❌❌❌Rebuilding AJAX❌❌❌

That write up makes it sound bleak for the upcoming year. A lot of question marks over the best XI and no real answers yet. 

I like the challenge of having to fix issues internally and not jump straight into the market. Trying to change tactics and put players in new areas to succeed is a good approach. 

I'm a sucker for second chances. Especially when it comes to younger players, giving them a chance to reinvent themselves in stead of throwing them under the bus. Well done. And if it doesn't work out with Gaaei, at least you tried.

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@thurlow885 wrote:

Still does not feel right seeing Ajax troubles 5th place finish last season just seems strange. All teams have their dips but Ajax are on the big dipper. 

Hopefully it turns around here for you and irl 

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As per the last game / database update, for the first time in FIFA/FC-history: Ajax is no longer crucially required to win the title. Instead reaching Champions League will do. It's sad, but accurate: well done database updaters!...

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@Danimal5981 wrote:

As per the last game / database update, for the first time in FIFA/FC-history: Ajax is no longer crucially required to win the title. Instead reaching Champions League will do. It's sad, but accurate: well done database updaters!...

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Ha, great find. I've been through a similar process, I think, with both Brøndby and Man United, so welcome to the club, I suppose 😉

On topic; Tough start to the season. Need to do well against the lesser teams, so you can afford a poor result vs Feyenoord or PSV... Or both...

A good start, the point is good but keeping a clean sheet is a great sign. The red card must have helped as well. 

Six shots on target, keep doing that and the goals will come. 

When building something great and solid, a good start is always to become difficult to play and score against. So 0-0 vs Feyenoord is - as you also put it - a massive improvement. 

Akpom on fire with a goal in each of these two games. I must admit I was surprised to see him start ahead of Brobbey, but I suppose he did well to live up to the responsibility here. And Brobbey instantly responded with a quick goal after coming on.

I'm not sure what to make of a 2-2 game vs Heerenveen. I see your two goals came in quick succession. But I can't see if you lost a 2-0 lead, or if this was a comeback from being 2-0 down at this point?

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@JustinCase0110 wrote:

Akpom on fire with a goal in each of these two games. I must admit I was surprised to see him start ahead of Brobbey, but I suppose he did well to live up to the responsibility here. And Brobbey instantly responded with a quick goal after coming on.

I'm not sure what to make of a 2-2 game vs Heerenveen. I see your two goals came in quick succession. But I can't see if you lost a 2-0 lead, or if this was a comeback from being 2-0 down at this point?

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They went 1-0 up just after the break;

I got 2-1 ahead;

They converted a late corner: 2-2

Next time, I'll adapt the scoreline in order to give a better view of the game.

Two tough losses there. Losing to PSV after changing to a back 5. Fans could be furious about this. The other one, I get why the manager calls for patience and to judge the club from its current situation and all that. But it still sounds a bit off to talk Ajax down and talk about a potential draw with Twente to be a good result.

But on the other hand, perhaps it's not far from my own career with Brøndby, also talking my own club down a bit, even though they should be on top considering the club size, history, fanbase and all that...

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@JustinCase0110 wrote:

When building something great and solid, a good start is always to become difficult to play and score against. So 0-0 vs Feyenoord is - as you also put it - a massive improvement. 

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I echo this. Irl some fans find them boring, but sometimes when your for example away at a better team coming away with a clean sheet is great, scoring is a bonus 

Unfortunate to see the 4-1 defeat against PSV tho. May be an expectation these days, but not by that kind of scoreline. 

Quite low down the table, but has been some tough fixtures in there. Only 5 games in so time to kick start the season form

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@Danimal5981 wrote:

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Ajax IRL gave the answer. Brobbey is the number one striker. Weghorst and Akpom enter together, with Weghorst as target man and Akpom as the mobile striker around him. But this article reflects very much the state of the real Ajax: we miss some dynamics around our striker. Apart from Gaaei nobody can cross well, apart from Klaassen nobody can link up forward play, we essentially play without wingers and the club hasn't got much money...

So @JustinCase0110 and @thurlow885 - yes, the current state of affairs at Ajax is that we need to fight for European tickets, but only that because a league title is a bridge too far.

