Make AFC AJAX Great Again

[JustinCase]

Hopefully the transfers will work out for you and not just be a nostalgia thing. A poor start to the "new" Ajax though. Transfer window has just closed, and now you're out of the cup. However, if you won it last season, the main challenge also lies with the league and European competitions.

[Danimal5981]

Hopefully the transfers will work out for you and not just be a nostalgia thing. A poor start to the "new" Ajax though. Transfer window has just closed, and now you're out of the cup. However, if you won it last season, the main challenge also lies with the league and European competitions.

JustinCase It's like I said with the potential purchase of the Kluivert-brothers: I'm not gonna do a complete overhaul in the winter transfer window. That's A] not realistic and B] not needed after a first half of the season, such as the one we had. Justin Kluivert helped with his (for Ajax) exorbitant salary demands.

The fact remains, that in two transfer windows we saw Ko Itakura, Josip Sutalo, Oscar Gloukh and Oleksandr Zinchenko leave: on goal, in defense and attack, we are in a good state, but one could argue that there's something missing on my midfield; something a nearly 37 year old veteran club-icon like Daley Blind is not going to solve instantly.

I just hope we can give Liverpool a run for their money, but the focus is really on getting the title. The atmosphere of invincibility like we had at the opening of the season, has disappeared somewhat. I just hope we don't suddenly implode and see PSV taking over; they're only seven points behind.

[Danimal5981]

AJAX DROP POINTS, THE SAME MOMENT PSV DO

• In a disappointing display, it was a last minute ditch by supersub pinch-hitter Don-Angelo Konadu who saved a point for Ajax.
• That was 5 goals out of 5 substitute dashes for Konadu, who gets rewarded with an upgrade and extension of his contract: it was until 2028, now until 2030.
• Fortunately for Ajax, rivals PSV also dropped points at their home when Go Ahead Eagles came for a visit.
• The wins by Twente and Feyenoord and the draw of Utrecht against bottom team Volendam have painted a clear picture for the final dozen league games: Ajax and PSV hammer it out for the title, Twente and Feyenoord duel for Champions League qualifying, while every team from Utrecht to Telstar have a realistic shot at the remaining European tickets.
• PSV, Feyenoord, Twente and AZ are in the semi finals of the Dutch Cup, or KNVB Beker: the winner goes straight into UEFA Europa League. If the winner finishes top 3 in the league, the 4th ranked team will go instead.

Elsewhere in Europe:

• Manchester United took a tumble: the team of Michael Carrick are currently in 11th
• La Liga appears to be a four way fight. Despite a poor European season, Atlético are in the mix (with a game in hand)
• Bologna are this year's stunt team in Italian Serie A, while Como is also close to a European debut next season
• Alarm bells ringing in Mönchengladbach: the local BVL 1900 are in 17th with only Schalke performing worse

[Danimal5981]

UNCONVINCING AND WITHOUT FLAIR

• An uninspired Ajax played another unconvincing game up north in Groningen, visiting the local FC. Still, Carrizo's goal was enough: 0-1 win.
• The core of the problem is that Director Jordi Cruijff asked head coach Daniel Marzec to step away from the playing system, that made such a success out of the first half of the season.
• No longer in a wing play system, Ajax are trying to find a balance between either possession play or high pressing from one side and experimentations with a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1 tactics on the other.
• Even though Ajax are still winning their games, they have a harder time to express dominance on the pitch and to find the net and score goals.
  
  
  

[Danimal5981]

LIVERPOOL AND AJAX EQUAL AFTER ENTERTAINING GAME

Liverpool, 17 February 2027 | For the second time this Champions League campaign, Liverpool and Ajax played each other. The first time the two met it was in Amsterdam and it ended in an Ajax win (2-1). Today, the two battled in Liverpool's Anfield and it ended in a very entertaining draw. Ajax took the initiative twice, while Liverpool deservedly pulled back as many times. The return in Amsterdam is in six days.

The game plans were no secret: Ajax tried to play a patient and careful possession type game, essentially not to lose at Anfield. Liverpool applied a high pressure game, they sought to take distance. And for the first 30 minutes that was the image of the game: Ajax tried to have a lot of the ball, while Liverpool went for the juggernaut as soon as they conquered possession. Liverpool came close to the 1-0 from a corner, but a header by Virgil van Dijk was saved on the goal line by Kian Fitz-Jim.

However, it was Ajax that drew first blood near the half hour mark. Ajax-head coach Daniel Marzec explains it is exactly how they were planning to play Liverpool: "Liverpool has strong players everywhere, but their central defenders lack speed. That's how we wanted to create our chances. And the goals scored by us were prototypes of how to get a team that lacks speed there." Veteran Daley Blind (who played his first Champions League for Ajax since December 2022) found Ringo Meerveld who sent Kasper Dolberg deep. The Dane was fast and accurate: 0-1.

The second half saw an even more ferocious Liverpool. Ajax buckled under the pressure just after the hour. Cody Gakpo cut inside from the left flank, sought the combination with Florian Wirtz and was passed Takehiro Tomiyasu who pulled the emergency break, with a yellow card and a penalty kick for Liverpool as a result. Mohamed Salah kept it cool and hammered the ball through the middle, converting the penalty kick into 1-1.

But as many times before this season, Ajax was remarkably resilient. This time Kian Fitz-Jim launched Maher Carrizo and neither left wing back Milos Kerkez or goalkeeper Alisson Becker could prevent Ajax from taking the lead again. Marzec: "That 1-2 was brilliant, but the twenty minutes after that we leaned back too much and especially in the final ten minutes it became panic football from us, just launching the ball as far away from our goal as we possibly could."

In the end, Liverpool managed to level. It was a shot by Salah that Ajax-goalie Predrag Rajković coultn't secure. The rebound was for Hugo Etikité. Where he failed a handful of times before in the game, he didn't do so now close to the end: 2-2. "Where before I've complained that we may have gotten too little, here I can live with a draw. Liverpool had many shots on our goal and we saved a ball of theirs on the goal line. So, them getting a late equalizer is unfortunate for us, but it was justified given the way the game wnet. Well done on them."

"After playing each other twice, I don't think there are many surprises between our teams. So in six days, I expect much of the same. We need to score two goals again, as we did twice against Liverpool, but just keep it tight and controlled at the back more than tonight. We have a fair shot, it will be a balnced game, but we have home advantage! So, I have good expectations for next week."

Elsewhere, only Bayern and Barcelona seem certain of advance. Alongside Liverpool and Ajax, Marseille and Besiktas, Fenerbahçe and Monaco and finally: Arsenal and Eintracht Frankfurt are all evenly balanced.

[Soapy]

English teams down bad right now

[JustinCase]

Ekitike is so tough in this game. Every time I play Liverpool, he manages to score. 2-2 at Anfield is NOT a bad result, but it must be frustrating to have had the win and then settling for a point only.

[Danimal5981]

Ekitike is so tough in this game. Every time I play Liverpool, he manages to score. 2-2 at Anfield is NOT a bad result, but it must be frustrating to have had the win and then settling for a point only.

Really? I mean, the dude is difficult to defend, but he isn't very accurate in front of goal. At least not the two times I played against hin; many shots, many wide.

[Danimal5981]

AJAX MAKES IT RIGHT IN THE SECOND HALF

• Sparta escaped once in the first half, goalkeeper Marco Bizot responded too late and Sparta was 0-1 up. Fortunately for Ajax, a very convincing and dominant second half made everything right
• Elsewhere, Volendam finally secured their first win of the season. Twente suffered a humiliating defeat, losing terrain to Feyenoord in the battle for 3rd place
• AZ booked a crucial win at Heerenveen, keeping them in the fight for 5th, though AZ are also still in the Cup.

