❌❌❌Rebuilding AJAX❌❌❌
AJAX are looking for ways to come out of the hole they've essentially dug themselves. It seems a lifetime ago but just over two years ago in February 2022, Ajax was on the peak of its powers...
Forum Discussion
A frustrated coach blaming the ref. I don't question the hurt and feeling of injustice here. A penalty AND a red card given falsely in such a game. That is harsh. But caving in like this, inviting the opponents into your half like this, so they end the game with 26 attempts against 5. Had you somehow managed to come back and equalize, it would appear to be nothing less than a steal. The referee played an unfortunate part here, no doubt about that. But the coach also has part of the blame for his team not showing up properly.
You're spot on @JustinCase0110 , but I suppose Marzec is slowly beginning to feel the heat.
Since Rinus Michels (1965) it hasn't happened that a manager held his place at Ajax without winning the title within two seasons (the only exception being Johan Cruijff. However, as manager he won 2 Dutch Cups (1986, 1987) and the European Cup Winner's Cup in 1987). But then he ended up empty handed in 1988, so his move to Barcelona was a lucky escape (he would've been sacked).
So, Marzec knows the way the cookie crumbles in Amsterdam. Last season 2nd place and a Dutch Cup; this season already missed out on Champions League, again failing to win against a top 5 team (like last year) and an unconvincing start in Europa League to boot... I mean, you can win big against the smaller teams, but when it really mattered Ajax didn't do much under Marzec just yet...
Glad to see Mengi fitting in well with a man of the match performance (at least among Ajax players) in the draw vs Rennes. Starting with two draws then. Not great, but not bad either.
@JustinCase0110 wrote:Starting with two draws then. Not great, but not bad either.
Make that three...
Still no win against a Scottish teams: not against Rangers, not against Celtic and not against last season's UEFA Conference League-winner Hearts of Midlothian.
This one was really down to an excellent goalkeeper on the side of Hearts: our play was good. Sure, we play in a different system that allows more initiative, possession and control, but it's more open at the back so it's not as airtight as before. Still this was a very solid effort by us, but still not good enough for three points.
Nearly gave it away, but then Christiaan Peters gave himself a great (18th) birthday present. My midfield and attack are regularly the same six players, but I keep rotating the four at the back, until I've found a solid mix of defensive strength plus good build-up and passing from the back.
I nearly wrote it yesterday in relation to the Europa League game tonight between Man United and VIktoria Plzen IRL. Both started their campaign with three successive draws, then followed by two wins. But then I thought it wasn't too relevant for your story anyway and decided against mentioning it. However, now you have three draws too, I hope you can replicate the form of the two clubs mentioned, meaning that you'll win your next two games in the competition. Fingers crossed.
It's not a good look for the Danish teams though. Brøndby and FC Midtjylland both in the bottom three. Don't care about the 'wolves', but I would like to see Brøndby climb a bit in the table. They have been notoriously bad in Europe since the early 2000's though.
@JustinCase0110 wrote:However, now you have three draws too, I hope you can replicate the form of the two clubs mentioned, meaning that you'll win your next two games in the competition.
Let's hope I do, I'm starting to wonder how far I'd get with draws only...
Meanwhile in the domestic Eredivisie, manager Marzec is leaning more and more to an all-out attack flat 3-4-3. Three at the back, with the wingbacks pushed up, are the only tactics where I can effectively field Mengi, Rosario and Hato without sacrificing the depth of any of the wingbacks or midfielders. 4-3-3 holding is too conservative, 4-3-3 attack is sometimes exposing me at the back.
3 or 5 at the back work better in that regard and is very much Ajax as it was in the golden years between 1986 and 1995 under managers Johan Cruijff, Leo Beenhakker and Louis van Gaal. In that decade, Ajax literally won everything there was to win: anything nationally, anything European and the world cup for clubs (then known as the Intercontinental Cup).
@Danimal5981 wrote:I'm starting to wonder how far I'd get with draws only...
Well, Rangers and Toulouse advanced from the league phase with 8 points in my current season (where I continued to play the European games with Brøndby). But we also saw a team being eliminated with 9 points in the Champions League, and in the season before there was a 9 points elimination in both the Champions League and the Europa League.
So my guess would be that you need to win at least one.
I like your formation changes and experiments in that regard. I can't seem to make 3 in the back work myself, but perhaps I should give it another try soon. With my scoring troubles this season, surely I could do with something less "conservative". And with 24 attempts against 2 in your Utrecht win, maybe I should give the formation another try.
@JustinCase0110 wrote:So my guess would be that you need to win at least one.
Done!
Marzec: "A great win for us! But don't let the numbers fool you. It was a very even contest and we've won it on sharpness towards halftime: first the goal out of the rebound from the corner by Pablo Rosario, followed by a brilliant in-depth pass by Davy Klaassen that launched Brian Brobbey towards 4-1; all in the span of two minutes. Outside of those moments, it was a very even contest. They allowed us the ball, which plays both sides to their strengths. In fact, they were a bit more effective the times they had the ball, which make those two minutes before halftime all the more crucial..."
