AGONA Profile: Ajax, the resurgent Amsterdam giants
The AGONA Profile takes a closer look at Ajax after PAOK were drawn to play the reigning Dutch champions in the third qualifying round of the 2019/2020 UEFA Champions League.
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Ajax are on the rise again. In the previous season, Ajax took the continent by storm, coming within a minute of qualifying for the final of the UEFA Champions League. On their way to the Last Four, the Dutch side earned plenty of admirers with their entertaining, fresh approach to the game, impressively defeating Real Madrid and Juventus in the knockout stages. Ajax had also beaten AEK twice (3:0, 2:0) in the group phase.
Since being formed in March 1990, the Amsterdam organisation have won 34 national titles, 19 Dutch Cups, one UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Cup Winners’ Cup and most notably four UEFA Champions Leagues with the last triumph coming in the 1994/1995 season. In 2017, Ajax surprisingly reached the UEFA Europa League final, however they contrived to drop a comprehensive 0:2 defeat to Manchester United. Ajax were one of Europe’s most successful clubs of the 20th century and enjoyed dominance in every competition which they competed in.
Having nurtured the likes of the legendary Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten, Dennis Bergkamp, Clarence Seedorf and Edwin Van Der Sar, the Ajax Academy is still rightly regarded as a leader in its field, but nowadays the club sell their best talent as soon as they make a name for themselves. Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong, two key members of the team which played in this year’s Champions League semi-finals, have left this summer for Juventus and Barcelona respectively.
Alongside their Champions League heroics in the 2018/2019 season, Ajax reigned supreme in the Netherlands, confidently winning the Eredivisie and the Dutch Cup.
Full name: Amsterdamsche Football Club Ajax
Founded: March 18, 1990
Chairman: Hennie Henrichs
Head coach: Erik ten Hag
Stadium: Johan Cruyff Arena (Capacity 54,033)
Titles won: 34 Eredivisies, 19 Dutch Cups, 8 Johan Cruyff Shields, 4 UEFA Champions Leagues, 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup, 1 UEFA Cup, 2 UEFA Super Cups
HEAD COACH
49-year-old Erik ten Hag took charge of Ajax in December 2017, replacing Marcel Keizer. Given his reasonable lack of experience in the coaching industry, the decision to appoint him raised a few eyebrows, but in 74 Ajax games at the helm he’s subsequently claimed 56 victories, 10 draws and suffered a mere eight losses while earning two trophies. Previously, Hag was the head coach of Go Ahead Eagles and Utrecht after he worked as an assistant at Twente and PSV.
Hag represented Twente in three separate spells between 1989 and 2002. He ended his playing days with Twente and consequently started working in the team’s coaching staff in 2006.
KEY PLAYERS
Hakim Ziyech was at his best for Ajax in the 2018/2019 campaign. Playing on the right flank, the Moroccan dazzled with his wonderful displays, tallying 21 goals and 24 assists in 49 games across all competitions. This off-season, the 26-year-old has naturally been linked with a move away, but he is still on Ajax’s books and will be one of the most tricky players for the PAOK defence to deal with. A joy to watch.
One of the most important players in this exciting Ajax team is gifted midfielder Donny van de Beek. Unlike de Ligt and de Jong, the 22-year-old has remained in Amsterdam, and he will be aiming to cut apart the PAOK back line with his intelligent passes and attacking forades. In the past season, van de Beek scored 17 goals and dished out 13 assists, including markers against AEK, Juventus and Tottenham.
Versatile defender Daley Blind was snapped up by Manchester United from Ajax in 2014, but after four underwhelming years in the English Premier League, he returned to his hometown club. Able to play either at left-back, centre-back or in the position of a defensive midfielder, Blind offers the coaches plenty of different options and has got his career back on track in Amsterdam.
