Football Season Guide

ADO Den Haag finished 11th last season, which was a decent result to be honest. Producing that last step to finish in the top half of the table again like they did in 2013 and 2014 would give this club a huge boost, but this will be extremely difficult. The funds just aren't there to add the experienced and well-known players to the squad and the staff will have to show their creativity on the market again to maintain the quality in the side. The goalkeeper position is still a point of discussion at the moment. Martin Hansen was one of the leaders in the ADO Den Haag team last year and his performances were decent throughout the full campaign, but his achievements resulted in a move to FC Ingolstadt in Germany. Robert Zwinkels, the experienced second goalie and fan favourite in The Hague, could become the first choice in goal, but new signing Ernestas Setkus could push for the spot in goal as well. The defence will contain new faces this year, but it isn't clear if they will be capable of pushing the performances to a higher level. José San Román and Thomas Meissner came over from Huracan and MSV Duisburg and they're expected to claim starting spots in the new ADO Den Haag side, especially with the departure of experienced defenders like Gianni Zuiverloon and Vito Wormgoor in mind. The attack contains quality at the moment. Key striker Mike Havenaar, who scored sixteen goals last season, got linked with other clubs after the season, but he's still in The Hague, which is excellent news for ADO. Edouard Duplan (33) and Ruben Schaken (34) are experienced wingers who will bring quality to the attack, but their age could become a factor. The midfield will need more quality if ADO Den Haag is going to push for a top half finish. Aschraf El Mahdioui came over from Ajax, but he's still inexperienced and he will need time to adjust. Thimoty Derijck and Thomas Kristensen provided the experience on the midfield last season, but they already left the club. Kevin Jansen and Danny Bakker are set to complete line again and they will be more experienced this campaign. A new manager will try to push for a better finishing spot this year as Henk Fraser left the club to train Vitesse. Zeljko Petrovic, a former PSV Eindhoven player, already trained RKC Waalwijk in the past and he will get a new chance now to show his skills on the highest level. Petrovic is expected to focus on the attack this season in an attempt to entertain the fans, but it remains to be seen if he will be able to push for that top ten position.