Football Season Guide

Last season wasn’t a positive one for PEC, especially if compared to the previous one. They collapsed to in 13th place, after getting very close to the play-off zone. They struggled from the very beginning, always fluctuating between the bottom places, and only saved by the suspension when they were in 15th place. If previous season’s good results were largely thanks to coach Jaap Stam (who nevertheless landed in more prestigious shores), his replacement, inexperienced John Stegeman, was not always up to par. The coach in particular failed to give the necessary defensive solidity to the team that conceded 55 goals in 26 rounds (second worse defence after RKC!). During the summer transfer market Zwolle have been very passive, with only two signings - attacking midfielder Jesper Drost from Heracles and young centre-forward Slobodan Tedic from Manchester City U23. In contrast, three important players left - Dutch-Brazilian defensive midfielder Gustavo Hamer, striker Vito van Crooij and German centre-forward Lennart Thy, PEC’s second-best scorer with 6 goals. Despite this the squad still seems complete, although maybe there is something missing in defence. In attack a lot will depend on the mood of the two trequartisti, Jesper Drost and Mustafa Saymak, but especially on the physical condition of Iranian striker Reza Ghoochannejhad, who last season, after an excellent start (7 goals in 13 matches), spent more time in the infirmary than on the pitch.