Re: ❌❌❌Rebuilding AJAX❌❌❌

The second confrontation with Twente in the same week (this time for the Dutch Cup: KNVB Beker) went considerably better for Ajax. Lots of precipitation made conditions on the pitch difficult; still, it was surprising to witness a high passing accuracy by both teams.

Daniel Marzec analyzes: 'This was the third time this season we've played Twente and it was also the third time we managed to score twice against them. However, this is the first time we managed to keep a clean sheet against them. It shows you how we approach our opponents: we take the data of the current and last season, we see the number of goals scored and against, possession and passing rates and make a battle plan according to that.'

'In this case, the data against Twente indicated their defense has trouble with our split through pass. The first time here in Enschede, it was Taylor serving Brobbey twice through the middle, now we slightly altered the plan with our wingers making the decisive stab through their backline. The other priority was to keep it tight at the back. You have clearly witnessed that today, my team has learned from the previous experiences.'

The win over Twente means Ajax plays a second cup final in just as many attempts under the tenure of Daniel Marzec: last time Ajax won that final 10:0 against Willem II. This year's cup final, they'll face SC Heerenveen who were better than AZ Alkmaar at penalties.

• SC Heerenveen - AZ Alkmaar 3:3 (2:2 regular, 1:1 extended time), 4:2 penalties

fantastic result. I hope you can bring home the bacon in the final. Wont be easy thats for sure

1. 1st in Eredivisie, Dutch cup final, still in UEL
2. keep core key players (extend contracts)
3. follow former-Ajax players, Latin-American players
4. attention to Ajax Academy

Another cup final, that's brilliant. Avoiding the other top clubs in the final does make you strong favourites for the title. Even though you probably won't win 10-0 this time.

Great look on the academy. Seems like you could have a great new generation on your hands. If only a handful of these make it to the top, and you manage to hold on to them for some time, Ajax could really push back among the very best in Europe.

@JustinCase0110 'plan 2028', that's when I want Ajax to peak (the end of season 2027-28, two years from now)

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@Danimal5981 wrote:

@JustinCase0110 'plan 2028', that's when I want Ajax to peak (the end of season 2027-28, two years from now)

Dutch players in general, but those of Ajax in particular, are often deemed 'nice weather players' - only able to perform under ideal circumstances. And this was confirmed while visiting NEC: on a muddy, swampy Nijmegen pitch, Ajax couldn't show anything. Low possession and passing rates with hardly a dangerous moment in front of the opponent's goal.

It doesn't bode well in the run up to the games against Tottenham, while in March Ajax cannot afford a mishap against Sparta, Almere or Roda JC. In 2026, Ajax seemed on route towards a first title since 2022, but the battle for the Eredivisie win is wide open again.

The weather also affects my games, making it impossible to play sometimes. I like the idea that weather can impact games and make it a factor you have to address, but it's a bit too much that you almost can't make any runs with the ball under those conditions. 

Looks like I’m back just in time to see another match with Spurs and Ajax. 🙂 

Late to the party with Brobbey input but I think you keep him unless they pay €100m+. The €65m would be great to reinvest in the team but keeping him sends a bigger message to the club and the fans that you are serious about contending for the top trophies. 

Ajax takes a 1-0 lead after the 1st leg of 2025/26 UEFA Europa League, Round of 16 against Tottenham Hotspur! Ajax was clearly the better, more aggressive, feisty and greedy side.

Shots on the post or upright don't count as an attempt on target, but Ajax had three of those. The late goal therefore felt as release, but also leaves behind a sense that not everything that Ajax managed to create was converted into goals.

The game was loaded because of the history between the two teams: On May 8th 2019 in the semi final of UEFA Champions League Ajax also took a 1-0 lead against Spurs, but lost out in the dying seconds of the return when Lucas Moura completed a hat-trick.

There are however two big differences: for one, this 1-0 win was booked in Amsterdam, whereas seven years ago the win was claimed in the 1st leg in London. It's also the first win in Amsterdam over Spurs, as the London side was victorious in said semi final in 2019 (3:2) and also last year during the league stage of Europa League (3:0). Another big difference is that the away goal rule no longer counts in UEFA sanctioned tournaments. It's what necked the talented Ajax team in the 2018/19 Champions League campaign.

The result is extra special for AFC AJAX, as it is only the 2nd home win against a Premier League team ever: Ajax beat Roberto Mancini's Manchester City (3:1) in the 2012/13 group stage of UEFA Champions League on October 24th 2012.

To underline the exceptionality of such result: that result in turn, was the only home win for Ajax against a top flight team from England since a 1:0 win over Nottingham Forest in the 1980 Europa Cup semi finals, though that initial home win was later undone in the return by the eventual winners of the tournament. Let's hope that 3rd time is the charm for Ajax and that they can finally advance from an European knock-out confrontation against an English side, because previous attempts against Tottenham (2025, 2019), Aston Villa (2024), Liverpool (2023, 2021), Chelsea (2020) and the 2017 Europa League final against Manchester United all ended in misery for the Amsterdam team.

Dang...Should have sold Brobbey.... 🙂

Like you said, the score looks closer than the match was. Completely dominated, not surprising considering Spurs tactics will either swarm opponents or be completely overrun by them. It looks like you handled their press easily and kept most of the possession. 

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@LABoog4 wrote:

Like you said, the score looks closer than the match was. Completely dominated, [...] It looks like you handled their press easily and kept most of the possession. 

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Yes, just like in 2019. Across two games, the whole first one plus the first half of the second leg were for Ajax, in stats and score. But at the end it were the Spurs that won and advanced. So, let's manage expectations for now, we're only halfway.

... and in the return, we'll have to make do without Aboukhlal (again)...

