well. And Godts was a good player."