The Eredivisie season has passed the halfway point and league leaders Feyenoord are in pole position to land a first title since 2016-17.

With Ajax and PSV Eindhoven both proving to be inconsistent, the Rotterdam-based club have taken advantage. 

After 19 games, they hold a two-point lead over manager Arne Slot’s former side AZ Alkmaar. 

As Feyenoord prepare for an important home match against PSV on Sunday, we take an in-depth look at the Dutch powerhouses.

Sole defeat

PSV are the only Eredivisie team to have beaten Slot's men so far this season.

Ruud van Nistelrooy's side won the reverse fixture last September, ending Feyenoord's six-match unbeaten start to their league campaign. Since that loss, the leaders have gone on a 12-game run without defeat.

The hosts will be confident of taking revenge. PSV have lost five times this season, with four of those defeats coming on the road. 

Feyenoord have a four-point lead over third-placed PSV and are five ahead of an Ajax side in fourth, with the Amsterdam giants suffering an uncharacteristically poor campaign.

John Heitinga has been hired to arrest their slump, but it would take a significant turnaround for them to overtake the current table-toppers.

Slot success

Though Feyenoord finished third last term, Slot’s fine work in his debut season at the club saw him named as the Eredivisie Manager of the Year, ahead of the now Manchester United coach Erik ten Hag.

The tally of 71 points was a big improvement on their fifth-place finish with 59 points in the 2020-21 campaign, under the veteran tactician Dick Advocaat. 

Slot agreed a deal to become Advocaat’s successor midway through that season, after he was sacked by AZ in December 2020, for showing interest in the Feyenoord position. 

Beginning his first managerial job at AZ in 2019-20, Slot’s side were second in the Eredivisie when the season was cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis. Only nine games of the campaign remained, with Ajax just ahead of AZ on goal difference. 

When he was sacked, Slot had earned an average of 2.11 points-per-game in the league, which is the highest total in AZ’s history. He has continued to excel at Feyenoord, who he guided to the Europa Conference League final last season. 

New team

Slot was tasked with implementing a more recognisable style at De Kuip. He has the defence pushed high and employs aggressive pressing when the opposition has the ball. 

His side dominate possession, with the team typically trying to pass out from the back, but not afraid to go long when necessary. The 4-2-3-1 formation is fluid, creating extra numbers and overloads with constant movement. 

What is one of the most impressive aspects regarding the progress that Slot has made in his second season, is that the successful team from his first year was largely broken up last summer.

Key figures such as Luis Sinisterra, Marcos Senesi and Tyrell Malacia were all sold to Premier League suitors, with on-loan talent Reiss Nelson returned to Arsenal.

Slot has had to essentially create a new team, so for their results to be so consistent this season has been an impressive feat. 

Title chance

Slot is proving himself to be a manager capable of implementing his ideas quickly with a new group of players and immediately improving results. 

Over the course of his short managerial career, there has been a lot of change, yet his attractive style of football has remained consistent throughout and he has been able to take his clubs to new heights. 

Should this trend continue, then it would seem likely that Slot’s services will be in demand from teams throughout Europe. 

Winning the Eredivisie at Feyenoord would be the sort of attention-grabbing achievement that would guarantee interest in their manager. The success of Ten Hag since joining Manchester United adds to a persuasive argument. 

For now, Slot and his team still have much to do. Having been denied the chance to determine whether his AZ side could have won the title, he will be taking nothing for granted with 15 games to go.