Even though the transfer market was already closed, Ajax have managed to sign Davy Klaassen. The midfielder was without a club after his one year contract at Italian side Internazionale ran out. It is the third time Klaassen begins a stint at his home club. After his debut at Ajax in November 2011 it took Klaassen 42 seconds to score his maiden goal against NEC. Klaassen remained at Ajax until the end of the 2016-17 season, after Ajax lost the UEFA Europa League final to Jose Mourinho's Manchester United.

He then spent a year at Everton, then two seasons at Werder Bremen. In October 2020 which was the belated beginning of the new 2020-21 season due to the COVID pandemic, he returned to Ajax for four seasons. He spent three of those mostly as a rotation player, before moving last summer on a one year deal to Internazionale. With Klaassen joining the ranks, Ajax are complete and the definitive kit numbers are known:

1. -
2. Devyne Rensch (NED 21, RB/CB/LB)
3. Anton Gaaei (DEN 21, RWB/RM)
4. Jorrel Hato (NED 18, CB/LB/DM)
5. Owen Wijndal (NED 24, LWB/LM)
6. Jordan Henderson (ENG 34, DM/CM)
7. -
8. Kenneth Taylor (NED 22, CM/CAM)
9. Brian Brobbey (NED 22, ST)
10. Chuba Akpom (ENG/NGA 28, CA/ST)
11. Mika Godts (BEL 19, LW/CAM)
12. Jay Gorter (NED 24, GK)
13. Ahmetcan Kaplan (TUR 21, CB)
14. eternally reserved for Johan Cruijff
15. Youri Baas (NED 21, LB/CB)
16. Sivert Mannsverk (NOR 22, DM/CM)
17. -
18. Davy Klaassen (NED 31, CM/CAM)
19. Julian Rijkhoff (NED 19, ST)
20. Bertrand Traoré (BFA 29, RW)
21. Branco van den Boomen (NED 29, CM)
22. Remko Pasveer (NED 40, GK)
23. Steven Berghuis (NED 32, RW/CAM)
24. Daniel Rugani (ITA 30, CB)
25. Wout Weghorst (NED 32, ST)
26. -
27. Amourricho van Axel Dongen (NED 19, LW)
28. Kian Fitz-Jim (NED 21, CM)
29. Christian Rasmussen (DEN 21, RW)
30. Gastón Ávila (ARG 23, CB/LB)
31. -
32. -
33. Benjamin Tahirovic (BiH 21, DM)
34. eternally reserved for Abdelhak Nouri
35. -
36. Dies Janse (NED 18, CB/LB)
37. Josip Sutalo (HRV 24, CB)
38. Kristian Hlynsson (ICL 20, CAM/RW)
39. -
40. Diant Ramaj (KOS 23, GK)

I like that you  are struggling with results, makes the career much more realistic to follow. Fans will need to learn patience and hopefully this is the manager that will bring the Ajax way back. The transfers are a good step, bringing back players who have the Ajax DNA. 

On a personal note, I was sad to see Bergwijn leave. I thought he was a good player but making a move for the money made sense and is pretty common now.

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@LABoog4 wrote:

On a personal note, I was sad to see Bergwijn leave. I thought he was a good player but making a move for the money made sense and is pretty common now.

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It's not so much that Stevie wanted to leave, it's that Ajax really needed the money: Ajax are so far deep in financial trouble that for every transfer only ca. 1/4 can be reinvested, not just transfer fees but most of all salaries. So, the €21,000,000,- transfer of Bergwijn frees up a bit over five million free to spend; roughly put, it creates the possibility to spend ca. € 4,000,000 on a player whom you then can offer ca. 20k p/week salary.

To put that in contrast: when buying Bergwijn (in 2022, €31m), Bassey (in 2022, €23m), Haller (in 2021, €22,5m), Sutalo (in 2023, €20,5m), or Neres (in 2017, €17,5m) and offer them salaries between 40k and 80k, while now having max. four million free on a player and being forced to downsize your salary structure to an average of 20k per player, then you understand what situation Ajax are currently in.

Of course, playing Champions League would make a huge difference in terms of budget, but therein lies the problem. If you don't qualify for Champions League once or twice, suddenly you're in a downward spiral.

It's actually a pretty tough draw, as I see it. Three of the last four are against teams that are currently better than Ajax. So you need to make the most of the first four games. If you fail to win these, or at least the majority of them, I predict things to be very difficult in the final four.