Eredivisie

FC Twente will enter the qualifying rounds for the Champions League

20 May 2024

FC Twente secured third place on the final day of the season. Thanks to this achievement, the team will attempt to qualify for the main tournament of the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 through the preliminary rounds.

Upward trend

After finishing fourth in 2021/22 and fifth in 2022/23, FC Twente improved this season, achieving their first top-three finish since 2013/14. This marks the thirteenth time FC Twente has finished in the top three of the Eredivisie, equaling AZ's record. Below is an overview of the clubs with the most top-three finishes in Eredivisie history.

Team	Seasons
Ajax	59
PSV	51
Feyenoord	43
AZ	13
FC Twente	13
3 other clubs	3

Champions League qualification in historical perspective

Thanks to this third-place finish, FC Twente qualifies for the Champions League qualification. Unfortunately, in their previous three attempts, the Tukkers were not successful. In 2008, FC Twente, under the management of Steve McClaren, was eliminated by the powerhouse Arsenal, and the following year, Sporting Portugal, not for the first time, proved to be a nemesis for a Dutch team. In the last attempt in 2012, Twente survived a round by defeating Romanian side FC Vaslui, only to face defeat against Benfica.

Thus, FC Twente has only managed to qualify for the Champions League main tournament once in the club's history, thanks to their championship win in 2009/10. In 2010/11, under the management of Michel Preud'homme, the team performed admirably in the group stage by remaining undefeated at home against Inter, Tottenham Hotspur, and Werder Bremen (with three draws). Their only victory in the Champions League came away at Werder Bremen.

Statistical justification of Twente's third-place finish

FC Twente's third-place finish is more than justified when considering their shot statistics. The only two teams with more shots for and fewer shots against ended up above Twente, placing the Tukkers third in both categories.

Team	Shots	Team	Shots against
PSV	789	Feyenoord	260
Feyenoord	701	PSV	277
FC Twente	568	FC Twente	342
Ajax	520	AZ	323
sc Heerenveen	494	Fortuna Sittard	381
Go Ahead Eagles	491	Ajax	398

Good start

"A good start is half the battle," and FC Twente knew this well. The Enschede team had a better start to their matches than any other team in this Eredivisie season. No team scored as many goals in the first fifteen minutes as Joseph Oosting's team did (16). Additionally, they performed remarkably well in the last quarter-hour of games. This quality was highlighted once again on the final matchday, as only PSV scored more goals during this period (24 goals) than Twente did (21). In total, Twente scored 37 of their 69 goals in the first or last quarter-hour, which means they scored 'only' 32 goals in the hour in between.

Team	Goals first 15 minutes
FC Twente	16
PSV	13
AZ	12
Feyenoord	10
Three clubs	8

Young talent and experienced players: the key to success at FC Twente

At FC Twente, several players experienced their definitive breakthrough. The two 22-year-olds, Sem Steijn (17 goals & 3 assists) and Daan Rots (7 goals & 10 assists), both contributed to more than fifteen goals and assists each. Another 22-year-old, Mathias Kjølø, also made his mark by securing possession more frequently than any other Twente player (185 times). Additionally, FC Twente relied on three highly productive players in their thirties.

For instance, the now 35-year-old Ricky van Wolfswinkel demonstrated that he hasn't lost his knack for scoring goals. At the beginning of the season, he often had to prove himself as a substitute, but after Manfred Ugalde's departure, Van Wolfswinkel quietly secured his spot in the starting lineup. Consequently, Ricky van Wolfswinkel became the first player ever to score seven goals as a substitute in a single Eredivisie season, while also scoring at least as many goals as a starter (9 times).

Van Wolfswinkel became only the thirteenth player ever to score his sixteenth goal of an Eredivisie season after his 35th birthday, joining Dirk Kuijt, Robin van Persie, and Klaas Jan Huntelaar in achieving this feat this century. Notably, his sixteenth goal was memorable as it turned out to be the winning goal against PEC Zwolle.

Below is an overview of players aged 35 or older with at least 14 Eredivisie goals in a single season this century. *Age at last goal

Player	Team	Seasons	Goals	Age
Dirk Kuijt	Feyenoord	15/16	19	35
Robin van Persie	Feyenoord	18/19	16	35
Klaas Jan Huntelaar	Ajax	18/19	16	35
Ricky van Wolfswinkel	FC Twente	23/24	16	35

Unyielding defense: FC Twente's reliable backline

In defense, FC Twente was also led by veterans. At the heart of it was the 30-year-old Robin Pröpper, who won the most aerial duels (94) and had the most interceptions (32) of all FC Twente players. Among outfield players with more than a full match under their belts, he also had the highest duel success rate (60%).

And between the posts, Lars Unnerstall once again proved to be a highly reliable goalkeeper this year. The German keeper missed only two matches and demonstrated in the remaining 32 why he is so valued in Enschede. Based on Opta's Expected Goals on Target model, FC Twente should have conceded more than 41 goals in matches with Unnerstall this Eredivisie season. However, the shots on target against Twente only resulted in 33 goals conceded (plus 2 own goals). No goalkeeper prevented as many goals this season as Unnerstall (8.3).