Promovendus VVV-Venlo has started this season surprisingly well. Head coach Maurice Steijn's team already has 12 points, occupying seventh place in the Eredivisie. So far, the Venlo players only lost to Ajax.
Best start in just under 60 years
Only twice before did VVV-Venlo start the league better than this season. For that we have to go far back in time. In the 1956-1957 and 1958-1959 seasons, the club had fifteen points after eight games, converted to the three-point system. In this early season, Steijn's team is already unbeaten four league games in a row. Especially at home VVV is doing well: of the last eleven league games in De Koel, VVV lost only one.
Strong defense
That the Limburgers are called a counter team is understandable. With an average of 40 percent, VVV has the least ball possession of all teams in the Eredivisie. But PSV also doesn't have the ball more often than it does: 48 to 52 percent. VVV leans on defense and does not do so without success. The promoter, like PSV, only gave up six goals. Again, the least of all clubs.
Clint Leemans
In Venlo, a former PSV player is currently the big eye-catcher. Clint Leemans has already scored four goals, making him the club's top scorer. The 22-year-old midfielder went through PSV's youth academy and played 88 matches in the Jupiler League with Young PSV. However, Leemans never came to an official game in the first team.