Thursday, August 4, 2022 at 3:00 PM• Last update: 15:02

In the section ‘Standard sounds’, Voetbalzone turns the tables! A VZ reader with writing ambitions regularly gets the chance to publish an opinion piece, column or other interesting article about football on our website. This week an ode to the switching program! The Kitchen Champion Division will start again on Friday evening with, among other things, a number of Brabant get-togethers and the trainer debut of Dirk Kuijt. This entry shows that the start of a new Kitchen Champion Division season brings great joy to this VZ reader!

By: Anonymous Submission

Finally the time has come. The start of the new football season. After two months full of practice matches and the European Championship for women, we saw last weekend how Virgil van Dijk managed to stop Erling Braut Haaland, while PSV was able to stunt in the Johan Cruijff ArenA with the help of Guus Til. Lionel Messi also showed that he is still capable of great things. However, we haven’t quite started yet. The crème de la crème of the football world doesn’t start until Friday evening. With the return of the weekly switching program at 8 p.m. on ESPN.

This year it will be even better. With Heracles Almelo, Willem II and PEC Zwolle, the Eredivisie lost three colorful clubs with a loyal following. For example, it was recently announced that the Tilburgers have already sold ten thousand season tickets for the upcoming season. At the end of June, PEC even had more season tickets sold than in the past season and in Almelo they also want to go full for direct promotion back to the Eredivisie.

Although it was difficult for the people from The Hague to accept it on May 29 of this year, the lack of promotion at the same time ensured that the neutral spectator gets to see flashes of Dirk Kuijt’s ADO Den Haag every Friday evening this season, with Thomas Verheydt in the point. To stay in the corner of The Hague, Tom Beugelsdijk unexpectedly opted for a two-year contract with the ambitious Helmond Sport. I am already looking forward to the duels between Verheydt and Beugelsdijk on October 28. One thing is certain: the neutral spectator always wins!

Dirk Kuijt makes his debut against Heracles on Friday evening as head coach of ADO Den Haag

Because the first teams of Ajax, AZ, PSV and FC Utrecht are very well filled this season, we can expect many great talents on the match sheet at the promise teams. It seems that, among others, Naci Ünüvar, Sontje Hansen, Fodé Fofana, Isaac Babadi, Fedde de Jong and Ernest Poku regularly have to put themselves in the spotlight against clubs such as Telstar, TOP Oss, FC Dordrecht, and MVV.

It will be interesting to see if a player like Ünüvar, who recently extended his contract with Ajax, can keep up the motivation for another season as he did last season. Everyone can see that the flamboyant right leg, who scored 16 goals and provided 12 assists in the 2021/22 season, is actually ready for a step up. Yet we will regularly see him appear in the switching program. Who knows on the side of Mohamed Ihattaren, if the top talent returns. In the past season, Ihattaren treated the viewers of ESPN already on a sublime hat-trick against VVV-Venlo.

At Jong Ajax, all eyes are once again on Naci Ünüvar this season

At the same time, the Kitchen Champion Division seems to have more experienced players than ever this season. A small selection from a wonderful list of names: seasoned forces such as Glynor Plet, Danny Post, Siem de Jong, Bram van Polen, Bart van Hintum, Samuel Armenteros and Marko Vejinovic can all be found on the second level of the Netherlands. In particular, the interviews of Post and Van Polen after a match are a relief compared to interviews of many Eredivisie players.

Those interviews are regularly conducted by Hans Kraay junior, who speaks just as enthusiastically with the third left back of Telstar as with stars such as Hakim Ziyech. As a loyal viewer of the switching program I can enjoy Kraay’s enthusiasm every week. One week the central defender of Almere City is good enough for the left row of the Eredivisie and after that the left winger of Roda can also make it a level higher, even ten. Not everything he says is realistic or highly polished, but it provides me with entertainment every Friday.

Hans Kraay junior and Hakim Ziyech built a good relationship during his time in the Eredivisie

Everything is possible in the switching program. A wonderful bicycle kick is exchanged effortlessly for a clumsy offense, and bizarre blunders regularly alternate with the most beautiful goals. There is also no VAR in the Kitchen Champion Division that can disapprove of these goals. Players don’t have to wait for minutes whether or not a small push was given, or whether the right winger was offside seven ball contacts earlier. The charm of football without delayed emotions makes an evening at the Keuken Kampioen Division wonderfully refreshing compared to a pot in the Eredivisie or other more highly regarded competitions.

Friday evening I will be 100 percent on time for the TV. For the interviews and analyzes of Kraay, the failed scissor movements of Bilal Basacikoglu, the typos of Nick ‘Venomenema’ Venema, the debut of Lucas ‘De Witte Kenyan’ Woudenberg at Willem II and perhaps the first goal of Hassane Bandé in an Ajax shirt . It remains to be seen what will actually happen, but I must and will see. At last. Long live the Kitchen Champion Division, long live the switching program!

I would like to close with my predictions for this season. I expect Willem II to become champion and Heracles to be promoted back to the Eredivisie immediately. I also think that Kuijt will be a success in The Hague and that he will bring ADO to the highest level again. Verheydt becomes the top scorer. Talents that I will keep an eye on this season are Feyenoord mercenary Naoufal Bannis (FC Eindhoven), Arjen van der Heide (Roda JC) and Sabir Agougil (NAC Breda). I think it would be fun to read the predictions of other VZ users in the comments!

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