2020–21 Willem II season

The 2020–21 Willem II season was the club's 125th season in existence and the club's 7th consecutive season in the top flight of Dutch football. In addition to the domestic league, Willem II participated in this season's editions of the KNVB Cup and the UEFA Europa League. The season covered the period from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021.

Willem II

2020–21 season
Chairman	Jack Buckens
Manager	Adrie Koster
Stadium	Koning Willem II Stadion
Eredivisie	14th
KNVB Cup	Second round
UEFA Europa League	Third qualifying round
Top goalscorer	League: Vangelis Pavlidis (10) All: Vangelis Pavlidis (12)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2019–20 2021–22 →

Players

First-team squad

As of 1 February 2021

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  NED Robbin Ruiter 3 DF  NED Freek Heerkens (2nd captain) 4 DF  NED Jordens Peters (captain) 5 DF  NED Ian Smeulers (on loan from Feyenoord) 6 DF  NED Jan-Arie van der Heijden 7 FW  NED Ché Nunnely 8 MF  ESP Pol Llonch 10 FW  GRE Vangelis Pavlidis 11 FW  GER Mats Köhlert 13 DF  NED Leeroy Owusu 14 FW  BEL Elton Kabangu 15 FW  NED Ole Romeny (on loan from NEC) 16 MF  NED Rick Zuijderwijk 17 MF  MAR Dries Saddiki 18 DF  SUR Miquel Nelom

No. Pos. Nation Player 20 FW  GHA Kwasi Okyere Wriedt 21 MF  BEL Mike Trésor 22 DF  NED Victor van den Bogert 23 MF  GER Görkem Sağlam 24 GK  NED Connor van den Berg 25 DF  SWE Sebastian Holmén 26 GK  BEL Jorn Brondeel 27 DF  GER Derrick Köhn 30 MF  ALB Lindon Selahi (on loan from Twente) 32 DF  NED Sven van Beek (on loan from Feyenoord) 43 MF  NED Wesley Spieringhs 46 DF  NED Jop van den Avert 48 DF  NED Vincent Schippers 49 GK  KOS Arijanet Murić (on loan from Manchester City)

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 12 DF  AUS Dylan Ryan (at Melbourne Victory until 30 June 2021)

No. Pos. Nation Player 19 MF  GER John Yeboah (at Almere City until 30 June 2021)

Transfers

In

No.	Pos	Player	Transferred from	Fee	Date	Source
15			TBD		1 July 2020

Out

No.	Pos	Player	Transferred to	Fee	Date	Source
15			TBD		1 July 2020

Pre-season and friendlies

  Win   Draw   Loss

Willem II v VVV-Venlo

14 August 2020 Friendly	Willem II	2–1	VVV-Venlo	Tilburg, Netherlands
18:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Wriedt 55' Ndayishimiye 65' (pen.)	Report	Linthorst 10'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 2,800

Willem II v PSV

21 August 2020 Friendly	Willem II	1–1	PSV	Tilburg, Netherlands
18:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Llonch  30' Pavlidis 76'	Report	Malen 16' Rosario  40'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion

Genk v Willem II

4 September 2020 Friendly	Genk	Cancelled	Willem II	Belgium
14:00 CEST (UTC+2)

Competitions

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Eredivisie	12 September 2020	16 May 2021	Matchday 1	14th	34	8	7	19	40	68	−28	023.53
KNVB Cup	2 December 2020	17 December 2020	First round	Second round	1	0	0	1	0	2	−2	000.00
UEFA Europa League	16 September 2020	24 September 2020	Second qualifying round	Third qualifying round	2	1	0	1	5	4	+1	050.00
Total					37	9	7	21	45	74	−29	024.32

Last updated: 16 May 2021
Source: Soccerway

Eredivisie

Main article: 2020–21 Eredivisie

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
12	Heerenveen	34	9	12	13	43	49	−6	39
13	PEC Zwolle	34	9	11	14	44	53	−9	38
14	Willem II	34	8	7	19	40	68	−28	31
15	RKC Waalwijk	34	7	9	18	33	55	−22	30
16	Emmen (R)	34	7	9	18	40	68	−28	30	Qualification for the Relegation play-offs[a]

Source: Eredivisie,^[1] Soccerway^[2]
Rules for classification: Season in progress: 1) Most points won; 2) Less points lost; 3) Goal difference; 4) Goals scored; 5) Alphabetical order; End of season: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored; 4) Head-to-head points; 5) Head-to-head goal difference; 6) Head-to-head away goals scored; 7) Play-off if relevant for deciding champion, relegation or participating in a European league, otherwise by draw. 8) Penalty shoot-out (only after a play-off)^[3]
(R) Relegated
Notes:

1. Seven teams, one from the Eredivisie and six from the Eerste Divisie, play for one spot in the 2021–22 Eredivisie. The remaining six teams play in the 2021–22 Eerste Divisie.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
34	8	7	19	40	68	−28	31	6	2	9	22	33	−11	2	5	10	18	35	−17

Last updated: 16 May 2021.
Source: Eredivisie

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34
Ground	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	L	W	D	L	L	D	L	L	W	L	L	L	L	D	L	L	D	L	L	W	D	L	L	W	D	W	D	L	L	W	L	L	W	W
Position	18	8	8	11	12	11	12	14	12	14	15	16	16	15	16	17	16	17	17	16	16	16	16	16	16	16	15	15	15	15	15	15	15	14

Updated to match(es) played on 16 May 2021. Source: Eredivisie
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

The league fixtures were announced on 24 July 2020.^[4]

SC Heerenveen v Willem II

12 September 2020 1	SC Heerenveen	2–0	Willem II	Heerenveen
18:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Batista Meier  17' Woudenberg 22' Van der Heide  68' Bochniewicz 75'	Report	Llonch  19' Nelom  32' Sağlam  44'	Stadium: Abe Lenstra Stadion Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Richard Martens

Willem II v Heracles Almelo

20 September 2020 2	Willem II	4–0	Heracles Almelo	Tilburg
14:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Köhlert  43' Pavlidis 46', 84' Sağlam 50' Yeboah 52'	Report		Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 3,908 Referee: Jeroen Manschot

FC Emmen v Willem II

27 September 2020 3	FC Emmen	1–1	Willem II	Emmen
16:45 CEST (UTC+2)	De Leeuw 5' Bijl  19',  57'	Report	Trésor 13' Holmén  90+2'	Stadium: De Oude Meerdijk Attendance: 2,312 Referee: Edwin van de Graaf

Willem II v Feyenoord

4 October 2020 4	Willem II	1–4	Feyenoord	Tilburg
14:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Peters  8' Pavlidis 13'	Report	Haps 23' Linssen 48' Berghuis 56', 77' Spajić  88'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Allard Lindhout

Willem II v FC Twente

17 October 2020 5	Willem II	0–3	FC Twente	Tilburg
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Holmén  45+2' Sağlam  64' Nelom  70'	Report	Danilo 2', 62' Oosterwolde 48' Lamprou  83'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Dennis Higler

PEC Zwolle v Willem II

24 October 2020 6	PEC Zwolle	0–0	Willem II	Zwolle
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Leemans  47' Saymak  84'  85'	Report	Trésor  48'	Stadium: MAC³PARK Stadion Referee: Martín Pérez

Willem II v Vitesse

31 October 2020 7	Willem II	1–3	Vitesse	Tilburg
21:00 CET (UTC+1)	Nunnely 25'	Report	Openda 57' Broja 63' Vroegh 85'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Marc Nagtegaal

PSV v Willem II

8 November 2020 8	PSV	3–0	Willem II	Eindhoven
20:00 CET (UTC+1)	Max 14' Götze 21' Rosario  40' Malen 82'	Report	Köhn  63'	Stadium: Philips Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Allard Lindhout

Willem II v VVV-Venlo

21 November 2020 9	Willem II	2–1	VVV-Venlo	Tilburg
18:45 CET (UTC+1)	Pavlidis 7' Sağlam 18' Llonch  62' Trésor  86'	Report	Giakoumakis 34' Hunte  73'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Erwin Blank

FC Groningen v Willem II

29 November 2020 10	FC Groningen	1–0	Willem II	Groningen
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	El Messaoudi 63'	Report	Sağlam  45+1'	Stadium: Hitachi Capital Mobility Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Martin van den Kerkhof

Fortuna Sittard v Willem II

5 December 2020 11	Fortuna Sittard	3–2	Willem II	Sittard
18:45 CET (UTC+1)	Semedo 9' Polter 29' (pen.) Rota  33' Flemming 44'	Report	Köhn  50' Pavlidis  61', 66' Heerkens  63' Llonch  75'  88' Van der Heijden 87'	Stadium: Fortuna Sittard Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Blom

Willem II v Sparta Rotterdam

13 December 2020 12	Willem II	1–3	Sparta Rotterdam	Tilburg
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	Sağlam  12' Köhn  19' Holmén  52' Wriedt 90+3'	Report	Thy 6' D. Duarte 45+1', 51' Vriends  59'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Christiaan Bax

AZ v Willem II

20 December 2020 13	AZ	5–3	Willem II	Alkmaar
16:45 CET (UTC+1)	Koopmeiners 38', 43' Stengs 53' Midtsjø 65' Karlsson 69' (pen.)	Report	Aboukhlal 22' (o.g.) Trésor 36' (pen.) Köhn  68' Nunnely 90'	Stadium: AFAS Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Dennis Higler

Willem II v Ajax

23 December 2020 14	Willem II	1–1	Ajax	Tilburg
18:45 CET (UTC+1)	Wriedt 54'	Report	Antony 4',  66'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Jeroen Manschot

VVV-Venlo v Willem II

10 January 2021 15	VVV-Venlo	2–1	Willem II	Venlo
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	Giakoumakis 79' (pen.), 90+3',  87'	Report	Van der Heijden 15',  52' Holmén  66'	Stadium: De Koel Attendance: 0 Referee: Jochem Kamphuis

Willem II v FC Groningen

14 January 2021 16	Willem II	2–3	FC Groningen	Tilburg
21:00 CET (UTC+1)	Nunnely 60' Dammers 79' (o.g.)	Report	El Hankouri 50', 90+3' Itakura 84',  90+2'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Marc Nagtegaal

RKC Waalwijk v Willem II

17 January 2021 17	RKC Waalwijk	1–1	Willem II	Waalwijk
12:15 CET (UTC+1)	Tahiri 47'	Report	Wriedt 59'	Stadium: Mandemakers Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Allard Lindhout

Willem II v PEC Zwolle

22 January 2021 18	Willem II	1–3	PEC Zwolle	Tilburg
20:00 CET (UTC+1)	Wriedt 10',  45+1' Selahi  41'	Report	Kersten  45' Ghoochannejhad 58', 62', 70' (pen.)	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Sander van der Eijk

Ajax v Willem II

28 January 2021 19	Ajax	3–1	Willem II	Amsterdam
21:00 CET (UTC+1)	Klaassen 51' Brobbey 83' Tadić 87' Schuurs  89' Blind  90+2'	Report	Pavlidis 62'	Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena Attendance: 0 Referee: Siemen Mulder

Willem II v FC Emmen

31 January 2021 20	Willem II	2–0	FC Emmen	Tilburg
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	Nunnely 38' Wriedt 47'	Report	Bijl  90'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Björn Kuipers

Feyenoord v Willem II

14 February 2021 22	Feyenoord	5–0	Willem II	Rotterdam
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	Diemers  6' Toornstra 45+2' Linssen 49' Sinisterra 52' Berghuis 63' (pen.) Kökçü 83'	Report	Trésor  90'	Stadium: De Kuip Attendance: 0 Referee: Jochem Kamphuis

Willem II v FC Utrecht

19 February 2021 23	Willem II	0–6	FC Utrecht	Tilburg
20:00 CET (UTC+1)	Selahi  77'	Report	Ter Avest 3' Van de Streek 11', 19' Ramselaar 47' Kerk 69' Van der Maarel 86'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Rob Dieperink

Willem II v ADO Den Haag

24 February 2021 21	Willem II	1–1	ADO Den Haag	Tilburg
16:30 CET (UTC+1)	Heerkens  37' Trésor 48' (pen.) Peters  60'  75' Owusu  90+6'	Report	Gomelt  42' Pinas 62' (pen.)	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Siemen Mulder

Sparta Rotterdam v Willem II

28 February 2021 24	Sparta Rotterdam	0–2	Willem II	Rotterdam
12:15 CET (UTC+1)	Duarte  43' Fortes  78'	Report	Nunnely 67' Trésor 78' (pen.)	Stadium: Het Kasteel Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Blom

FC Twente v Willem II

6 March 2021 25	FC Twente	1–1	Willem II	Enschede
18:45 CET (UTC+1)	Roemeratoe  40' Bosch 64',  89'	Report	Pavlidis 81'	Stadium: De Grolsch Veste Attendance: 0 Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük

Willem II v SC Heerenveen

13 March 2021 26	Willem II	3–1	SC Heerenveen	Tilburg
16:30 CET (UTC+1)	Holmén 28' Wriedt 55' Nunnely 58'	Report	J. Veerman  59', 73'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Jeroen Manschot

Vitesse v Willem II

21 March 2021 27	Vitesse	0–0	Willem II	Arnhem
14:30 CET (UTC+1)	Rasmussen  20' Tannane  54'	Report	Spieringhs  24'	Stadium: GelreDome Attendance: 0 Referee: Danny Makkelie

Willem II v AZ

3 April 2021 28	Willem II	0–1	AZ	Tilburg
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Llonch  37' Saddiki  74'	Report	Koopmeiners  5' Guðmundsson 72' Midtsjø  77'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Blom

Heracles Almelo v Willem II

10 April 2021 29	Heracles Almelo	4–0	Willem II	Almelo
18:45 CEST (UTC+2)	Bakış 6', 38' Pröpper 46' Vloet 77'	Report	Owusu  80'	Stadium: Erve Asito Attendance: 0 Referee: Pol van Boekel

Willem II v RKC Waalwijk

23 April 2021 30	Willem II	1–0	RKC Waalwijk	Tilburg
20:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Pavlidis 54',  90+5'	Report	Anita  61'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Danny Makkelie

FC Utrecht v Willem II

1 May 2021 31	FC Utrecht	3–2	Willem II	Utrecht
21:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Van de Streek 4' Maher  33' Van Beek 45+4' (o.g.) Kerk 68' Gustafson  90+2'	Report	Holmén  34', 57' Wriedt  37', 82'	Stadium: Stadion Galgenwaard Attendance: 0 Referee: Jeroen Manschot

Willem II v PSV

9 May 2021 32	Willem II	0–2	PSV	Tilburg
16:45 CEST (UTC+2)		Report	Malen 26' Köhn 51' (o.g.) Dumfries  82'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Dennis Higler

ADO Den Haag v Willem II

13 May 2021 33	ADO Den Haag	1–4	Willem II	The Hague
14:30 CEST (UTC+2)	El Khayati 38' Van Ewijk  45+4' Kramer 69' Vejinović  88'	Report	Pavlidis 5', 22' Wriedt 40' Nunnely 71' Selahi  73' Muric  75'	Stadium: Cars Jeans Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Jochem Kamphuis

Willem II v Fortuna Sittard

16 May 2021 34	Willem II	2–1	Fortuna Sittard	Tilburg
14:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Llonch  39' Pavlidis 45',  57' Holmén 67'	Report	Flemming  45+2', 48'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Allard Lindhout

KNVB Cup

Main article: 2020–21 KNVB Cup

DVS '33 v Willem II

2 December 2020 First round	DVS '33	Bye	Willem II	Ermelo
19:45 CET (UTC+1)				Stadium: Sportpark Zuid

Willem II v Vitesse

17 December 2020 Second round	Willem II	0–2	Vitesse	Tilburg
21:00 CET (UTC+1)	Holmén  41' Schippers  84'	Report	Manhoef 20' Buitink 63'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Sander van der Eijk

UEFA Europa League

Main article: 2020–21 UEFA Europa League

Progrès Niederkorn v Willem II

16 September 2020 Second qualifying round	Progrès Niederkorn	0–5	Willem II	Differdange, Luxembourg
18:30 CEST (UTC+2)	Jänisch  10' Ferino  68'	Report	Pavlidis 20', 34' Sağlam 28' Nunnely 46' Trésor 65'	Stadium: Stade Municipal Attendance: 0 Referee: Mykola Balakin (Ukraine)

Willem II v Rangers

24 September 2020 Third qualifying round	Willem II	0–4	Rangers	Tilburg, Netherlands
21:00 CEST (UTC+2)	Nelom  27' Pavlidis  81' Llonch  82'	Report	Barišić  6' Tavernier 22' (pen.) Kent 25' Helander 55', 71' Morelos  66'	Stadium: Koning Willem II Stadion Attendance: 0 Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)

Statistics

Goalscorers