An easy, regular win over Sparta Rotterdam, with goals no. 35 & 36 for Brian Brobbey, who's on route to break the 43-goal record by PSV striker Koen Dillen which has stood since the inaugural 1956-57 season of the Eredivisie.

Adding to the win was the pleasant surprise of Feyenoord, PSV and Twente all dropping points, which sees Ajax taking a little more distance again after the others closed in during February.

• PSV - Willem II 1:1
• GA Eagles - Feyenoord 1:1
• AZ - RKC 1:0
• Twente - Almere 1:1

History repeating itself. Usually for Spurs, they are the ones falling short over and over. When Solankes goal went in off your own keeper, that had to tell you what kind of day it was going to be. 

The good news is you can focus on the league now. It looks like a two team race and you have a small advantage to start. Do you play any of the other top three times to finish the season?

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@LABoog4 wrote: 

The good news is you can focus on the league now. It looks like a two team race and you have a small advantage to start. Do you play any of the other top three times to finish the season?

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From here (six rounds to go), we have three tricky games left: at home against Feyenoord (12.04), then the cup final against Heerenveen (18.04) and the difficult away game against Utrecht (21.04). On the final day (10.05) we play AZ at home.

Feyenoord has a difficult closing schedule. The easiest is for PSV who have five games against bottom half teams (and Feyenoord) - wouldn't count the defending champions out just yet.

Thusfar across most of two full seasons, I have not managed to win a single league game at home against any of the game's traditional top 5:

• 2024/25: vs PSV (1:3), vs Feyenoord (0:0), vs Twente (0:0), vs AZ (3:3)
• 2025/26: vs PSV (2:3), vs Twente (2:2), vs Feyenoord (12.04), vs AZ (10.05)

April 4th 2026, Amsterdam

A regular 3:1 at RKC Waalwijk (with Brian Brobbey accounting for his 40th and 41st goal in the league) has brought Ajax on the brink of celebrating silverware. While not mathematically, the upcoming Klassieker between Ajax and Feyenoord is essentially for the Eredivisie title: thanks to a 3-3 draw between Feyenoord and AZ, Ajax are now 8 points loose with five games to go. The draw was bad news for AZ as well, as yet another loss of points have seen the Alkmaar side fall into the clutches of FC Groningen who are flying in the second half of the season.

• Roda JC - Twente 4:4
• Feyenoord - AZ 3:3
• Fortuna - PSV 1:4
• Willem II - Groningen 0:1

If by any magic the title wouldn't go to Amsterdam for the first time in four years, Ajax could still settle for a second Dutch Cup win in a row. Moreover, Daniel Marzec would join two legendary coaches: only Rinus Michels (1970, 1971) and Johan Cruijff (1986, 1987) won back-to-back cups with Ajax.

Shame about the Europa League. Especially as AJAX are one of the bigger teams in that comp. However, Spurs do have Premier League money. It is fair to say since then your results havent taken a hit at all which is great. Strong end to the season needed now to continue this momentum!

Results are exactly what you needed after the Europe exit. Interesting to see you have not beat the traditional big sides at home in two years. 

A win over Feyernoord and nobody win care about the poor big game home record. 

Tough defeat in Europe mate. Losing on pens is awful. I was pretty good from the spot in FC24, as far as I remember. But I'm yet to feel confident about it in this game. So I try to avoid these shootouts the best I can. Playing with a Superliga team may also be a reason why, with such poor players also being expected to be poor penalty takers as well.

Brobbey beating the goal record in the league is pretty special! What a talent, and what a player. I get why he's regarded as a crucial part of your plans to bring Ajax to European glory. But the clock is probably ticking. You need those results fast, or this player could see a career in one of Europe's top clubs as a better career path for him...

Great setup to the match and you managed to check off all the boxes. 

Finally getting a home win against of the top sides. All but securing the title and breaking the scoring record. What a night for Ajax! 

With the way the season and Brobbey played out, keeping him was the right choice. His price had to be €150+ this summer, doesn’t it?

@JustinCase0110  @LABoog4 

Well, that is going to be the main question from here on. The title is as good as ours; we still have a cup final to play.

But after that (while the World Cup will be on),  it's all about building a team that'll be competitive in UEFA Champions League. And there are two ways to go about it.

1. keep and expand on what you have (according to the Ajax-DNA philosophy)
2. replace anything that would leave with a higher level of player. Champions League means we can raise our budget and salary household somewhat, from a maximum of 20mln value / 20k salary to 30mln value / 30k salary.

The first option is building a team around the core that is goalie Bizot (35), defender Hato (20), midfielder Taylor (24), striker Brobbey (24) and captain Klaassen (33).

That would be very much like 2018-19 when veterans Schøne, Tadic, Blind and Huntelaar were joined by talent such as De Ligt, Dolberg, Mazraoui, De Jong and Van de Beek, with some South-American grit added to the mix (Tagliafico, Neres). So, in order to get there we'd need some middle aged Ajax-DNA back to our club and some South-American flavours.

The second scenario isn't very different, apart from replacing the overtalented trio that is Hato, Taylor and Brobbey, ergo players of OVR 80 or above, but within our budgetary limits.

But as this is of yet an unknown, this next transfer was negotiated under the old terms. Sheraldo Becker (once an Ajax-youth) snubbed us last summer for the salary offer we gave him. This summer his fee is lower, while he accepted our maximum available salary (20k) against a slightly higher signing bonus (250k). He came unto my radar after we played Sociedad in last year's Europa League: the guy is a high speed train and for now he is signed for any of the attackers that is getting tired.

I am always a fan of keeping players that are “core” players for as long as you can. Only selling if the player requests a move or you have more holes that need to be filled and need funds. 

If I was on the board, I would vote for you to go option 1. Stay with the Ajax DNA and try winning the Champions League with this talented core.