Eredivisie End of Season Review: NAC Breda | OneFootball

Final Position: 15th

Overview:

NAC Breda returned to the Eredivisie after a thumping win over Excelsior during last seasons play-offs. That they went on the survive ahead of the second tier champions Willem II has to be seen as a successful season for NAC. However, they ended the season on a terrible run of form and were fortunate that both Almere City and RKC Waalwijk were as bad as Willem II and unable to put much pressure on them. Next season they will certainly not be able to afford such a poor run of form.

Player of the season: Jan van den Bergh

It feels strange to give a man who got 11 yellow cards a player of the season award, but former Beerschot defender Jan van den Bergh did arguably deserve it. The defender with an eye for goal scored twice and grabbed four assists in 31 games for the side as their captain. The 30-year-old would have probably liked a few more goals, given that he had more shot attempts than 90% of the leagues central defenders. He also won more aerial duels than 78% of Eredivisie defenders and created more chances for his side than 98%. Van den Bergh is certainly a unique type of defender.

Young Player of the Season: Leo Sauer

Leo Sauer enjoyed a decent spell on loan at NAC from Feyenoord during the 2024/2025 campaign. The 19-year-old Slovakian winger grabbed seven goals and two assists in 32 games for the side. These seven goals were pretty crucial for a team that only scored 34 goals in 34 games.

Summer needs:

Carl Hoefkens will be hoping for some more attacking options next season given the lack of goals. This could come from internal growth, with a full pre-season under the belt of Kamal Sowah potentially being a game changer. Sowah has done well for Hoefkens in the past at Club Brugge. The side did bring in Sydney van Hooijdonk as well in January, but he only managed one goal in 17 games. With Sauer being the sides second top scorer on seven goals, his return to Feyenoord heightens the need for players that can put the ball in the net.

Grade: B

GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson