The dream week of Ajax is complete. After the victory in De Klassieker on Saturday, Francesco Farioli’s team was also the leader PSV: 3-2. In a sizzling match at the Johan Cruyff Arena, Ajax earned more, much more, than three points. For those who still had doubts after Wednesday´s game against Feyenoord: Ajax is back.
At the bottom of the Eredivisie
On 2 November 2023, Ajax were at the bottom of the Eredivisie, 25 points behind PSV. On Saturday evening, exactly a year later, the Amsterdammers defeated the same PSV in an impressive way and put the front-runner in the Eredivisie rankings. In four days, Ajax convincingly overtook his two main rivals. Not by a lucky goal in the last minute, but really by enforcing it yourself.
On Wednesday, Ajax already impressed in De Kuip, mainly because of the strong organization and the ability to give almost nothing away. At the ball it was not spectacularly good in Rotterdam and of course the Amsterdammers there were helped by two flaters from Timon Wellenreuther.
The victory over PSV was even better in that respect. The Eindhoven team were tactically better prepared for the match plan of Ajax. Peter Bosz opted for many position changes, to confuse the couples of the home team. Moreover, PSV naturally has more individual quality and scoring ability. For example, Ajax swallowed two particularly handsome goals from Luuk de Jong and Ivan Perisic and there were still a number of threatening moments.
The difference with the game against Feyenoord was the level that Ajax himself achieved in possession. With the help of Jordan Henderson, the Amsterdammers regularly managed to find a way to play under the high pressure of PSV. If it wasn’t in there, the falling long ball on striker Brian Brobbey offered a solution.
Peter Bosz realistic after the defeat
“Ajax has rightly won, with us it was just not good enough today”, concluded Peter Bosz afterwards. In total, Ajax came up to 21 goal attempts against the normally so defensively sovereign PSV. That’s four more than in any other PSV Eredivisie match since Bosz started in the summer of 2023. Especially in the last half hour Ajax was very threatening and the score could have been even higher.
The fact that Ajax was able to push the accelerator in this way during this final phase also proved Farioli’s right and his rotation policy. His team had completed an intensive fight with Feyenoord in the middle weeks, but still looked fitter and sharper than PSV.
Tuesday Champions League for PSV
This defeat of PSV ultimately does not come out badly for Bosz, because next Tuesday the important Champions League game against Girona is at stake.
The Dutch competition has become a lot more exciting after the return of Ajax on the highest stage. If PSV had won, the difference with Ajax would have become 8 points, and PSV would almost be champion.
1974, just wow, what a pitty we didn´t make it….
…and ’78. He was superb in that tournament. Steely in defense, and then moving up into attack when they fell behind against Germany and Italy. btw, awhile back I found both those matches on youtube and watched them in their entirety. Terrific games, both of them.
Thanks for this Jan. Wonderful, wonderful piece.
As long as Koeman is still the head coach of the Dutch national team, we ain’t going nowhere. He is clueless and in addition to that, he got 2 yes man around him and both don’t know jack. 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
I agree on Koeman but I to say Wim Jonk doesn’t know jack is outright preposterous.
Jonk is seen as the man who carries Cruyff’s legacy and was instrumental in the development of the amazing talents we saw at Ajax in some years back ( Frenkie, Donnie, Mathijs, Mazraoui and more). Jonk is definitely NOT a yes man, he even sacrificed his friendship with Bergkamp over his strong opinions and left Ajax in disgust.
If there is one guy in football who is his own man, it’s Wim Jonk. It’s a shame that your – at times – insightful comments are devalued by adding these ignorant comments
I am grateful Johan Neeskens didn’t get to see the match versus Germany. It would have killed him. It was shockingly bad.
No leadership, no fight, no football intelligence, no pressure, no sense of urgency.
Koeman had his tactics completely wrong and was not able to fix it until the half time break. When he did, Nagelsmann was able to adjust his side 10 mins into the second half, with some pointed directions. Disgusted.
Finally, a lot of people are asking for R Koeman to be sacked.
Thanks for this piece, Jan. One of our legends. His famous goal v Brazil in the ‘74 semis & of course the opening minute penalty in the WC Final.
Neeskens in today’s modern game could be more of a Tonali/Mac Allister hybrid? Hate to bring up an Italian or Argie in this conversation lol. Roy Keane is good shout for those who remember 90s/2000s football well.
Interesting you write that Wim Janssen as the Scholes like tactician. Definitely the most under appreciated in the XI & many who’ve written on him (esp the tactical bloggers) coined him as more a defensive stalwart. What a time & what a team. We miss the tactical nous of our coaches. May have to bring LVG back for one more ride to glory.
I would like to see Van gaal but he will drag Danny Blind with him and you know what that means. Player rifts, player preferences and the same old boring tatic instead of changes and building up of weak areas like RW etc. 3-5-2 etc.
Let’s also not forget that the World Cup under Van gaal was also not spectacular, scraped through with easy team through the knock out games. Til SF. NT needs a young modern day coach and I think the only one that is available is Van bommel. Joseph oostings is another name being wisherped in the back ground.
As for the team they need to build the RW. Koeman was fool. Lang and kluivert are both technical enough and versatile to play on the RW but koeman instead to continue deploy Simons on the right where he is just not balanced.
The Gravenberch hype also fused out and Remember what I said about his defensive game. The conclusion that you get from this is pretty much he plays well at Liverpool because he is surrounded by good players. This remains me of Van der Weil as well when he was at PSG but when ever he came back to NT was always average. On another note you can’t expect much from players with 3-5 caps because they simply don’t have a better grip. You can also argue here what about the Germans new caps who played with so much maturity and confidence.
I remember talking about how the systems works in Dutch football when it comes to NT and again pretty much how koeman downfall came about. Look at how Wieffer and weghorst were treated subject to their transfer. Till you play in eredivisie you get marketed, once you leave somebody else is there to replace them and this is how the conveyer belts rolls and in the course of these the Dutch coaches simply close the eyes on some of those players who are not so playing in bigger clubs or are pecking order. Again the treatment of Maatsen, Frimpong, kluivert. Calling them up and not utilizing them to give a face lift. And that’s what he said in his interview when asked about Maatsen not receiving game time. He attributed it to “ the course of matches and choices’” so then you ask how he prefers hato over Maatsen. It goes back to the marketing strategy these Dutch coaches are obliged to due to their close relation with clubs and I’m not being anti here or that sort but we all know here whom I’m talking about
Handi Flick yesterday showed us why once again Komean is a mediocre coach..
We are not going anywhere with Ronald Koeman
Did ten hag take over from koeman
Shud
I guess this is just another testimony ( ten hag sacking) that it’s not gonna happen with their way and style. This is fast becoming a dilemma for Dutch coaches who come in and start changing things to suit their way and not what may have being working well before him.
The same I will say for slot. He inherited a good squad and is flying high. Once with departures and that balances offsets, you see how things will change for him.
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/tNwginKpJ2sowRXR/?
This reporter has nailed it