Good job getting a win finally. It doesn't look like your most convincing performance though, losing in both shots and xG, but hey, you've suffered the opposite situation quite a few times, and it's about time that you got the best of it. Well done, and this should bring you into a comfortably position to secure a 9th to 24th place.
Who was that Sørensen that scored against you for Vitoria, by the way? Has to be a Dane...
@JustinCase0110 wrote:Who was that Sørensen that scored against you for Vitoria, by the way? Has to be a Dane...
Full name: Oliver Sørensen Jensen, left-footed central midfielder - great talent. Product of Midtjylland. I marked him as my 3rd option on the short list if Kenneth Taylor decides to leave and when Enzo Loiodice or Max Finkgrafe turn out to be too expensive.
Winter came early: a game in icey conditions had a severe impact on the quality of both sides with low passing accuray percentages and barely any attemps on target.
An in-depth pass by Davy Klaassen in the 78th minute seemed to be an easy roller for AZ-goalie Max Weiß. The ball decelarated suddenly and Brian Brobbey happened to be quicker near the ball. The ball was touched by the tip of Brobbey's shoe, then richocheted via the body of the tumbling Weiß into the AZ-goal. A lucky 1-0 away win for Ajax in a game that didn't deserve any goals, winners or losers: the game was simply too poor, due to the bad condtions and two teams unable to cope with them.
@Danimal5981 wrote:Full name: Oliver Sørensen Jensen, left-footed central midfielder - great talent. Product of Midtjylland. I marked him as my 3rd option on the short list if Kenneth Taylor decides to leave and when Enzo Loiodice or Max Finkgrafe turn out to be too expensive.
Yeah, I'm familiar. He was sold to Spanish side Celta Vigo in my save. He's a good young player for sure. A true workhorse in central midfield.
Stunt team GA Eagles (currently in 5th) gave Ajax a true run for their money's worth. The visitors from the city of Deventer surprised friend and foe by holding out and striking 0-1 just before halftime on the counter attack. Ajax needed to go full throttle in the second half, but eventually Danjuma and Brian Brobbey managed to defeat the magnificent goalie Jari de Busser.
A very hard fought 2-1 home win for Ajax. Up next are two away games: Sevilla (Europa League) and Feyenoord (Eredivisie), followed by a Dutch Cup Round-of-16 game at home against PEC Zwolle.
These wins are the best. Even though you should definitely have won it in a more comfortable manner, there is no better feeling than snatching a late 3 points. Brilliant.
@JustinCase0110 wrote:Even though you should definitely have won it in a more comfortable manner, there is no better feeling than snatching a late 3 points.
Yes, but the lack of form is worrisome...
There's a reason though, my coaches for goalkeeper and defence are on par, but I sacked the coaches for midfield and attack. The best one available is a single bronze three star coach so my coaching staff is undermanned. That's why my field play is getting better, but my goals (and wins) don't come easy. I really need a 4:1 dominance in stats to be guaranteed a win...
Dries Valentijn is a spoof of the real-life Valentijn Driessen: Holland's nastiest and sourest football journalist. Highlights the negative and sees a conspiracy in every fart he hears behind every tree.
@Danimal5981 wrote:
@JustinCase0110 wrote:Even though you should definitely have won it in a more comfortable manner, there is no better feeling than snatching a late 3 points.
Yes, but the lack of form is worrisome...
There's a reason though, my coaches for goalkeeper and defence are on par, but I sacked the coaches for midfield and attack. The best one available is a single bronze three star coach so my coaching staff is undermanned. That's why my field play is getting better, but my goals (and wins) don't come easy. I really need a 4:1 dominance in stats to be guaranteed a win...
Dries Valentijn is a spoof of the real-life Valentijn Driessen: Holland's nastiest and sourest football journalist. Highlights the negative and sees a conspiracy in every fart he hears behind every tree.
Is there any older players you could target in January to resolve the coach issue. (There experience may mean they can bypass the lack of coaches as they need to develop less?)
What’s the plan with players such as Brobby. He’s been in such good form it surely won’t be long until another bigger club comes sniffing…
@thomashunter2199 wrote:Is there any older players you could target in January to resolve the coach issue.
That was the original idea: buy Philippe Sandler (28) from NEC - he's relatively experienced and went through the Ajax Academy (but never made the first team). NEC didn't want to sell, so I had to fall back on alternatives, which eventually became Teden Mengi (23) from Luton. I have some XP with Davy Klaassen (32) as captain. But in the ideal world I would gladly add some more experience.
All together there are ca. 70-80 players in the game that have gone through the Ajax Academy but never broke through in the first team. They are my first go-to players, in order to preserve (what is referred to as) Ajax-DNA.
@thomashunter2199 wrote:What’s the plan with players such as Brobbey. He’s been in such good form it surely won’t be long until another bigger club comes sniffing…
That's the fate of any big club outside the big countries, isn't it? Clubs from the big leagues knock on your door and you can't refuse. On top, Ajax has financial issues to settle. Ideally, I would like to see Jorrel Hato, Kenneth Taylor and Brian Brobbey stay and go with Ajax into Champions League (if we make it), but I'm afraid that this winter or next summer bigger clubs will knock on my door.
27 NOV 2025 | Ajax were on route to a stunt against Sevilla, currently 4th in Primera Dívision. The whole team played solid, though Marco Bizot had a slightly weaker day than normal unfortunately.
A 2-1 lead vaporized in the second half: Ejuke (ex-Heerenveen) sprinted towards the equalizer, then substitute Rafa Mir produced a very accurate long distance shot passed Bizot: 3-2. A point from this game would've made things easier, but with games left against LASK (Aut), Royale Union Saint-Gilloise (Bel) and Lech Poznan (Pol), Ajax are confident about advancing, possibly directly through the Top 8.
30 NOV 2025 | Leave it to Daniel Marzec how to play Feyenoord. Last season, Ajax remained undefeated against the arch rival (0-0 at home, 1-0 win away, 2-1 win in the cup) and that streak has been extended today with a 1-0 win in Rotterdam, just like the season before.
Ajax and Feyenoord were evenly matched in the first half. The visitors surprised the home team with an early goal. Things were turned on its head when Luka Ivanusec of Feyenoord received a red card for a charge on Owen Wijndal, who'll be out for ca. three months.
After that and also with the Sevilla-game still in the legs of the players, Marzec instructed his team to play the second half in a professional and disruptive way. Feyenoord never got close to a goal and became sloppy near the end, which almost allowed Kenneth Taylor to tip in another goal for Ajax. However, one goal proved enough for three points: Ajax (39) are now sovereignly in the lead with a seven point gap to Feyenoord (32).
@Danimal5981 wrote:30 NOV 2025 | Leave it to Daniel Marzec how to play Feyenoord. Last season Ajax remain undefeated against the arch rival (0-0 at home, 1-0 win away, 2-1 win in the cup) and that streak has been extended today with a 1-0 win in Rotterdam, just like the season before.
Ajax and Feyenoord were evenly matched in the first half. The visitors surprised the home team with an early goal. Things were turned on its head when Luka Ivanusec of Feyenoord received a red card for a charge on Owen Wijndal, who'll be out for ca. three months.
After that and also with the Sevilla-game still in the legs of the players, Marzec instructed his team to play the second half in a professional and disruptive way. Feyenoord never got close to a goal and became sloppy near the end, which almost allowed Kenneth Taylor to tip in another goal for Ajax. However, one goal proved enough for three points: Ajax (39) are now sovereignly in the lead with a seven point gap to Feyenoord (32).
What a result. Seems like it was slightly against the overall run of play as they got a lot of shots off but you created the higher quality chances. Brobbey seems elite at this level ⚽️
Good to see the Feyenoord player getting punished for sidelining Wijndal for 3 months. You would probably have preferred the availability of the player rather than this sending-off, but at least that could give you just a sense of justice. And a nice derby win too, away from home.
The first European defeat was unfortunate though. Especially having lead the game during the second half. You may still need at least one more win from the remaining three games.
Initially manager Daniel Marzec thought of granting some playing time for some outside the starting eleven during the Dutch cup game against PEC Zwolle, but eventually the Ajax-boss decided to field a near complete B-team in the league game against the lowly ranked RKC (17th) too.
The risk paid off, albeit with some blood, sweat and tears. PEC Zwolle didn't come to Amsterdam to be pushed over and gave Ajax second pick an equal fight. An easily given penalty (striker Weghorst lost his balance) was converted by 'substitute' captain Davy Klaassen. That was enough to advance to the quarter finals, where Ajax and Willem II will go on repeat: last year's legendary final ended in 10:0 (!!!) for Ajax. If this upcoming fixture will be just as easy for Ajax is doubtful: Willem II are in much better form this season, with the Tilburg side currently in 5th in the Eredivisie.
Where Ajax barely survived the round, bigger upsets happened elsewhere with Eredivisie bottom team Fortuna eliminating reigning league champions PSV (2:1). The Rotterdam-derby between Sparta and Feyenoord went to penalties (3:3) where Sparta proved to be better than their city rivals (4-2p). Sparta will face Twente in the quarter finals.
Several days later, Ajax noted a regular 2:1 home win over RKC with a brace for veteran striker Wout Weghorst. Both games were notable for Ajax playing in a 4-3-3 attack formation with a Classic #10, similar to the formation once pioneered by Rinus Michels, Johan Cruijff and Louis van Gaal in the 20th century.
