Is the Belgian Pro League better than the Eredivisie? | OneFootball

Up until the ‘Golden Generation’ of Belgian football, it had always felt like the country lived in the shadow of its low countries neighbour the Netherlands. Yet while the Red Devils were a more talented outfit than Oranje, domestically the Eredivisie has for a long time been of a higher standard than the Pro League. In Europe this had been the case, with Dutch sides being able to compete in the Champions League and the Eredivisie as a whole being just outside of the top five European leagues.

However, this week may suggest that the roles are starting to reverse somewhat. Yes, this may look like an overreaction to three different results in the Champions League, but it may be worth exploring further. Union St Gilloise, the champions of Belgium, dismantled PSV, the champions of the Eredivisie. PSV are not the same side they were last year, losing a number of key players and not appearing to have replaced them with the same level of quality (although the young players may reach that level at some point). Yet Union also lost key players, but have been able to maintain their high standard. Even last year they were incredibly unlucky to lose away to Ajax in the Europa League in a game they dominated. They also overcame another Dutch side in Twente during the league phase.

Ajax were also in action and did not look like a team that can compete at the top level at the moment. The side are a far cry from the one that made a deep run in the competition a few years ago. The drop off in talent at Ajax and PSV, two of the best sides in the Eredivisie, is certainly a cause for concern. Compare this to Club Brugge, a side like Ajax and PSV who lose their best players most summer. Yet they also retain and retool, ironically signing Carlos Forbs from Ajax this summer. Forbs was a key factor in the sides demolition of Monaco, showing that perhaps their performances in last seasons Champions League was not a one off. Club Brugge looked quicker than Monaco and took the game to a side that many would consider stronger than them. This has been the pattern for both Club Brugge and Union in Europe in the past seasons and it is refreshing to see their lack of fear of their opposition, regardless of their stature.

When we look at the UEFA coefficient, Belgium sits eight while the Netherlands is sixth. Since the 2021/2022 season, the gap has closed significantly. That was the last time that the Eredivisie clubs scored more points in European competitions than the Pro League. That shouldn’t happen this year, with six Dutch clubs in Europe to Belgium’s three, with two of those three being in the Champions League. Yet, Ajax and PSV look unlikely to pick up many points. In truth, Feyenoord are clearly the best placed side to do so this year, with a well balanced squad and a Europa League slate of games that gives them a chance of making it through. AZ should also do well in the Conference League with a favorable schedule.

While I do think the Pro League, at the top level at least, is closing in on the Eredivisie and may have surpassed it in some ways, I think as a whole, the Dutch league is likely still ahead overall. Clubs like Anderlecht, Genk, Gent, Standard Liege and Antwerp are in transition, or have been stuck in one for some time. Genk are the only other Belgian side in Europe, but their start to the season has been poor and the chances of them suddenly coming good in Europe seem distant. When we look at the Eredivisie, sides like AZ and Utrecht appear to be in a better position than their Belgian equivalents.

At the coefficient level, the Eredivisie clubs will be hoping that their colleagues can pick up more points this season. They are only marginally ahead of Portugal in seventh and with Belgium catching up, they are in danger of losing their chance of having six teams in Europe in the future. Should Belgium catch their friends across the border, it would be a remarkable achievement for the Pro League. It would also highlight how well clubs like Club Brugge and Union are being run in terms of recruitment and replacing their talent. Both have, in their own unique ways, been doing so for the past few years with incredible success, maintaining their talent level despite the losses.

In reality, the only way we would ever be able to decide which league is the better one would be to finally create the BeNeLiga, combining both top flights into a two division format. This remains a pipe dream and is unlikely to ever happen. One option, that I think would be a really interesting concept, would be to have a cup competition involving teams from the top two divisions in each league. The winner could be crowned champions of the low countries. On current form, my bets would be on a side from the Pro League.

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson