After spending the 2015–16 season back in his country with FC Eindhoven, in the Eerste Divisie, van der Gaag moved to the top flight and successively coached SBV Excelsior and NAC Breda.
Van der Gaag's coaching career took him from his time with FC Eindhoven in the Eerste Divisie to higher levels of Dutch football, where he managed SBV Excelsior and NAC Breda.