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.
Ajax: Become stable, restore defence
Ajax haven't been stable since Erik ten Hag left the club in 2022, nor have they won any trophies. The latter is still out of sight for 2026, with PSV owning a 16-point lead over their Amsterdam rivals at the halfway point and Ajax simply not looking good enough to get their hands on any silverware.
However, Jordi Cruyff, son of club legend Johan Cruyff, is on his way to Amsterdam to take over as technical director. His first order of business will be to create stability and find a new manager. The second: work on rebuilding the team, starting from the back.
Their 22 conceded goals have made this their second-worst first half of the season since 2012, trailing only their disastrous 2023/24 campaign (32). Former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu has already joined Ajax, but more defensive reinforcements are needed to reinvigorate this leaky defence.
AZ: Cash in good on Parrott, seek rhythm for European voyage
2025 brought mixed success for AZ as a team, but individually, it was an excellent year for their players. Take Kees Smit, who's in his breakthrough season following a triumphant Under-19 European Championships tournament with the Netherlands, or Troy Parrott, who became the Republic of Ireland's hero with an extremely late winner in and against Hungary.
Parrott joined AZ in the summer of 2024 and has been an excellent striker for AZ, even starting this season with 10 goals in his first seven games. The moment to cash in on the Irish sensation, who's currently valued at €21.3 million on Flashscore, is this year, especially with Mexx Meerdink and the newly arrived Jizz Hornkamp in the squad too.
AZ will prefer to keep Parrott around, at least for now, with their European voyage still underway. The Alkmaar outfit have qualified for the knock-out round in the UEFA Conference League, and with the field looking not too strong, it'll be good to regain some rhythm after a bitter end to their 2025, which they ended with just three wins from their final 10 games.
Excelsior Rotterdam: Find a scoring striker, keep having at it
Excelsior made their return to the Eredivisie after finishing second in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, and it's fair to say that the Rotterdam side has exceeded expectations so far.
Excelsior booked a historic first-ever win away at Ajax in November, which was the first of three wins in their final four games of the calendar year. Staying unbeaten in two of their last six games has propelled the club to a decent 12th place, despite problems with their strikers.
Szymon Wlodarczyk, Nesto Groen, Jerroldino Bergraaf and Mike van Duinen have combined for just three goals so far. Two fewer than midfielder Noah Naujoks, whose five goals make up almost a third of Excelsior's total from their first 16 games.
Feyenoord: Find the ideal XI, clear out the squad
What started as a fortuitous calendar year for Feyenoord and Robin van Persie ended gloomily with a terrible run of results, losing seven of their last ten games across all competitions.
What was even more surprising was that Van Persie didn't play a single XI twice in the last 12 games. Sometimes due to injury issues, but primarily because Van Persie rotates his squad like it's determined by a bingo wheel. Finding the ideal starting XI will be pivotal to Van Persie turning his luck around and saving his job.
That will also help technical director Dennis te Kloese clear out what feels like an overpopulated squad. Van Persie has used 27 players across all competitions so far, with a further eight having made the matchday squad without playing a minute. Jakub Moder, Thomas Beelen and Gernot Trauner would've all played, too, if injuries hadn't hampered them, and nine players are due to return from loan spells in July. Is anyone still keeping count?
Fortuna Sittard: Resolve Alen Halilovic situation, make playoffs for real
After Fortuna Sittard thought at the start of the year that the playoffs for European football were in sight, the dreams of their fans were torn to shreds when the club announced it had not registered for UEFA competitions and would therefore not compete in the playoffs. Time to register, I'd say, with Fortuna two points off the crucial eighth place.
Another situation that needs resolving is the Alen Halilovic situation. The Croatian playmaker has been a castaway this entire season after starring for Fortuna over the past two seasons. Injuries have caused the former wunderkind to disappear from the spotlight, and with his contract expiring this upcoming summer, it's time to move on.
Go Ahead Eagles: Rediscover identity, enjoy Europe while it lasts
Twelve months make all the difference in football. Go Ahead Eagles are the Dutch cup holders after winning the KNVB Beker for the first time in club history in May, but since then, the club have fallen to a measly 13th place in the league. The departure of manager Paul Simonis hasn't helped, but after beating Aston Villa in the UEFA Europa League, it's clear that this team knows how to play.
Having said that, another season of European football is looking somewhat unlikely, making this season's UEFA Europa League something to cherish. The Eagles are one point off the top 24 and have games against OGC Nice and SC Braga ahead. Their current form doesn't give much hope, so it's time to thoroughly enjoy whatever's ahead.
FC Groningen: Get that classic win, stay on track
It's an excellent season for FC Groningen so far. One season after winning promotion from the Keuken Kampioen Divisie, Groningen have established themselves as certified playoff contenders, occupying the fifth spot at the midway point.
They've done so without having top scorer Brynjolfur Willumsson available for over a month, meaning the depth in Dick Lukkien's squad is a strong suit of theirs. They'll have to keep that going, but to establish themselves further, grabbing their first win against a traditional top 3 team (Ajax, Feyenoord, PSV) since their promotion would be fantastic. It's time for that staple win.
sc Heerenveen: Believe in Robin Veldman, build on Trenskow and Rivera
It was a rough, rough start to the season for Heerenveen, who failed to win any games and lost three of their first five. The comeback was on, however, and the Frisians lost as many games in their next thirteen games as they jumped up to ninth. Robin Veldman has been in the job since January and stepped up when Robin van Persie left for Feyenoord. It's right to believe in him.
Who Heerenveen must also believe in are Jacob Trenskow and Maxence Rivera. Trenskow scored a hat-trick against Heracles, but only one of the goals counted, bringing his total for the season to six goals and two assists in 17 games. For comparison: Trenskow scored six goals and provided three assists in 26 games last season. The Dane is picking up steam.
Meanwhile, Frenchman Maxence Rivera is finding his stride on the opposite side of Trenskow. It took a while for the former Saint-Etienne man to start scoring, but it took him less time to wow fans with his fancy footwork and dazzling technique. Now that the goals are starting to come as well, how good will the Trenskow-Rivera tandem be in 2026?
Heracles Almelo: Find Hornkamp's replacement, forget Sibum era
Bas Sibum didn't last long after a truly disastrous start to the season. Heracles lost a staggering nine of their first 10 games, conceding 30 goals along the way. All of that changed after Sibum was handed an early exit - the Almelo side won the next four games and lost just two of the last nine games of the calendar year.
One of the architects of this meteoric rise was striker Jizz Hornkamp, who scored eight goals in the first seven games following Sibum's dismissal. However, Hornkamp left early in the January transfer window, joining AZ for a reported €4.5 million. The striker accounted for 10 of Heracles' 26 goals, making a Hornkamp replacement the club's top priority for now.
This article is the first part of a two-part series. The New Year's resolutions for the remaining nine teams will be published on Tuesday, January 6th, at 9.00 AM CEST.
