Dick Schreuder Tactics At NEC Nijmegen 2025/2026: In-Possession Principles Driving Surprise Eredivisie Leaders – Tactical Analysis

The Dutch Eredivisie is already approaching its fourth matchday, and after three games, a huge surprise has emerged at the top.

Instead of the usual names like Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord Rotterdam or AZ Alkmaar, NEC Nijmegen are leading the league heading into the weekend.

Scoring 12 goals while conceding only one in three games is impressive enough, but its not just the results that are impressive; NEC has put in three impressive performances to start the season.

They are not just efficient, but a really good team!

There are multiple things that make them so special, but the most impressive part of their game is their play in possession.

With nearly 65% possession in their opening three games, NEC is leading the league in terms of possession and the table. Therefore, we will examine that facet of their game in this article.

After a rather average season, the club decided on a coaching change this offseason, hiring Dick Schreuder, brother of former Hoffenheim and Ajax coach and FC Barcelona assistant coach Alfred Schreuder.

Schreuder was an assistant for a long time before taking over PEC Zwolle and promoting them back to the Eredivisie in 2023.

After that, he promoted Castellón to LaLiga Smartbank, the second division of Spanish football, but was sacked during their first season in that league.

Now he has taken over NEC Nijmegen by storm.

In this NEC Nijmegen tactical analysis and scout report, we will examine the tactics employed by Schreuder at NEC during possession.

This analysis will be structured around their build-up phase from the first line to the second line.

We will also examine NECs attacking play so far this season.

NEC Nijmegen Build-up In The First Line

The first thing we need to establish is NEC’s shape in possession.

Dick Schreuder has been using a 3-4-2-1 formation so far in Nijmegen, but it often shifts into a 3-1-5-1 shape while building up.

The second central midfielder often pushes up the field to drag one more player away from the build-up.

This extends the entire shape and allows for a significant gap between the four key players in the build-up and the rest of the team.

Here, we can see their shape as they build up from deep in their own half, and we even see the second midfielder pushing up the pitch.

Being spaced out in this manner has many risks, as there are not many players near the ball, but it allows Schreuder’s men to move into those open spaces between the lines, creating a lot of dynamics that the opposing teams press needs to account for.

Usually, NEC t