[Danimal5981]

THE CRUIJFF DIAMOND

Ajax and Liverpool met for a third time this season and then, as Ajax-head coach Daniel Marzec had put it: 'There are little secrets left, between our two teams.' Liverpool would try and make play, while Ajax waited patiently to hit the visitors with speedy counter attacks. And that's exactly what happened. The whole team of Liverpool save for captain Virgil van Dijk and centre back Ibrahima Konaté pressed forward, playing some sort of 1-2-4-3-1 system. But Ajax did have one surprise left. Marzec surprisingly left both main striker Kasper Dolberg, but also man-in-form Don-Angelo Konadu on the bench. Instead, attacking midfielder Ringo Meerveld was positioned as a false centre forward. It is what people in the Netherlands refer to as the Cruijff diamond, named after his explanation in a 2004 Dutch talkshow (see below, with subtitles).

'I asked myself the question if we can hurt Liverpool with our traditional method and judging from the previous two games, the answer -obviously- is NO', Marzec explained. 'So then, the question becomes: if I do have the ball, what can I do to inflict damage on their pair of central defenders? In the air they are better than our strikers, physically they are stronger. But I can hit them with speed and their wide backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez press up so high, that they are often out of position. So, I decided to keep my wingers who could end up with some free space and a false nine rather than a centre striker, to lure their central defenders to him and create space for us to set up a shot.'

After an initial red storm by Liverpool playing in green on the Ajax-goal, the home team had their first successful breakaway in the 12th minute. Coming over from a Liverpool corner (with Virgil van Dijk still in the opponent's box) it was Ringo Meerveld who saw Konaté coming towards him, which opened a gap for Maher Carrizo. At speed, the Argentine right winger made to it to come 1-v-1 with Alisson Becker. The Liverpool-goalie saved Carrizo's first attempt, but the rebound was for the left footed winger (who scored with his right foot) - 1:0.

Ajax could not enjoy the advantage for long. Mere minutes later Cody Gakpo cut inside from the left flank, delivering the ball to Florian Wirtz who saw Hugo Ektiké go deep - 1:1. Two minutes later, the striker scored again, but that goal was cancelled due to suposed foul by the striker on defender Takehiro Tomiyasu.

While Liverpool were continuously pressing, Ajax were focussed on two things only: no defensive errors and converting the handful of opportunities they'd get. In contrast to previous games, the Amsterdam offside trap prevented some Liverpool danger before it could materialize.

In the 36th minute, Ajax was given another chance. Two weeks before his 37th birthday, veteran Daley Blind received the ball in midfield. His accurate passing launched Mika Godts away from the not so alert Frimpong and the slow responding Virgil van Dijk. Godts did not hesitate and put Ajax ahead again - 2:1. That was the score at halftime as well and a tactical battle awaited for the second half.

Liverpool thundered out of the team talk, but Ajax refused to yield. By the hour mark the game evened out, with the home team focussing on possession and bringing the result home, rather than to press for another goal. Marzec: 'No unnecessary risk, there was too much at stake. I mean, it was the first time in a while we are in the knock-out stage of UEFA Champions League and how many times in our history can we say we knocked out a team the size that Liverpool are today?'

Ajax brought home the result, in what could easily be described as a huge upset. Liverpool-head coach (as he's the only non-manager in th English Premier League) Arne Slot congratulated Ajax: 'For the third time this season, we could not defeat them and more importantly: in all three games, they found the net twice against us. That's credits to their head coach, but also to the players who stuck to their tasks with discipline. Everybody could see that on paper we had more skilled players, but they had the better team and that's decisive in football.'

It subsequently sparked rumours that Marzec could be the ideal successor to Slot. The latter argued, he still had a contract until halfway 2028. Marzec too but added another key phrase: 'Contracts or not, it is my goal not to leave this club until I'm champion, be it in the Dutch league or in UEFA Champions League!'