Make AFC AJAX Great Again

[Danimal5981]

• Ajax miss top 8 on goal difference
• Ajax will play Liverpool (again) who reach the best 24 by the skin of their teeth, thanks in part to Ajax who beat Liverpool earlier 2-1
• Surprise exits by Olympique Lyonnais, Atlético Madrid and Napoli

[Danimal5981]

• Netherlands recover having scored more coefficient points already than last season
• England and Portugal see all their club teams survive the group stages of all UEFA sanctioned tournaments
• Relatively strong showings by Denmark, Scotland and Romania

• Ajax (46th) have surpassed rivals Feyenoord, who were having another dismal European season
• PSV ranked fifth among teams outside Big Five leagues, behind Porto, Sporting, Benfica and Fenerbahçe
• English clubs have lost terrain against clubs from continental Europa such as Inter, Real Madrid, Bayern and PSG

[Danimal5981]

[JustinCase]

Unfortunate to be so close and to miss out on goal difference. On the other hand, finding yourself sandwiched between Bayern and Barcelona should tell a story that you're in great company... Playing Liverpool next is unlucky though. But you beat them last time, so you have the chance to do it again. Good luck.

[Danimal5981]

Unfortunate to be so close and to miss out on goal difference. On the other hand, finding yourself sandwiched between Bayern and Barcelona should tell a story that you're in great company... Playing Liverpool next is unlucky though. But you beat them last time, so you have the chance to do it again. Good luck.

I think it was you who said something along the lines, there being a difference between meeting a top side in the group stage or in a later knock-out stage: that's what I fear most, playing Liverpool in the upcoming month - especially the game on Anfield.

[Danimal5981]

DULL GAME SEES YOUNGSTER DEBUT AS HIGHLIGHT

"If they can't have the ball, they can't score", those legendary words were once spoken by Dutch manager Rinus Michels (1928 - 2005), the discoverer of Johan Cruijff, the architect of the legendary Ajax side (1965 - 1971) and the manager who lead the Dutch out of nowhere to a first world cup final in 1974.

The words are the cornerstone of what the so-called Dutch Total Football is all about: possession positional play. And NEC took it a bit too literal. Dominating possession 65% over 35% but without creating anything in front of goal, NEC v Ajax was the dullest Dutch league game up until now. Ajax head coach brought in the Rots-brothers for the second half; this swung the balance in possession a bit and allowed Ajax to shoot a handful of times at goal. Two shots went in, adding another three points.

[Danimal5981]

[Danimal5981]

[kibaxx7]

This is looking great. Nice to see Blind back for the final chapter of his career.

[Danimal5981]

This is looking great. Nice to see Blind back for the final chapter of his career.

Thanks: the goal (or hope) is to clinch the title this year and go for something big in Europe, so to give my veteran club-icons (Blind, Bizot, Klaassen) a proper send-off. I also think 2027/2028 will be my last season at Ajax before making a switch to a bigger team. So, it all needs to fall in place next season. Because in this current season, I can no longer defend the Cup...


PSV TAKES DISTANCE IN 2nd HALF: AJAX OUT OF THE CUP

• An equal first half, Ajax imploded and was clearly the lesser of PSV, who took distance in the second half.
• Ajax head coach Daniel Marzec made use of all 'new' players: goalkeeper Marco Bizot, Daley Blind on midfield and Ringo Meerveld as #10. Youngster Idris Salem again was given some minutes, while Aaron Bouwman was given his first minutes since his training injury in early November 2026.
• Ajax, the 2026 cup winner, won't be able to defend it's title anymore. They still have a seven point lead in Eredivisie over PSV, while Liverpool awaits in the preliminary round of 16 in UEFA Champions League.
• PSV meets Feyenoord in the semi finals. AZ and Twente play in the other.